Kitchen Hood and Exhaust Stack Cleaning Tips for the Freelance Restaurant Owner

As a restaurant owner, it is critical to maintain and care for all of the equipment that keeps your business running properly. One of the most important equipment for maintenance and cleaning in a restaurant is the extractor hood and the kitchen hood. This is the only area that should never be neglected to any degree. Not only can a dirty range hood and exhaust contaminate food, reduce the quality of cooking, and impose fines on the health department, it can also be a potential hazard.

Grease fires, explosions, and smoke damage are among some common hazards associated with neglected exhaust hoods and exhaust hoods. And unfortunately, commercial kitchen fires are more common than you might think. According to the NFPA, more than 11,000 kitchen fires are reported each year.

Regular cleaning and maintenance of commercial kitchen equipment is a must to reduce these statistics. To make sure this doesn’t happen to you in your restaurant, learn how to care for your hood and range hood, and what to do when your commercial kitchen equipment is too damaged to clean.

Recommended maintenance

Range hoods and exhausts aren’t the only part of the system that requires regular care and attention. Along with the hood and exhaust, the kitchen vents and ducts require the same maintenance. Additionally, components such as fryers, grease traps, ranges, ovens, and open grills should be cleaned and inspected periodically. This will help improve kitchen airflow, continue to comply with fire code, ensure a safe work environment, and reduce fire hazards. All of this and more will keep local firefighters, health inspectors, and insurance companies out too!

Fire standards and codes

These areas and systems must be cleaned and inspected every three to six months by a certified company. In fact, the NFPA Fire Code requires that all commercial kitchens must be inspected by a qualified company. Be sure to hire a professional inspection service that retains the proper technologies, training, and knowledge to responsibly and reliably detect any problems or dangerous complications with your hood and exhaust configuration.

Damaged or defective appliances

When routine cleaning isn’t enough to restore your commercial kitchen appliances, you’re ready to make a few replacements. Although this will be a considerable initial investment, you can rest easy knowing that your used, broken or defective appliances can be sold to a local junk buyer or recycling center for cash on the spot. Appliances, whether operational or not, retain nominal amounts of metal, such as iron, steel, copper, and aluminum. This means they can be sold for cash at a local junkyard regardless of their status, and you can get some money back to invest in your new appliances.