One of the basic parts of every kitchen, and especially restaurant ones, is the hood. And it’s also the most neglected part of the kitchen. People focus on the appliances that they directly use for cooking, and some say that stoves and grills are the essential things in a kitchen. We will not argue that stoves, grills, and all the kitchen gadgets are important, but we shouldn’t forget about the kitchen hood. In restaurants, the exhaust hood is a sophisticated part that will make your kitchen runs smoothly.
Restaurant hood will make your workspace safe and easy to work in and prepare delicious food. But for everything to work smoothly, you need to maintain the hood and clean it regularly. Yes, it’s critical to do it regularly, and not only when something is not working right. You need to be aware that if your ventilation is working correctly, the potential fire hazard is shallow. And that way, you can focus on making good food and not worrying if everything is going to be okay.
We are ready to share some tips and tricks with you that you can try the next time your hoods need cleaning, but we will also talk about how to know when to clean your restaurant hood.
Why is it important to clean the restaurant hood?
Do you know what does a hood does? Of course, you do. It gets rid of all the smoke that you make while cooking, and it also sucks all of the greases produced while making food. And it makes your kitchen a pleasant place to be. But where does it all go? Yes, it goes in. The kitchen hood is full of grease and dust that has built up over who knows what time. And to avoid some serious hazards, like fires, if that grease catches fire accidentally, you should clean the hood regularly. Because this is a critical step in maintaining your restaurant kitchen clean and safe, it is best to leave the cleaning for professional equipment and experience.
For that, you can check www.premiergrease.com/hood-cleaning.html if you want your kitchen to be safe and healthy heaven.
We will now share some tips on what you can do and how you can know when is the right time to clean the hood.
When is the right time to clean the hood?
Exhaust hoods get dirty quickly, but it’s not something that you will clean every week. So, it is essential to know when you should clean them. The first thing you need to know is that the period between two cleanups is decided on the kitchen type. But the best way to know when to clean it is to look simply. If the insides have grease, dirt, and dust built up, you need to clean them.
Depending on the type of kitchen you have, you can schedule your cleanings. If you have a fast-food restaurant, it can be that you will need to clean your hood every month. A lot of grilling, frying, even using pizza ovens produces extra smoke and grease that piles-up in the exhaust system.
If you have a restaurant that works approximately around 15 or 16 hours a day, you should clean the hood every two or three months. And that depends on the type of food you prepare. And the best way to know if you need to clean it is to look and see.
And if you have a kitchen that is used seasonally, then it could be that you will only need to clean your hood once a year. This also goes for kitchens that don’t use a lot of frying or cooking. For example, kitchens that prepare raw food can easily clean their kitchen hoods once or even once in two years.
But you should always inspect it, from time to time, and see what’s happening inside.
How to prevent disaster from happening?
Of course, the easiest way to prevent the disaster from happening is to clean your hood when it’s needed. But there are also some other measures that you can do to prolong your kitchen hood’s life. We are going to share those tricks now:
- Clean the outer surface of the kitchen hood often, and keep it clean. You will need to use a soft brush to clean the dust and a brush with thicker bristles to clean the piled-up grease and all the goo. To do this, a good and cheap option is to use a water and vinegar solution and a mixture made of water and baking soda.
- You also want to clean the fan blades because that’s the place where dirt and grease also build-ups. If you do this, you will favor the motor of the hood because it will prevent overheating.
- You should occasionally check if there are some things or dirt build-ups that are blocking the airflow path.
- And finally, the most crucial part of it all is to clean the filters frequently. You can do that easily by taking the filters out and soaking them in warm water. After they’ve been in the warm water for 15 or 20 minutes, you can scrub them with soap. You want to be gentle, but not too gentle because you want to clean all of the goo that’s there.
Conclusion
If you want to have a healthy and safe environment in your kitchen and your kitchen hood to work correctly, you need to take care of it. And the best way to do it is: frequently check it and properly maintain it. You can’t just let it go and neglect it and think that everything will be okay. If you have a professional restaurant kitchen, the best way to maintain your restaurant hood is to check it frequently and leave the professionals’ work. If you want the best results that will leave your kitchen, equipment, and kitchen staff safe, you should opt for professional cleaners.
