The kitchen is the essential area in your restaurant. It is the place where all the food is being prepared around to clock, which is why it can be pretty busy and, most importantly, it can get quite messy. Obviously, your employees clean it a few times a day, every time they finish cooking a specific dish. However, in most cases, this is not nearly enough to maintain hygiene at the highest level.
It goes without saying that this needs to be your main priority, and hood cleaning is probably the most challenging part. Because of this, we will provide some tips on how to do it and ensure that it is spotless.
Should you hire professionals?
Before we tell you everything you need to know about hood cleaning, let’s first discuss this matter. Naturally, this is always an option, and there are several reasons it might be a good idea to do it. For example, you do not believe yourself to be skilled enough to do it meticulously, or you simply do not have enough time on your hands, and you have been postponing it for days, if not weeks. Plus, cleaning companies use professional equipment, and they will complete the task in only a fraction of the time you would need to do it. If these reasons are more than enough for you to hire professionals, visit hoodcleaningservicesatlanta.com, and set an appointment.
What type of cleaning solution do you need?
On the other hand, if you decide to do this on your own, this is probably the first question that comes to your mind. When it comes to this, you have several options. Clearly, you can go with a commercial solution. Choosing the right one may prove to be tricky since there are multiple products available on the market. Our advice is to turn to professionals and ask for help. You can also conduct online research and look for tips online. Make sure to read blog posts on cleaning companies’ websites because they will offer the best advice. What’s more, you can also make a solution of your own by mixing baking soda and dish soap with hot water. Now, the success of it mainly depends on how dirty the hood and its parts are, but if you maintain them regularly, it should work just fine.
How often should you clean it?
While on the subject of common questions, this is the next one we have to discuss. Generally speaking, you should do it every three months. Nevertheless, this is only a recommendation, meaning that you have to consider different things when determining the cleaning frequency.
First of all, there is the menu. If you serve a lot of greasy food or something that needs to be cooked longer, meaning that it produces a lot of steam, the chances are that you will have to clean the hood more often. Secondly, how busy is your restaurant? If you are open throughout the week, and it is always packed, you need to prepare a lot of food, meaning that the kitchen hood works all the time – you need to maintain it regularly. If none of these scenarios is true, you don’t have to worry about it, and cleaning it every few months is okay.
Why do you need to maintain it?
Many restaurant owners know they need to do this, and they do it but are certain why it is crucial.
Fire prevention
This is the first and perhaps the most important reason why you need to maintain the kitchen hood. Grease easily accumulates over time, and eventually, the hood becomes a fire hazard. Since oil can be flammable, in some cases, even the tiniest spark is enough to start the fire. Is it really necessary to explain how dangerous this can be? Not only would you endanger the safety of your employees and guests, but you could also lose the restaurant and all the equipment.
Air quality
Besides grease, the kitchen hood can easily become a breeding ground for bacteria and mold due to the steam and moisture. Once the filters get clogged, which will occur sooner or later if they are not probably maintained, these will spread by air and pose a danger to the health of anyone who spends long periods of time in this area of the restaurant. We are not even going to mention the nasty smells everyone will have to inhale.
Compliance
That’s right. You are required by law to keep your kitchen meticulous, and the hood is one of the first things inspectors will check. It won’t matter if all the surfaces are spotless and if the food is stored correctly. If the health inspection finds a single violation, they will shut down the restaurant, you will have to pay a hefty fine, and also, it may take you some time to open the doors of your place again.
Equipment maintenance
Lastly, if you do not clean the equipment regularly, you can significantly shorten its lifespan, and the kitchen hood is no different. No one knows better than you how much money you had to invest to purchase everything and open your restaurant. It is why you need to take great care of everything. If you don’t, it won’t be long before it malfunctions, and then, not only will you have to pay for spare parts, repairs, and the repairman’s fee, but you also might be forced to shut down the place for a few days. This is by far the worst thing that can happen because you will end up not only spending but also losing money.
Wrapping up
To sum up, these are some vital things you need to know about kitchen hood maintenance. As you can see, there are numerous reasons you need to do it frequently, and let’s be honest, the task itself is not that difficult and demanding. Plus, it is the easiest and most effective way to prevent problems from occurring in the future.
