In a working restaurant kitchen, the range hood runs from the first burner lit to the last one turned off. Grease-laden vapour passes through the filters and never fully stops: over a few weeks a film builds up on the filter mesh, the inside of the hood, the duct walls and the exhaust fan. That buildup affects fire safety, drainage and airflow, which is why cleaning the hood system is a recurring task every operator has to plan for — whether the work is done in-house or by a contractor.
Before booking a cleaning or buying a machine, a short list of questions tells you what you are actually paying for and whether the result will hold until the next service. Here are the questions worth asking, and what a good answer sounds like.
1. How often should the hood, duct and fan be cleaned?
There is no single interval that fits every kitchen. A wok station and a charcoal grill send far more grease into the exhaust than a steamer or an induction range, and a kitchen that runs all day loads up faster than one that opens for dinner service only. A reliable provider will not hand you a fixed schedule over the phone. They will ask about your cooking equipment, your operating hours and your local fire and insurance requirements, and then propose an interval — and put it in writing.
2. What exactly is included in the cleaning?
A hood system has several parts, and a price that looks cheap often covers only some of them. Ask for a written scope of work and check that it covers:
- The interior and exterior surfaces of the hood, including the grease trough and collection cup
- Baffle filters, degreased and washed individually
- The interior of the duct, not just the section visible behind the hood
- The exhaust fan and, where fitted, the make-up air unit
Grease left in the duct beyond the hood is the most common gap in a partial clean. Ask how the crew reaches the duct — access panels, robotic scrubbers or hand scraping — and whether the panels are resealed properly afterwards.
3. Which cleaning method is used — chemicals, steam, or both?
Chemical degreasers work, but they need dwell time, scrubbing and thorough rinsing, and the run-off has to be managed. Range hood steam cleaning uses a different mechanism: high-temperature steam transfers heat into the grease, softening and lifting it with very little detergent and far less water than pressure washing. That matters in a kitchen where the floor cannot stay flooded for hours and where rinse water must not reach electrical fittings. Ask the provider which method they use, how the run-off is collected, and what needs to be wiped dry before cooking resumes.
4. What steam temperature and pressure can the machine deliver?
If steam is part of the answer, ask for the machine's actual specifications rather than the phrase "high temperature". With saturated steam, temperature and pressure are linked: a machine that produces steam at around 100 °C will struggle with old, polymerised grease that has hardened to a tar-like state, while hotter, higher-pressure steam softens that deposit quickly. For reference, the datasheet of the PowerDe HW02 fixed steam cleaning machine lists a steam temperature of 160 °C at 0.8 MPa vapour pressure, with a 6 kW heater on a 220 V supply and an 80-litre stainless steel tank. Any serious supplier should be able to show comparable figures for the equipment they bring to your kitchen.
5. Can the work be done overnight without risking opening service?
Most kitchens cannot afford to close for a day. Ask whether the crew works overnight, what they need from you — a suitable power outlet, a water inlet, a drainage point and a clear path through the dining area — and how long surfaces stay wet afterwards. A steam machine with a large tank and a fast heater, such as the 80-litre, 6 kW unit mentioned above, means fewer refilling stops and a shorter job; a small machine means more interruptions and a crew still working at four in the morning. Confirm in advance who refits the filters and who signs the equipment back over in the morning.
6. How will the work be verified and documented?
Ask for before-and-after photographs of the duct interior and the fan, and for a checklist that names every component cleaned. For commercial range hood grease removal, a dated record matters beyond quality control: fire inspectors and insurers may ask how often the system is cleaned, and a documented history is far easier to present than a verbal assurance. Keep these records together with your other maintenance files.
7. What should your own team do between deep cleanings?
A deep clean resets the system; daily habits decide how quickly it loads up again. Wipe the visible hood surfaces at the end of each service, wash baffle filters weekly or more often under heavy frying, and treat the first section of duct behind the filters as part of the routine. Some operators keep their own commercial steam cleaning equipment for exactly this interval work: a fixed machine connected to water and drainage lets the team break down fresh grease deposits before they harden, which extends the time between full duct cleanings.
Getting the answers before the invoice
None of these questions is unusual — every competent contractor or equipment supplier has a clear answer to each one. Together they show the real scope, the real method and the real schedule for your kitchen, and they are the difference between a hood that merely looks clean at the filters and a system that stays clean through to the fan. If you are assessing steam equipment for your kitchen, contact PowerDe with your cooking equipment and operating hours, and the team will help you match the machine to the job.
