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Exhaust Hood Cleaning Quick Guide for Commercial Kitchens

An exhaust hood is vital within a commercial kitchen as it helps to draw smoke, fumes, and other particles in the air out of the space. Over time, these particles can build up in the hood system, resulting in exhaust hood cleaning being a necessity.

Having a kitchen exhaust hood cleaned regularly is essential to restaurant maintenance, hygiene, and safety. By using a professional exhaust hood cleaning service, one can ensure that the fans and exhaust systems are clear of grease buildup and don’t pose a fire hazard to the restaurant. 

Commercial Kitchen Hood Cleaning Process

1. Protect Equipment

To begin, all the kitchen equipment and surfaces that are within the splash range of the kitchen exhaust must be covered. This protects the kitchen equipment from damage and allows the kitchen hood cleaning to take place while avoiding any risk of causing harm to surrounding items.

2. Clean the Roof Fan Unit 

It is equally important to make sure that all of the connecting ductwork is clean to enable the kitchen hood to run optimally and reduce the risk of fires. Ducts and the exhaust system on the roof must be cleaned before moving on to cleaning the kitchen hood. 

3. Heated Pressure Wash

To eliminate residual grease buildup, a heavy corrosive can be applied to the kitchen hood before washing it with a heated pressure washer. 

This piece of exhaust hood cleaning equipment is effective at removing residual grease and provides a new sheen to the kitchen hood.

4. Stainless Shining

Once the heated pressure wash is completed,  a spray bottle, sponges, and rags can be used to shine the restaurant kitchen hood, giving it a professional look.

5. Site Cleanup 

After the kitchen hood has been cleaned and shined, the professional exhaust hood cleaning service will mop the kitchen floors and remove any garbage or cleaning debris from the commercial kitchen.

6. Post-Service Report and Dashboard

Once everything has been ticked off the exhaust hood cleaning checklist, some professional cleaners such as APEX Hood Cleaning will provide the client with an NFPA 96 sticker to let restaurant inspectors know that the restaurant hood has been professionally cleaned. 

The exhaust hood cleaning service includes APEX providing date and time-stamped photos of the work that they have done on the restaurant to let insurance companies know that the restaurant owners are complying with restaurant regulations by having their kitchen hood professionally cleaned.

7. Survey and Recommendations

The APEX team of technicians are available to survey a kitchen’s exhaust system, make repairs or replacements, as well as give recommendations on how to improve the restaurant’s exhaust system.

Restaurant Hood Maintenance

When it comes to restaurant hood maintenance, one needs to be sure to replace or repair important elements such as fan belts, hinges, filters, and panels for one’s kitchen hood exhaust system when necessary. Applying regular maintenance within one’s commercial kitchen reduces the risk of fires and other dangerous elements that can arise when faulty equipment is not detected soon enough. 

Experienced Exhaust Hood Cleaning Services 

Call us today at APEX Hood Cleaning or contact us via our convenient online form to speak to our team about more information on exhaust hood cleaning. With more than 40 years of experience helping commercial kitchens stay safe and hygienic, you can rely on us for all your cleaning needs!