As the holidays begin to kick off and the new year approaches, it's a great time to get prepped for what the new year will bring. Properly running a kitchen requires routine maintenance and cleaning, and just like the majority of the world that uses January 1st as a date to start fresh, it's a great jump off point for a properly cleaned kitchen space. This includes replacing hood filters, checking electrical components to ensure they are working properly, cleaning out the ductwork, and more. Not only does regular cleaning keep your kitchen space tidy and organized, but it also comes with safety benefits and removes the risk of fires that comes with grease buildups that occur over time. This is where a full, proper exhaust hood cleaning comes into play - and there's no better way to do it then right at the new year to ensure your kitchen space is clean and running for a great new year!

Before you get started, you should know what's involved in a proper hood cleaning. This will give you a good idea of what the hood cleaning company will be doing, and will allow you to ask questions to any cleaning service you are considering to work with to ensure they know what they are doing.

• Prep the kitchen for cleaning, including shutting off and covering all pilot lights and gas valves.
• Wrap the exhaust hood in poly plastic and filter the runoff into a container to catch all grease and water run off.
• Clean the grease filters by soaking them for a few hours and then pressure washing. If the filters are too far damaged or used they will be replaced.
• Remove hardened grease and other debris buildups from the ductwork, and then spraying cleaning compound and let it sit for up to an hour to properly remove all grease remains.
• Disassemble the exhaust fan and clean all of the inner components. At this point the techs may also replace worn or damaged internal parts such as the fan belt.
• The exhaust hood will be manually scraped to remove and loosen the grease and debris buildups, and then sprayed down with a chemical to prep for removal.
• Once the chemical has sat for enough time the grease and debris will be loose enough for removal using a hot water pressure washer.
• After everything is properly cleaned and dried off the components are put back together, the filers are reinstalled, and the system is given a full inspection to ensure it’s properly running.
• When the system is fully cleaned and operational the technicians will apply a certification system on your exhaust hood system to show the fire inspector, health department, or insurance agents the cleaning date.

When researching local exhaust hood cleaning services you want to first make sure they are certified and insured. This alone will help distinguish a professional cleaning service. Once you have found a service that you like you can schedule an initial cleaning, and if they do everything right and up to your standards you can get on the calendar with them to come out for a few cleanings a year. It should be noted that you should check your local codes to find out how many cleanings may be required per year, as it varies differently from area to area, but for the most part 2 professional cleanings a year should suffice. HoodMart provides our customers with a wide range of exhaust hood systems - from Compensating (Short Cycle) to Perforated Supply Plenum PSP - as well as all exhaust hood accessories such as no weld Grease Duct, hood filters, canopy hood lights, and curbs. If you still have questions regarding the purchase of your hood system, please feel free to contact one of our experts today by calling us at 1.800.715.1014 or by contacting us through our live chat system.