Commercial Kitchen Hood Filter Care

Are you cleaning your hood filters regularly? Are you putting off cleaning your hood filters until the hood cleaning company comes?

First, be aware that not all cleaning companies offer a complete clean of your filters. They clean the filters by simply wiping them and placing them on the side.

The filters are always cleaned by our team, but if you don’t clean them regularly yourself, your system won’t be as efficient. A large grease build-up can result in your filters becoming rubbery.

A Terrible Example

We were invited to clean the hoods in an Italian restaurant. The owner stated that his hoods should only be cleaned once or twice annually and that the staff would not have to clean them.

The first thing we do when we arrive to clean a hood is to remove all the filters. We then wash them in a separate area. When we checked the filters at this particular restaurant, it was three times the weight they were normally.

The hood filters were being cleaned out by large chunks of hardened oil. We named them “grease worms” due to their shape. We used heated, high-pressure hot water to kill them. It took 4 HOURS just to clean the filter. We even had enough grease worms left over to show the owner of the restaurant.

The filters stopped working and the hood’s interior was filled with grease, similar to what would be found in the duct. The roof had a clogged grease containment. We spent several hours cleaning and repairing the roof.

Price to clean $1500 every six months

Better Way

One of our customers is a fast food burger chain. We have been contracted to clean 27 of their stores’ hoods. This client, however, didn’t own any buildings. Instead, they had stores in strip centers.

The firm had a strict rule: the restaurant kitchen and dining rooms were to be completely demolished and cleaned out every Thursday after close. Part of the plan was to remove all the hood filters.

When we cleaned their filters, it was a matter of simple degreasing/polishing. This made it easier for us to clean their ducts.

Price to clean – $400 every three month.

Can Employees Clean Commercial Hood filters Theirselves?

Absolutely. It should be done every week. A weekly clean of commercial sinks takes less than 30 mins for a dozen filters.

How Your Staff Should Clean Hood Filters

The hood filters protect a restaurant’s exhaust ventilation system from grease buildup and grease management. Without them, the building is more susceptible to fires. Excessive amounts of smoke and grease fumes can also cause health problems. It is therefore important to maintain the vital components of your exhaust system hood.

Commercial hood filters made from durable and high-quality materials, such as stainless steel or galvanized metal, can get caked with grease, so it is important to remove them.

Commercial hood filters are washable in a commercial washer, or by hand. Each method has its benefits and drawbacks.

Dishwasher Method

If you plan to use a dishwasher commercially, wash out all exterior residue and rinse the filter with warm water and soap. Avoid using bleach or other corrosive chemicals.

This method is great for a quick clean, but does require some manual labor. Use of the wrong chemicals can cause damage to your commercial hood filters. These could lead to rust.

Soak Tank Method

While it is the simplest method, using a soaker tank is also the most tedious. The first step is to fill your soaker with water and a noncorrosive, metal-safe cleaner. Once the water has boiled, add the filters to the soak tank. Leave them in there for the night. The filters can be removed and briefly rinsed with water.

Hand Wash Hood Filter

Hand washing requires the most effort, but it is also the best way for commercial hood filters to be clean.

Use hot water to fill your commercial kitchen’s sink. To clean the filters, either add a small amount or soap. If you’re using degreaser let the filters sit in the liquid at least 30-minutes.

Then, no matter what liquid the filters were soaking in, you will be able to hand scrub them using a non-abrasive sponge or scrubber. Do not use bleach, or any other harsh chemicals.

Summary

Exhaust hoods are large, complicated, and expensive pieces of equipment. They require professionals to maintain and clean. There are some exceptions.

Commercial hood filter are parts of an exhaust-hood system that can be cleaned easily by employees, even without professional assistance.

Employees and owners can’t clean other areas such the hood duct system, exhaust hood, exhaust fans or other common elements. Professionals can also replace damaged or missing components within your commercial exhaust fan system, such a belt.

Restaurants that refuse to hire professional hood cleaners could face stiff fines or mandatory closure.

A clean commercial-hood filter is a great option for cooling down a kitchen. It doesn’t have to be caked with grease or any other residue. This is essential for employee comfort as high-heat appliances work in these areas for hours.

Comments:

It shouldn’t take any employees more that 45 minutes to an hr to clean your commercial hood filters. But it is critical to maintaining the integrity your exhaust hood systems. Grease buildup in the commercial hood system is a leading cause of restaurant fires. It can be avoided through regular cleaning or even weekly.

Do not wait until your commercial-hood filters have accumulated grease and other residues to clean them. To ensure your restaurant is sparkling at every service, add these important pieces of equipment in to your daily cleaning chores.

“Commercial and commercial kitchens are extremely vulnerable to fire because of their chaotic environment, multiple fire hazards, and high fire risk.”

If you work in a commercial kitchen and are looking for ways to clean the range hood filters, then you have come to the right place.