Restaurant kitchens are always full of high energy and large pieces of cooking equipment that generate delicious smells all day long. But behind that savory aroma lurks an invisible danger. Without proper kitchen hood exhaust cleaning, restaurant grease fires can happen at any time. Your restaurant exhaust hood system is one of your first lines of defense against fire and should be routinely and professionally cleaned to keep your business fire-free.
Restaurant Exhaust Hood Cleaning 101
The exhaust hood system works to prevent grease and other byproducts of cooking from accumulating inside of your commercial kitchen. The hood works to pull smoke, grease and other contaminants out of the air and through the duct and out of your restaurant. While this system is working to keep your kitchen air clean, grease is being pulled down onto the walls of the hood, ducts and fans. As grease continues to build up it will begin to harden and create a great environment for your kitchen staff and customers to breathe, but more importantly, there will be a huge fire hazard.
Restaurant grease build-up can easily catch fire from overheating due to nearby appliances. All it needs is a small opening flame to ignite and spread throughout your entire exhaust system. A fire in your restaurant kitchen can spread quickly and cause serious damage to your business and harm to your employees and customers.
Routine restaurant hood cleaning is key when it comes to fire prevention. Keep your kitchen fire-free by hiring a professional who is trained and certified in hood cleaning. They will take the proper steps to remove all grease build-up from your range hood, hood filters, ducts and fan blades.
Benefits of Hood Cleaning
Let’s look at some of the benefits of cleaning your commercial kitchen hood.
Prevents fires
As mentioned before, keeping your exhaust hood clean and free of grease build-up is essential to fire prevention. Grease is combustible, and when it comes to fire it can spread quicker than most liquids. A properly cleaned exhaust hood will remove the fuel a fire needs to grow.
Increase air quality
Not only will hood cleaning help prevent fires, but it will also increase the air quality in your kitchen. When your kitchen is free of grease and other contaminants your ventilation will run more efficiently and prevent smoke and odors from filling your cooking space.
Ensures optimal performance
When your exhaust system is running smoothly, your equipment will run smoothly as well. If your ventilation system is clogged with grease, you won’t be able to maintain proper airflow which could cause your equipment to run inefficiently.
Maintains Adherence to Local Fire Codes
Many local regulators provide codes and standards for restaurant owners to follow. These often include how often you should be having your hood professionally cleaned. Keeping your hood clean can prevent certain fines and penalties.
Cleaning Your Restaurant Hood
If you’d like to clean your kitchen hood yourself, here are some steps to follow. Make sure to check with your exhaust hood manufacturer for any specific directions.
What You’ll Need
- Turn off all cooking equipment
- Plastic sheeting or drop cloths
- Gloves
- Safety goggles
- Degreasing solution
- Sponge or brush
- Bucket
- Clean rags or towels
Steps
- Prep the area by turning off all cooking equipment and covering surrounding surfaces.
- Wear gloves and eye protection.
- Many hoods have removable grease filters. Remove these filters and clean separately.
- Apply your degreasing solution to the inside of the hood and allow it to sit for 5 minutes.
- Scrub the inside of your hood with a brush or sponge. You can use nylon or wire brushes depending on what your hood is made of. Be sure to pay extra attention to areas with visible grease buildup. You may need to scrub pads to help loosen some of the grease.
- Remove your filters from their supports and rinse them off with hot water and soap. Using a soft bristle brush, scrub both sides of your filters to help remove grease and residue. Rinse completely and allow them to air-dry.
- While you’ve got the inside of your duct exposed, be sure to clean your duct and fans as well. This will likely require special tools and should be completed by a professional.
- Once you have scrubbed the interior of your hood, take a rag or towel and wipe down the interior of your exhaust hood. This will remove the grease and solution you’ve loosened with your scrubbing.
- Double check all surfaces and filters to make sure they are clean. When your filters have dried, place them back in their supports.
- Dispose of all waste accordingly.
- Create a cleaning schedule to ensure you’re regularly cleaning your kitchen hoods. How often you should be cleaning your hood will depend on the volume of cooking being done and what type of food is being cooked. Heavy use kitchens may require monthly cleaning or even more. Less frequent kitchens may only need to be cleaned quarterly.
Hood cleaning should probably be done by professionals who have access to the right tools for the job. But if you’re going to do it yourself, make sure you’re taking the proper precautions and following all steps. You have lots of money invested in your commercial kitchen, don’t risk it all by skipping regular hood cleanings.
Let Brazas Fire Be Your Local Fire Protection Company for Commercial Kitchen Hood Cleaning
At Brazas Fire, we want to help keep your Albuquerque restaurant or commercial kitchen fire free. Here is how we can be of service and make that happen:
- Kitchen Hood Cleaning – We are the best Albuquerque kitchen hood cleaning service provider in the great metro-area.
- Kitchen Exhaust Hood Systems – Our commercial kitchen exhaust hoods are designed to prevent grease build-up and help your kitchen avoid fire hazards.
- Kitchen Hood Exhaust System Sales and Service – Better yet, install Brazas Fire kitchen hood exhaust system today and enjoy leading-edge products that meet industry standards such as NFPA.
- Kitchen Hood Service – Our customer service is second to none and we’re always here to help. Give Brazas Fire a call today!
Call Brazas Fire at (505) 889-8999 or leave us a message here by completing our CONTACT US online form.