Do you know how your hood is cleaned? You should understand the process, so you know it is being done properly. Any incomplete steps could leave you with a hidden fire hazard. We use many tools and techniques to clean grease exhaust systems. This article describes our most common process.
Dirty filters are a very likely place for a fire to start in your kitchen. A filter that catches on fire can set off a chain reaction, igniting your hood, duct, exhaust fan, and spreading from there. We start by removing the filters from your hood and cleaning each one individually. Every filter is sprayed and soaked in degreasing solution, then scraped, scrubbed, and rinsed until it is clean.
Next, we prepare the hood for cleaning. As necessary, we turn off gas pilot lights, then cover your cooking equipment with clean cardboard. Then we wrap the hood with sturdy plastic sheeting. We tuck the plastic under the hood, then tape it to the sides with special residue-free duct tape. Finally we drape the plastic into a trash can to collect all solid grease, dirty water, and degreasing agents. Our aim here is to minimize the mess caused by the service.
With the hood fully draped, now we scrape out the heaviest and most stubborn grease by hand. We do this by using scrapers of a variety of shapes and sizes. We’re not afraid of using a little “elbow grease” to get the job done. It is also critical not only to clean the hood, but all accessible ducting as well. Our favorite tool is the patented “Really EZ Magnetic Duct Scraper”, which attaches to your duct with heavy magnets and smoothly scrapes off even the toughest grease.
After scraping, we spray heavy duty grease cleaner throughout your system. We use industrial strength cleaning solutions that cannot be found in any store. The degreaser is left to sit on the hood for several minutes, breaking down the grease so it can easily be washed away.
The next key step is to pressure wash the hood. We use different machines for different types of jobs. There are electric pressure washers for use indoors, and gas machines when we need a little extra power, and even machines with a self-heating tank to get the hottest water possible. Additionally, we have many types of attachments and nozzles for our pressure washers, to clean every part of the system quickly and thoroughly.
Beyond just cleaning the hood and duct, it is also crucial that your exhaust fan is cleaned of all greasy buildup. A dirty fan can leak grease onto your roof, causing damage and creating a new fire and health hazard. We apply a similar process to the fan, by scraping, spraying degreaser, and pressure washing. This will remove all greasy buildup, stop grease from dripping onto your roof, and can even improve air flow in your system.
We take pride in the quality of our work, and we want you to feel good about seeing your hood after the service. So the next step is to polish the hood. Exhaust hoods can be constructed with different types of metal. We use the appropriate type of polishing compound for the metal in your hood. A microfiber cloth is used to minimize lint residue, and to leave a smooth, even texture that will keep your hood shining after the service.
Finally, we clean all surfaces that may have gotten dirty during our cleaning process. Then we do a final walkthrough and inspection, because we want your kitchen to look cleaner than when we started.
Make sure your grease exhaust system is cleaned the right way. Contact us today for a free consultation.
