What a professional hood cleaning includes

Cleanings are usually booked after closing, once the cooking equipment has cooled. The crew covers the cook line and nearby equipment with plastic and sets up containment to catch grease and wastewater. Someone on site needs to give access to the roof and to any locked areas. Our hood cleaning page lists how to prepare your kitchen.

• Hood canopy. The stainless hood over the cooking equipment is degreased inside and out.
• Filters. The grease filters are removed and cleaned.
• Plenum. The space behind the filters, where grease collects out of sight, is scraped and washed.
• Ductwork. The ducts that carry exhaust up through the building are scraped and washed through access panels, all the way to the roof.
• Rooftop exhaust fan. The fan bowl, blades, and housing are cleaned. This is often where grease buildup is heaviest.
• Cleanup. Grease and debris are collected and handled responsibly, and the kitchen is cleaned up so it can open normally.

NFPA 96, the fire safety standard for kitchen exhaust systems, expects the system to be cleaned down to bare metal, not just wiped. Read our plain-English guide to what NFPA 96 is.

Most commercial hood cleanings take several hours. The time depends on the number of hoods and fans, the length of the ductwork, roof access, and how much grease has built up. AFS confirms the expected time before the appointment, so your closing and opening teams can plan around it.

Most of the exhaust system is hidden inside walls and on the roof, so it is fair to want proof. Here is how to check:

• Ask for before-and-after photos of the ducts and the rooftop fan, not just the hood. These are the parts you cannot see yourself.
• Look for a service label in the kitchen showing the date of the cleaning and the company that did it. NFPA 96 calls for one after each cleaning.
• Read the written record. It should say what was cleaned, when, and which areas, if any, could not be reached. A record that lists nothing as missed on a hard-to-reach system is worth a question.
• Look at the plenum. With the filters out, the area behind them should be bare metal, not coated.
• Check the fan on the roof, if you have safe access. Clean blades and a clean fan bowl are a good sign the crew went all the way up.

After each cleaning, AFS provides a service record, usually by the next day, with before-and-after photos where access allows, technician notes on the condition of the system, anything the crew could not reach, and a recommended next-service interval. See what the service record includes, or walk through how a job is scheduled and completed.