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It is Not Impossible to Ensure Kitchen Canopy Hygiene Without Disrupting the Kitchen Schedule
After taking over the ownership of a large and beautiful stately hotel its new owner quickly realised that the kitchen extract system would not be straightforward to maintain because the duct work for the extract system was somewhat ancient and therefore would be difficult to clean.
A prestige hotel needs to maintain a high level of hygiene as well as to minimise the risk of a kitchen fire.
So, if replacing the entire system is not an option what can the new owner do to find a solution that would meet exacting standards of cleanliness and ensure that the risk of a fire starting in the system is minimised while ensuring that the cleaning does disrupt the operation of the hotel and restaurant as a business? Using an experienced specialist commercial cleaning service to asses the establishment, the types of food cooked, how and at what level of intensity is the first step. Without this it is difficult to advise on how maintenance should be carried out.
The cleaning cycle for a canopy and its components will depend not only upon the regularity and duration of cooking below but also upon the type of cooking and the ingredients used. If the kitchen is only for light use canopies and extract systems may only need maintenance and cleaning on a 12-month cycle. In a busy hotel, however, kitchen activity is likely to be heavy and the company might well advise a three or four-month cycle. Ideally grease filters and canopies above the cooker should be designed, sized and constructed to be robust enough to withstand regular washing in a commercial dishwasher, the most thorough and labour-efficient method of cleaning them yourselves. When re-installing filters, it's also important to ensure they are fitted the right way around with any framework drain holes at the front, lowest edge. Grease filters of course have a coating of grease and therefore will be slippery and difficult to handle. Suitable protective gloves should be used when handling them. Canopies and their components should preferably be designed to be easy to clean but if not as long as cleaning intervals are not left too long, regular washing with soap or mild detergent and warm water, followed by a clear water rinse may be quite adequate. If too long a period is left between cleans, grease will become baked-on and require special attention. No grease filtration is 100% efficient and therefore a certain amount of grease passes through the filters to be deposited on the internal surfaces of the filter housings and ductwork. Left unattended, this layer of grease on the non-visible surfaces of the canopy creates both hygiene and fire risks.
Deciding on when cleaning should take place and how often, is something an experienced specialist cleaning company can help with. The simplest guide is that if a surface or component looks dirty, then it needs cleaning. Most important, however, is regular inspections of all surfaces and especially non-visible ones. Inspections should be included in the maintenance schedule for any kitchen installation.
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; "The Contractors Health and Safety Assessment Scheme")
