In a commercial kitchen like the one pictured here, it is incredibly important to make sure that the kitchen exhaust fans are kept clean
It’s easy to overlook certain areas of the kitchen that are not easily visible to the naked eye. A kitchen fan exhaust often gets a superficial clean or wipe. This may work in a home environment when it’s not used extensively. Commercial kitchen owners should invest in regular commercial cleaning services by specialised service providers such as Lotus Commercial. This is to keep the kitchen clean and safe as well as compliant with Australian standards.
Why Clean Kitchen Exhaust Systems?
Because of the way kitchen exhaust systems are constructed they accumulate a lot of grease. To extract cooking vapour and steam, kitchen exhaust fans draw contaminated air through filters of the canopy. The air is expelled from the building, but the remaining contaminants are why kitchen exhaust cleaning is needed.
The kitchen may look clean and your team may be doing your best in terms of daily cleaning. At the same time, a build-up of grease and oil in kitchen exhaust systems is a completely natural process. In other words, if your kitchen is used commercially, it’ll happen. You can’t avoid it, but you can manage it responsibly.
Without a regular cleaning schedule, a commercial kitchen simply becomes a hazard to the safety of staff and customers. You’re also risking breaching the EPA regulations. How often should you clean your kitchen exhaust fan? It depends on the usage. Lotus Commercial could advise you on this matter, but you can find general kitchen exhaust cleaning guidelines here.
Whatever you do, remember not to try to take it in your own hands and rather trust commercial cleaning specialists to do the necessary in your kitchen.
Why Hire Professionals?
In the world of YouTube and WikiHow, many people feel that they know how to do everything. It’s important to remember that such resources are often written or recorded by professionals with extensive experience. What looks easy on screen, may turn out very difficult for an untrained individual.
This is the case with cleaning kitchen exhaust systems. If you’re not experienced in this respect, you may think that you’re doing the job right, but you won’t know for sure. Industry specialists have the expertise to notice things that are not immediately apparent. What’s more, they follow a tested procedure, thanks to which no part of the kitchen exhaust fan will remain unattended.
Another thing to remember is that apart from the right expertise, professionals also bring adequate equipment to the table. As someone with no experience in that matter, you may think that a wipe or other regular kitchen cleaning equipment is sufficient to get the job done. The risk here is primarily you cleaning the kitchen exhaust fan superficially, in a way that doesn’t actually help. However, there’s also the danger of you trying too hard due to the lack of experience and damaging your fan. In the worst-case scenario, this will mean a replacement, which can be very pricey. Saving money short-term is often not the best mindset for business owners.
Last but not least, professionals know what degreasing techniques and solutions to use. Surely, you have dealt with stubborn grease in your own life. It’s incredibly difficult to get rid of it, if you don’t know what to do. This is why there are people who specialise in cleaning commercial kitchens. To understand how tricky cleaning of kitchen exhaust fans can be, read more about the kitchen exhaust system.
Are you still not convinced? Remember that an inspection and commercial clean of kitchen exhaust systems at least once per year is the requirement of the Australian Standard AS1851-2012. To protect the health of your employees and clients and yourself from legal consequences invest in professional cleaning services.
Who Should Get Their Kitchen Exhaust Fans Cleaned?
As we’ve previously mentioned, any kitchen that’s used should be regularly cleaned. The exact recommended cleaning schedule would differ from one kitchen to another, depending on the perceived level of grease production. For commercial kitchens, this is an absolute must.
You may think that it’s only restaurants, cafés, fast food chains and catering venues that need to hire a commercial cleaning company. In fact, the list is much longer and the industries that should invest in such services include:
- School, universities and other education facilities
- Hospitals and aged care establishments
- Hotels, motels and guest houses
- Clubs, casinos and other entertainment venues
- Shopping centres
- Mining structures
In other words, any establishment that has a kitchen, which is used to service a lot of people should consider contacting professionals to discuss their kitchen exhaust cleaning needs.
Clean Your Kitchen Exhaust Fans with Lotus Commercial
After reading this article, you know that kitchen exhaust cleaning isn’t as simple as it seems. It’s not only important to pay for a professional service to get the job done, but also to choose the right one. Fortunately, there’s Lotus Commercial! We’re a leading kitchen exhaust cleaning company with more than 30 years of experience in making clients happy nationally.
By hiring us, you can rest assured that you’ll meet your compliance obligations and minimise your grease fire risks. We’re a member of the International Kitchen Exhaust Cleaning Association (IKECA) and a HACCP accredited provider. Our team is diligent and committed to helping you meet regulatory requirements. Clean your kitchen with us and breathe easy in a safe and compliant work environment!