How to Keep Your Hood Clean in Between Professional Cleanings

While professional cleanings are crucial, here’s how to keep your kitchen hood in top shape in between:

• Wipe it down regularly: After each cooking session, use a degreaser wipe or microfiber cloth with hot, soapy water to tackle grease splatters.
• Be proactive with spills: Don’t let grease solidify. Address spills immediately with a paper towel to prevent more significant cleanup later.
• Clean those filters: Most baffle filters can be cleaned at the surface level with warm, soapy water. Consult your manual and clean them regularly to maintain optimal airflow.
• Inspect occasionally: Every month or so, visually check the fan and ductwork for grease buildup. If accessible areas appear greasy, tackle them with a degreaser and a non-abrasive scrub brush.

By incorporating these simple practices, you’ll extend the life of your hood, prevent fire hazards, and ensure a clean and efficient kitchen environment.

The Risks of Improper Kitchen Hood Cleaning

A dirty kitchen hood is not just an eyesore; it’s a fire hazard that can have devastating consequences for your business and the safety of your staff and customers. Grease buildup in your hood can easily ignite, leading to a raging fire that can engulf your kitchen, spread to other parts of your building, and even cause structural damage. According to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), approximately 51,000 restaurant fires occur annually, causing an estimated $154 million in property damage.

In addition to the immediate risk of fire, improper hood cleaning can also compromise indoor air quality, leading to health problems for your staff and customers. Grease particles can clog ventilation systems, trapping harmful fumes and smoke inside your kitchen. These fumes can cause respiratory problems, headaches, and even nausea. Prolonged exposure to these fumes can lead to more serious health conditions, such as asthma and bronchitis.

What Does Proper Kitchen Hood Cleaning Include?

Professional hood cleaning is a multi-step process that goes far beyond a surface wipe-down. Trained and certified technicians meticulously disassemble the entire exhaust system, tackling greasy filters, fans, and even the often-neglected exhaust ducts. Powerful degreasers cut through buildup, while high-pressure washing ensures that there aren’t an grease pockets that may have been difficult to see.

This deep clean extends to every component, with technicians inspecting for damage and verifying proper airflow throughout the ventilation system. This type of comprehensive approach minimizes fire hazards by eliminating grease buildup, which is one of the key leading causes of restaurant kitchen fires. It also improves air quality by removing smoke, odors, and airborne contaminants, creating a safer and more pleasant working environment for your staff. By ensuring optimal ventilation and a grease-free system, professional hood cleaning provides peace of mind and keeps your kitchen functioning efficiently.

How Often is Kitchen Hood Cleaning Needed For My Restaurant? 

The recommended cleaning frequency for your kitchen hood depends on the type and volume of cooking you do. Here’s a general guide:

• Monthly: This applies to restaurants with solid-fuel cooking (wood, charcoal) and high-volume operations like 24-hour kitchens or those specializing in wok cooking or charbroiling.
• Quarterly: This is suitable for restaurants with above-average cooking volume, cafeterias, hotels with busy kitchens, and establishments operating 24/7.
• Biannually:  Low-volume operations like seasonal businesses, senior centers, or churches with occasional cooking may only require yearly cleaning.

However, this is just a starting point. It’s crucial to consider your specific situation. Factors like the amount of grease produced, ventilation efficiency, and daily cleaning practices can all influence how often you need professional cleaning. We will help you to understand your unique needs, determining the optimal cleaning schedule for your restaurant

What Kind of Solutions are Used in Kitchen Hood Cleaning?

The specific cleaning solutions used can vary based on the needs of the specific restaurant, but they all share key characteristics. These are powerful degreasers formulated to break down tough grease and grime buildup within the entire kitchen hood and exhaust system. Rest assured, these solutions are chosen for their safety within food service environments, complying with all health and safety regulations set for use in food contact areas. This means they are formulated to minimize any risk of contaminating food or surfaces that may come into contact with food. Furthermore, we are happy to provide additional information related to the products we use, and always provide full transparency into the work that is done to keep your kitchen hood clean.