According to Australian Standard 1851-2012, your commercial range hood (and ducting) must be properly cleaned once every 12 months AT A MINIMUM. However, at Grease Cleaners, our experience in the industry means we recommend you clean your exhaust range hood EVERY SIX MONTHS. Let's take a look at why.
Why Clean Every Six Months?
Put simply, more regular cleans mean:
- Potential problems can be identified, and resolved, early - saving you dollars
- Your exhaust system may last years longer
- Your staff will thank you for providing them with optimal air quality
Of course you may need a clean and service even earlier if you notice your range hood is not doing its job - ie when heat, steam, smoke and cooking odours aren't being removed effectively from the kitchen.
More Regular Cleaning May Also be Necessary Depending on HOW YOU USE YOUR KITCHEN
How often a commercial range hood needs cleaning can vary widely. If you run a salad and smoothie bar, odds are you aren't going to need your range hood cleaned anywhere near as often as Joe Smith's Fried Fish and Chips down the road.
The methods of food preparation obviously influences how hard the range hood has to work and therefore how often it needs cleaning. But other factors also play a role, including:
- The temperatures the oils reach when used in cooking* and consequently the oil types used
- The amount of oil typically used when cooking each dish
- How often the kitchen is operating and the quantities of food being prepared - obviously a huge 24-hour kitchen will produce more grease particulate matter than a 20 seat restaurant that only opens for lunch and dinner
- The age and type of range hood installed - if you've got an old clunker, odds are it will need more frequent attention than a quality brand new model. Also many newer models come with an alert system to let you know when a filter change is due, meaning you're more likely to stay on top of cleanliness
Why is Range Hood Cleaning So Important?
- FIRES
The majority of kitchen fires will involve the kitchen exhaust hood or ductwork; according to The Australian Institute of Refrigeration, Air Conditioning and Heating.
Fire safety is obviously the biggest issue when it comes to range hood cleaning; almost all commercial kitchen operators are well aware of this. What they may not realise is just how serious a fire in the exhaust system can be.
You'd be forgiven if you don't remember the 1997 fire at Heathrow Airport. But the lesson is well worth being reminded of. One hundred fire fighters worked to contain a massive blaze in which three airport terminals were temporarily closed and flames shot sky high through the roof. The fire started in a kitchen exhaust system in a Burger King and rapidly spread throughout 200m of exhaust ductwork. This is a very good example of how fires in exhaust systems can escalate to a disastrous degree.
- AIR QUALITY
This one is simple, your staff don't need to be breathing in the odour of yesterday's fried fish and roasted garlic. Foul air is a health and safety issue and if you've got staff who have allergies, asthma etc it's even more important to stay on top of this.
We hope this post has helped alert you to the value of regular range hood cleaning.
Contact Grease Cleaners today for a thorough, professional clean.
References:
Effect of Flow Characteristics on Ultrafine Particle Emissions from Range Hoods, Li-Ching Tseng, Chih-Chieh Chen, The Annals of Occupational Hygiene, Volume 57, Issue 7, August 2013, Pages 920-933,