Do you own a food truck? There is no need to seek professional help to clean its exhaust hood. It will be possible to proceed with cleaning the exhaust hood on your own. DIY hood cleaning is a great way to save money. Moreover, you will be able to clean the hoods, filters, and the ducts more frequently. This will help you to maintain a cleaner food truck with a lesser chance of fires breaking out. That’s because you are keeping food debris and built-up grease at bay.
Cleaning supplies you need
- Plastic sheets
- Plastic tub
- Eye protection
- Cleaning brush
- Paper towels
- Spray degreaser
- Disposable grease container
- Liquid degreaser
- Eye protection
- Mild liquid detergent
- Scrub pad
- Towels
If you have these ready, let’s take a look at the steps you should follow.
Cleaning the exhaust pans and filters
You should first turn off the pilot lights on fryers, range tops, and ovens within the food truck. Allow the hood’s exhaust pans and filters to cool completely so you can handle them without discomfort. Make sure the system’s electricity is also unplugged before turning off the power to the exhaust hood.
Plastic sheeting should be placed over any surfaces close to the cleaning area. Follow the ratios suggested on the carton when adding liquid degreaser to a big tub of hot water. Don the eyewear protection.
Remove all of the exhaust filters and grease pans. Extra grease should be poured into a waste grease container.
With clean paper towels, remove any extra oil and debris from each filter and pan. Apply spray degreaser to each piece’s surface and use your cleaning brush to gently scrub and remove dirt. After cleaning, submerge each filter and pan in the hot water tub (if your truck’s sinks are too tiny, you may need to do this in your commercial kitchen facility). Till the exhaust hood has been fully cleaned and dried, let the components soak.
Each pan and filter should be taken out of the soaking water and rinsed under a vigorous stream of hot water. Make sure everything is spotless. Use clean towels to fully dry. Put the freshly cleaned exhaust hood in its position.
Cleaning the exhaust hood
Clean the inside and outside of the exhaust hood using a fresh scour pad dipped in hot water and a light liquid detergent. Grease and dirt may be removed from the piping inside the hood by using the scrub pad in a gentle manner.
By dampening a piece of cloth with hot water, thoroughly clean any soapy traces from the hood and pipework. Each component should be degreased with a spray bottle, removed with a warm, moist towel, and fully dried with a fresh towel. Dry completely to stop rust from developing.
In few municipalities, inspectors will not sign off your inspection unless they have seen a certified receipt from a qualified commercial pressure washing kitchen expert. Find out what the inspectors in your area are looking for by contacting them.
Final words
Follow the steps we shared in this article and proceed with cleaning the hood of your food truck. It will provide you the opportunity to focus more on your business, with a cleaner kitchen and lesser risks. If you decide the trouble of cleaning your food truck exhaust hood is too much, call a local kitchen hood cleaning company like the pros at Brazas Fire, in Albuquerque, NM. They can be reached at 505-889-8999.