The Importance of a Schedule for Commercial Hood Cleaning

Scheduling frequent kitchen exhaust hood maintenance is vital to avoid downtime and ensure your kitchen meets all legal requirements. Contrary to popular belief, hood cleaning schedules are not something you decide for yourself. Local and federal requirements dictate your cleaning schedule to keep your kitchen safe for use.

Reasons for Scheduling Regular Kitchen Exhaust Maintenance

Whether your North Carolina kitchen operates 24 hours a day or only runs for a few hours on weekdays, cleaning and maintaining your kitchen exhaust systems is essential. Ignoring this could lead to blockages, impacting your kitchen’s safety and functionality.

These safety risks are largely why local and federal safety organizations require regular kitchen hood cleaning. Insurance companies will also require these cleanings to reduce the risk of a claim. Beyond these two motivators, regular hood cleaning prevents:

• Fires that result from flammable grease and creosote.
• Equipment breakdowns that lead to downtime and costly repairs.

Schedule Your Kitchen Exhaust Maintenance

How Often to Clean Kitchen Hoods

When determining a hood cleaning schedule for your commercial kitchen, consider the following:

• The National Fire Protection Association NFPA 96 requirements that ensure your kitchen meets national and local kitchen hood cleaning regulations.
• How often you use your kitchen and it’s current level of grease buildup. For example, having a deep fryer may result in higher levels of grease buildup.
• If you cook with wood or charcoal, which requires monthly cleanings per fire code requirements.

Hood Cleaning Schedule Requirements

The specific NFPA guidelines we follow for your kitchen cleaning schedule may vary based on the cooking volume of your kitchen:

• Monthly cleaning: For exhaust systems exposed to cooking with solid fuels
• Quarterly cleaning: Pertinent to high-volume kitchens
• Semiannual cleaning: Relevant for kitchens conducting moderate-volume cooking
• Annual cleaning: For low-volume cooking, like church and day camp kitchens

Best Time to Clean Commercial Kitchen Hoods

The best time to clean your commercial kitchen hoods is when it will have the least impact on your productivity. Cleaning and maintaining your kitchen exhaust system after hours will prevent downtime, allowing your kitchen to remain profitable.

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Ensure Your Kitchen Hood Is Up to Code

At ExhaustCLEAN, we utilize NFPA 96, which informs ANSI-IKECA C10 and North Carolina building codes, to create a cleaning schedule that meets all legal requirements. Our team will come to your kitchen at night, and our KeySTOP service allows us to safely enter your building without your staff needing to be present. We will perform cleanings based on NFPA requirements so you can be confident that your hood is always compliant.

Reach out to our team today to schedule your ExposureAUDIT so our team can evaluate your commercial kitchen’s cooking volume and determine a cleaning schedule based on NFPA legal requirements.