You might know this as restaurant hood cleaning. Same work, either name. We clean commercial kitchen exhaust systems to bare metal and give you the paperwork that proves it. That means the whole system NFPA 96 covers — hood, filters, the full duct run and the rooftop fan — not just the parts an inspector can see from the cookline. Every job leaves you with dated photographs and a certificate for your file.
Baffle filters pulled and run through a hot caustic soak or pressure wash, then the plenum and grease trough behind them scraped and washed to bare metal.
The duct run cleaned through access panels along its length. This is the part most commonly skipped, and it is where grease accumulates thickest and burns hottest.
Fan hinged back or lifted off, housing, blades, and fan curb scraped and washed. Grease drains directly into a containment box that also gets serviced.
Where the duct has no openings, panels are cut and fitted so the run can be reached and inspected. A duct with no access cannot legally be certified as cleaned.
Dated service report listing areas cleaned and any areas found inaccessible, before and after photographs, and a compliance sticker affixed to the hood.
Cooking equipment tented in plastic, floors protected, and wash water captured. Cleanup and degreasing of the surrounding area is part of the job, not an extra.
If you are seeing any of this, call us before it gets more expensive.
| What you are seeing | What it usually means |
|---|---|
| Grease dripping from the hood onto the cookline | System is overdue; duct above is likely heavily loaded |
| Smoke lingering in the kitchen during service | Airflow restricted by loaded filters, duct, or a failing fan |
| Dark staining on the roof around the fan | Containment has overflowed; roof membrane damage and a fire path |
| Sticker on the hood is over a year old | Out of compliance for nearly any cooking volume; inspection risk |
The crew checks grease depth, locates access panels, notes any inaccessible sections, and photographs the starting condition. Inaccessible areas must be recorded on the report, not quietly ignored.
Cooking surfaces, prep tables, and floors are tented and covered, and a wash water catch is set under the hood. This happens before any chemical is sprayed.
Hot caustic degreaser applied and given dwell time, then hot pressure washing from the fan down through the duct into the hood so grease travels one direction.
Rooftop fan cleaned in place or lifted, blades and housing washed, fan belt condition checked, and the grease containment box emptied or replaced.
Filters reinstalled, stainless polished, protection removed, and the kitchen returned to service condition. The roof gets checked for runoff so grease does not sit on the membrane.
Service report, before and after photos, and a dated compliance sticker on the hood showing the service date and next due date. Keep these where an inspector can be handed them.