Being in the food industry means a owning timeless business, one that will never run out of customers because the food will forever be needed. However, it’s different to sell food and to make food. It’s more profitable to do both of them but there are some obstacles along the way such as the regular kitchen maintenance that’s more than needed.
If you plan to run a restaurant, there are some things you need to know about kitchen exhaust cleaning, why it’s important and in some places even mandatory, and how doing it regularly can reduce the risk of a fire hazard as well as reduce other long-term costs.
Exhaust cleaning is also known as hood cleaning so don’t be confused with the terms as it’s the same thing. Let’s take a look at what you need to know.
Do it regularly – Choose a plan (Monthly, every two months, etc…)
Many frowns upon the thought of cleaning their kitchen hood but when you think of it, it needs to be done only once or twice in a quarter, and that is if you are using your kitchen with really high frequency. If your cooking volume isn’t as high, you can do it two or three times per year, which is not difficult at all. It’s not expensive either, especially if you decide to do it on your own. If not, you can schedule appointments with a company and create a schedule or a plan, then they’ll simply send over a team to take care of this when the time comes and you won’t have to worry about anything at all.
Find a reliable company – Be a regular customer for the chance of a discount
Find a reliable company because this is a delicate job and it also requires good knowledge. Chemicals are being used during the procedure so your customer’s safety is in question. You don’t want to risk anything, so if you end up deciding that it’s better to hire someone else for the job, make sure it’s a company with years of experience and one that is proven to deliver quality results.
You can learn more at premiergrease.com/hood-cleaning.
Most companies will offer a discount if you are regular or select a long-term plan which is even better for the long-run since you end up saving money.
Remove the grease instead of just emptying it down in the drain
Removing the grease completely is a lot better than just emptying down the drain because a huge buildup can cause your pipes to clog and then you have another problem for which you have to pay a team of plumbers to come and fix. It’s a dirty job but you don’t want to risk other expenses. The grease needs to be carefully disposed of someplace else, not down the drain, so keep that in mind.
Use chemicals to ease off the procedure but rinse carefully afterward
Some people use only warm water to wash off the grease, which works when the water is used with high pressure, but that only scratches the surface and isn’t considered deep cleaning. But, when you combine chemicals the entire thing because a lot easier. However, you need to pay a lot of attention to rinsing afterward. These chemicals are strong and some of them are even harmful to breathe in, which is why we recommend wearing safety gear and masks during the procedure.
Prevention is better than taking measures afterward
What we mean by this is cleaning your fan blades to prevent the buildup of grease and other dirt. If the motor doesn’t need any additional effort to move the blades, it will maintain normal temperatures and there won’t be any extra stress added to it, which prolongs its life. And, by doing this every once in a while, when the time comes for a general grease-removal session, you won’t have so much work to do. The motor is the most expensive part that will make you feel that “hit” on your economy in case it stops working or dies from an overheat.
The exposed metal parts can be easily watched with a cheap combination that is water and ammonia, but you have to make sure that you’ve rinsed at least two times after using this mixture. The smell won’t be pleasant but you can wear a mask, gloves and keep the number of people inside the area to a bare minimum for optimal results.
Cleaning the vent is more than just hygiene – Reduce fire hazard
Not many know this but the vent is also an area where grease can slowly start building up, and eventually cause a huge problem due to the impaired functionality. If the problem becomes more serious this can eventually lead to a fire hazard, which is the worst-case scenario that happens quite rarely but still does happen. If you end up with a fire, you as an owner of the place will get sued and your entire restaurant can end up being closed. All this because of a procedure that lasts two hours and can be done once in two or three months. Is it worth it? Not at all.
Conclusion
It’s almost always worth hiring someone for your scheduled kitchen exhaust cleaning, as this is something that needs to be done either once every two months or quarterly. Some people do it annually but we don’t recommend it as being regular with this is of huge importance both for the safety and hygiene of your kitchen, as well as the morale of your employees.
In the content above you’ll find six tips for cleaning your kitchen exhaust or as most of you like to call it a kitchen hood. Feel free to read it as it can be of great help in case you have something like this scheduled shortly.
