Hood and Duct Cleaning: What to Schedule and Who to Call

The fire inspector is at the counter, and she asks for the last hood cleaning report. You know the hood was cleaned. You think it was in spring. The sticker on the hood has a faded date, and it may belong to the previous franchisee. Your insurer will ask the same question after any kitchen fire, and "I think spring" is a weak answer.

A restaurant hood cleaning schedule is not complicated. It comes down to knowing how often each site needs cleaning, who does it, and where the proof lives. This guide covers all three, with a plan you can run across several sites.

Why hood and duct cleaning matters

Cooking releases grease vapour. It travels up through the hood, the filters and the duct, and it condenses on every surface it touches. Over time that buildup becomes fuel. A flare-up on the line can reach the hood, and a grease-coated duct can carry fire into the roof and the rest of the building.

That is why fire authorities, insurers and landlords care. The visible hood is the easy part. Most of the risk sits in the duct and the exhaust fan above the ceiling.

What a hood cleaning visit includes

A proper visit covers the whole exhaust system, not just what you can see from the kitchen: the hood and filters, the duct to the roof, the exhaust (upblast) fan and the roof around it, and grease containment where fitted. It ends with a dated service sticker and a written report, ideally with before and after photos.

If a contractor only wipes the hood and swaps filters, you have paid for a surface clean. Ask what they do about the duct and fan, and whether they can reach every section. Some ducts have no access panels. The contractor should tell you that in writing.

Building your restaurant hood cleaning schedule

There is no single correct interval. It depends on three things, and you should check with each.

1. Cooking volume and type. A site that runs fryers or a charbroiler all day builds grease far faster than one that reheats and assembles.
2. Your local fire code. Many fire codes refer to NFPA 96, the standard for commercial kitchen exhaust. Your municipality or fire prevention office decides which edition applies and how strictly.
3. Your insurer. Some policies set a minimum frequency, or require a qualified contractor and a written report as a condition of coverage.

The intervals commonly cited run from monthly for solid-fuel cooking, to quarterly for high-volume cooking such as charbroiling, woks or 24-hour operations, to twice a year for moderate volume, to once a year for low volume. Treat that as a conversation starter, not a rule. Confirm the interval for each site with your fire authority and your insurer, and write down what they tell you.

Sites in the same chain can differ: a drive-through with a fryer line and a convenience store with a hot-food counter will not share a schedule. And if you add a charbroiler or extend hours, ask whether the interval changes too.

Who to call

Look for a contractor who:

• Cleans to the standard your fire authority and insurer reference, and will say so in writing
• Carries liability insurance and can send a certificate
• Gives you a written report with photos after every visit
• Puts a dated service sticker on the hood
• Tells you what they could not reach, rather than quietly skipping it
• Can cover several of your sites, so you are not managing a different company in every town

Ask for references from operators with similar kitchens. Ask what happens if they miss a visit. Ask whether they will book the next visit before they leave, because the most common failure is not bad cleaning. It is a visit that never gets booked.

What to keep on file

For each site, keep the date of every cleaning, the contractor's contact, the written report and photos, the next due date, and what your fire authority and insurer told you about frequency, and when. Also keep any deficiencies flagged, such as missing access panels, damaged filters or a fan that needs repair.

When a contractor flags a deficiency, treat it as its own job with its own owner. A note on a report that nobody reads will still be there at the next visit, and the one after.

Keeping this from slipping at ten sites

Hood cleaning fails the same way every time. The date lives in one manager's head, the manager leaves, and nobody notices until an inspection. The fix is a recurring schedule per site, a named contractor, and one place where the report is attached to the visit. A shared calendar and a folder can do this if someone keeps them current.

For the broader routine this fits into, see the restaurant and convenience store maintenance checklist. If your contractors will not use another app, managing vendors who refuse to log in covers how to keep them on email.

If you use Concoct, you can set a recurring preventive maintenance schedule for each site and send the resulting work order to your contractor by email. They get a link scoped to that one job, with no account. They can accept it, give an arrival time, update the status and close it with a short written note. They cannot upload photos or documents through that link, so contractors email the report and your team attaches it to the work order. If a contractor does not respond within 24 hours, the assignment is released and your owners and operations managers are alerted to reassign it by hand. There is no automatic backup contractor.

Concoct does not know your fire code and will not tell you the right interval. You set that from what your authority and insurer say. What it does is put the cleaning on a calendar and keep the paperwork in one place per site.

If you run several sites, the pricing page lists every tier per location with unlimited users. You can also book a demo and we will set up a hood cleaning schedule with you on a live example.

FAQ

How often should a restaurant hood be cleaned?

It depends on cooking volume and type, your local fire code and your insurer. Commonly cited intervals range from monthly for solid-fuel cooking to annually for very low-volume kitchens, with quarterly and twice-yearly in between. Confirm the exact interval for each site with your fire authority and insurance provider.

Can my staff clean the hood themselves?

Staff can wipe visible surfaces and wash filters between professional visits if your contractor agrees. They should not attempt the duct or the roof fan. Many insurers expect a qualified contractor for the full system.

What should the contractor leave behind?

A dated sticker on the hood, and a written report listing what was cleaned, what could not be reached and any deficiencies. Ask for before and after photos.

What if the contractor says part of the duct is not accessible?

Ask for it in writing, with photos if possible. Inaccessible sections usually mean access panels need to be installed, which is a separate job. Raise it with your landlord or building owner if the structure is theirs, and tell your insurer what you found.

Do convenience stores need hood cleaning?

Only if the site has cooking equipment that produces grease-laden vapour under a hood, such as a fryer or grill in a hot-food program. A store that only holds and reheats may not. Ask your local fire authority how they classify your equipment.