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Restaurant Kitchen Hood Cleaning Northern IL

May 17, 2021/0 Comments/in Hood Cleaning/by WashPro

Restaurant Kitchen Hood Cleaning Northern IL

Kitchen exhaust cleaning (commonly known as hood cleaning) is a cleaning process for removing grease that accumulates inside the hoods, ducts, fans, and vents of commercial kitchen exhaust systems. Left uncleaned, kitchen exhaust systems can become extreme fire hazards when they accumulate too much grease. It’s important to schedule a regular inspection for your exhaust systems at intervals consistent with their usage. A professional from RPW ProWash can thoroughly inspect your systems, and advise you on whether restaurant kitchen hood cleaning Northern IL is needed. You shouldn’t wait until a dangerous amount of grease accumulates in your kitchen exhaust systems.

Failure to schedule regular cleaning increases fire risk in your establishment and can lead to inefficiency in hood operation because grease buildup, dirt, and smoke can clog your commercial kitchen and restaurant exhaust hoods and ductwork.

However, it is not easy to access so much of the hood and exhaust system. Sometimes it can be a bit hard to check and understand what is going on. Therefore, it is important to hire professionals for your hood cleaning because they have the necessary training, skills, and experience to access and clean every part of the exhaust system to ensure maximum safety and efficiency.

Benefits of Regular Restaurant Kitchen Hood Cleaning

Reduced fire risk
Higher energy efficiency
Maintain high health and safety standards
High ratings on government inspections
Improved ventilation to get rid of smoke and odor
Compliance with NFPA codes & standards
Compliance with local and national restaurant health codes
Create a cleaner environment to avoid food contamination

The Restaurant Hood Cleaning Process

Every restaurant owner or manager knows the importance of fire prevention in a restaurant and why it must be a top priority. Therefore, hiring a certified and insured restaurant kitchen hood cleaning company to clean and maintain your kitchen exhaust system regularly is very important as it helps to reduce fire risk.

Working with a reputable company, such as RPW ProWash, guarantees you high-quality cleaning of your commercial-grade kitchen exhaust system down to the bare metal. Our dedicated and hardworking technicians will ensure that they do proper cleaning and get rid of all grease and debris from your exhaust fan, duct system, vent hood, and exhaust fan.

Most importantly, this process not only helps to keep your restaurant and commercial kitchen safe for your customers and employees but also ensures compliance with NFPA 96 requirements.

The hood may look clean from the outside but you need the help of a trained and certified kitchen exhaust cleaning technician to properly identify, clean, and get rid of the hazardous buildup that accumulates inside from the hood filters to the vents, ducts, fans, and ultimately the rooftop grease containment system.

Vent Hood Cleaning Process

Inspection of the Exhaust System

Before we even begin your restaurant kitchen hood cleaning Northern IL, our technicians inspect the exhaust system to check whether there is anything that needs to be fixed. Once they finish the inspection, the technicians will notify you of any parts of the system they might have identified that needs repair or replacement, like the baffle filters.

Shutting Off the Exhaust Fan

While restaurants have different exhaust systems (some automatically shut off), our technicians will ensure the entire system is fully shut off to avoid damaging the system or the cleaning tools and equipment.

Preparing the Kitchen

We come very prepared and ready for your vent hood cleaning, knowing that the process can get messy. When our technicians arrive at your restaurant kitchen, the first thing they will do before they start cleaning is to remove the baffle filters, prepare funnels for collecting grease and debris, and cover the floor and any nearby appliances to protect them just in case a funnel fails or grease splatters during cleaning and removal.

Shutting Off All Gas Valves and Stove and Appliance Pilot Lights

Our professionals will turn off all gas valves and pilot lights on nearby kitchen appliances, and cover them with tarps. Out of an abundance of caution and to deliver great results, our technicians will use hot water and nonflammable cleaning chemicals for your restaurant kitchen hood cleaning Northern IL to reduce fire risks.

The Vent Hood Cleaning Process Starts

We often assign technicians to work in pairs, with one doing the cleaning on the rooftop and the other below in your kitchen area. The technician working on the roof will spray a degreaser from above onto the components of the exhaust fan and the ducts, and then rinse it with hot water.

While carrying out this cleaning process, the technicians will do the job diligently and carefully to ensure all grease and debris flow down the funnels into a collection device and avoid causing damage or issues. Next, the technicians will also use a degreaser to clean the baffle filters and rinse them with hot water.

Scraping Problem Areas Manually

At this point, our technicians will check to determine whether the components are extremely dirty and if so, they may have to scrape them manually to loosen grease and debris.

Once the cleaners finish scraping, they’ll then spray a chemical degreaser again onto the parts and rinse with hot water. They will repeat this process as many times as necessary to ensure all grease and debris are removed.

After Removing Grease from the Roof, Both Technicians Will Start Cleaning Together in the Kitchen

After completing the work on the roof, the roof technician will work together with the kitchen technician so that they finish cleaning your kitchen exhaust hood from the bottom up as quickly as possible.

Again, they will spray a chemical degreaser on the hood and rinse with hot water, and repeat it as necessary until spotlessly clean.

Polishing the Hood

The technicians will ascertain that they have removed all grease from the hood, and if satisfied, they remove the plastic protecting it, dry off and polish the hood on the interior of the canopy.

Re-Installing Filters and Inspecting the System

After checking and confirming that all components were cleaned properly, our technicians will place back baffle filters in the hood. They will also test the exhaust fan to ensure it’s working properly.

Applying the Certification Sticker

As required by the law, our technicians will apply a certification sticker to the hood to show compliance. Ensure you always keep this sticker on the hood because the health department, fire inspectors, and even your insurance agent might visit your restaurant kitchen to check the cleaning date and next scheduled cleaning.

Cleaning Up the Kitchen

Once they finish all the cleaning work, the technicians will clean the grease that may have splattered on the floor and any areas. At this time, they will be finalizing your restaurant kitchen hood cleaning Northern IL, and they can turn back on all pilot lights or gas valves and exhaust fans.

Post-Cleaning Inspection

We will provide you with a written report, walk you through the services rendered, and allow you to do a visual inspection of the system cleaning and equipment. In case you won’t be available at the time we finish cleaning, then we will leave a copy of the report at your restaurant or email it to you.

You should not attempt to clean your kitchen exhaust system on your own. We shared the above information only to help you understand and be aware of the process and steps involved in restaurant kitchen hood cleaning Northern IL.