Can I clean my restaurant kitchen hood myself?

While restaurant staff members are expected to clean the exterior surfaces of exhaust hoods as part of their regular kitchen maintenance procedures, keeping the system thoroughly cleaned to New York City fire safety standards requires a trained and licensed hood cleaning professional according to procedures outlined in NFPA 96. It’s not only the standard for ventilation control and fire protection of commercial cooking operations, but it’s a requirement by the city of New York as well.

The Deadly Consequences

In the many years we’ve been cleaning and fabricating restaurant kitchen hood systems, we have occasionally come across restaurant owners who want to cut corners by having kitchen staff clean the hoods systems themselves. It never works and often we are called in to clean up the mess left by untrained kitchen staff. More importantly, “the mess” often results in fire hazards that can be deadly for restaurant employees as well as guests.
National and NYC Requirements

On a federal level, the National Fire Protection Agency (NFPA) requires a completed certified and professional exhaust hood cleaning for all commercial kitchens. They stress that failure to meet NFPA requirements not only increases the risk of fire, but also puts a restaurant at risk for big fines which may result in closure of the facility.

So to state the obvious at this point, the answer to the question posed in the title of this article is a clear and resounding “no.” Of course we always recommend not taking the chance and hiring professionals to clean the kitchen hoods, even if you choose not to hire us. The potential for fire and other danger is just too great.

A professional will also know what specific standards apply to your kitchen. For example, some kitchen equipment may be old and require different cleaning standards. A certified professional will make sure you’re in compliance and certify your kitchen with the New York Fire Department, making sure all fire safety violations are removed.

Do these standards apply to all kitchens?

If your facility cooks food for the public commercially, they do. If you’re unsure, we suggest you contact us to find out. We’ll be happy to consult with you on your particular requirements based on your commercial facility and kitchen.

If you’re opening up a new restaurant, contact us to get an estimate of how much it may cost for regular service that will keep you in compliance. This way, you’ll not only be able to budget for the expense, but you’ll avoid costly shut downs, which have been known to ruin restaurants. You can’t afford to be shut down in the very competitive New York restaurant business.

Be safe and keep your kitchen hoods cleaned and operating by a professional who will get it done right, each and every time. Call us if you have any questions at (212) 660-3232. We’re happy to help.