The kitchen hood is one of the most important parts of a restaurant. Its primary purpose is to clean up hazardous particles in the air from the cooking process. A dirty hood can become inefficient and pose a risk to employees and guests. To ensure a safe and efficient operation, you should regularly clean your hood. You can do this yourself or hire a professional cleaning service.
Depending on the type of food you serve, you may need to have your hood cleaned more frequently. For example, if you have a high-volume operation, you should have your hood cleaned monthly. However, if you have a low-volume operation, you may only need to have your hood cleaned once or twice a week.
When you have your hood cleaned, you should have your exhaust fan and ductwork checked. If your hood has a roof or wall mount fan, you will have to remove it from the ductwork and wash the fan blades and base. In addition, you will need to clean the plenum, the baffle filters, and the exterior of the hood.
Hood cleaning services use hot water pressure washing to thoroughly remove grease and other chemicals from the hood. This process is usually sprayed around 1,500 to 2,000 psi.
Before you have your hood cleaned, you should remove the grease cups. These should be poured into a separate container. Once the cups are removed, you should clean the hood’s interior using a soft-bristle brush and warm water. After scrubbing the inside of the hood, you should rinse it off with a damp cloth.
A hood cleaning service can also polish the hood to ensure a shiny finish. They will apply a sticker on the hood that shows the date and time it was cleaned. Additionally, they will polish other surfaces to ensure that they are spotless.
Many jurisdictions have adopted the National Fire Protection Association Standard 96, the minimum standard for hood cleaners. NFPA 96 requires that hoods be cleaned at least quarterly. Depending on the size of the kitchen, the number of hoods, and the types of food being cooked, you may need to have your hoods cleaned more frequently.
Your hood cleaning service can recommend the Hood Cleaning most effective schedule for your restaurant. The frequency of cleaning depends on the volume of food being cooked, as well as the amount of grease that is vaporized by the hood’s plenum.
To prevent damage to the roof of your restaurant, you should have your hood cleaned periodically. Grease buildup on the roof of your establishment can lead to EPA/OSHA violations, which can cause your business to suffer from expensive roofing repairs. Also, if your restaurant has an employee hazard zone, a greasy hood can be a major contributing factor.
Your hood cleaning service should inspect the entire hood and ductwork. In order to do this, they will need to be able to access the roof. Restaurants with ducts leading into the roof should consider obtaining a hinge kit, which allows third-party cleaners to gain access to the ductwork.