Question 1

What does commercial kitchen cleaning include?

Accepted Answer

In practice it covers two different jobs done by two different trades. Kitchen deep cleaning covers the surfaces you can see — floors, walls, shelving, ovens, fryers and cold rooms. Extract cleaning covers the system that carries the grease away — canopy, filters, ductwork and fan. A deep clean does not clean the ductwork, and an extract clean does not degrease your floor.

Question 2

Is a commercial kitchen deep clean the same as a TR19 clean?

Accepted Answer

No. A deep clean is a hygiene job, usually judged by eye and aimed at your food hygiene rating. A TR19 clean is a fire safety job on the extraction system, judged by measured grease depth and evidenced with a certificate. You may well need both, but one will not satisfy the requirement for the other.

Question 3

How often should a commercial kitchen be cleaned?

Accepted Answer

Surfaces and equipment are cleaned daily by kitchen staff, with a deep clean typically quarterly. The extraction system is different: BESA sets the interval by how many hours a day you cook, from every 3 months for heavy use to every 12 months for light use.

Question 4

Do I need a commercial kitchen cleaning company for my food hygiene rating?

Accepted Answer

An environmental health officer inspects cleanliness, structure and management, and a visibly greasy canopy will be noticed. But the rating scheme assesses food safety, not fire safety, so it is not the reason to have your ductwork cleaned — your insurance policy and your fire risk assessment are.

Question 5

What should a commercial kitchen cleaning company give me afterwards?

Accepted Answer

For extract work, a certificate with pre and post-clean grease depth readings in microns, a plain statement of what was and was not cleaned, photographs, and a next-due date. For deep cleaning, a scope of works and a schedule. Anything with no measurements and no scope statement evidences very little.

Question 6

Do you clean the whole kitchen or just the extraction?

Accepted Answer

Just the extraction system, and everything that forms part of it — canopy, filters, ductwork, fan, and the access panels needed to reach it. We do not clean floors, walls or catering equipment. If you need both, have the extract cleaned first: it is the job that drops grease onto everything underneath it.