Restaurant kitchens are constantly used and they require regular cleaning and maintenance. If neglected, the gunk gets collected and combined with the oils turning into a nightmare. For that reason, implementing regular cleaning activities is essential in food-related businesses.
With many possible cleaning methods, it cannot be hard to create a schedule that works for your business. However, depending on how the kitchen is being used, and the types of oils and greases used in food preparation, the cleaning timeline is different.
Besides all the visible surfaces, the exhaust hood is usually forgotten. We made this article to help you understand the importance of keeping a clean hood. Avoiding common mistakes combined with some of the tips we provided will ease the cleaning process so keep reading.
Inspect and replace all filters
The cleaning schedule depends on how much grease the hood is exposed to. This is usually determined by the type of oils, and the food your restaurant prepares. If you are constantly frying meat and veggies, the ventilation needs a more frequent cleaning schedule.
The first thing that needs to be done is getting the filters from the hood inspected. If they are clogged up with grease and gunk, you can either clean them up or replace them. If you plan on manually cleaning them, use warm water.
However, the oils must not go into the sewage system because they can build up and cause clogging. This will lead to sanctions from the authorities with expensive fines that will hurt your business.
Besides the hood filters, this might be the time to go for a thorough inspection of all the filters you have implemented in your kitchen. This helps the maintenance process and increases the longevity of your equipment.
Clean the inside of the hood
The inside of the hood can have grease built up on the walls that will eventually get to the filter. In addition, they serve the biggest hazard concern since they are the first contact whenever there is flame involved.
When cleaning, use a degreaser, and wipe down everything properly. When finished, the inside of the hood needs to look clean and shiny, while leaving no residue from the cleaning solutions. Be sure to be thorough because that is the only way of keeping everything in pristine condition.
The outer portions of the hood are just as important
The cooking steam gets to the outer portions of the hood. That leads to staining with a disgusting look in your kitchen. In addition, when the next heat exposure begins, these oils can drip down and get to the food or the other pieces of equipment.
Cleaning the outer portions is quite easy. Just climb up and scrub down with a degreaser and warm water. If you add up baking soda it will serve as a contact medium that will help in getting the oils out.
Since the outer portions affect the visual look of your kitchen, imagine having customers come by and see how nasty it looks. This will surely affect your restaurant’s reputation and will harm your business. In addition, working in a place that looks disgusting affects the productivity of your workers. For that reason, ensure a tight cleaning schedule and keep your restaurant looking great.
Consider hiring professional help
If you don’t want to bother your employees in doing the hood cleaning work, you should consider using professional help. Look for grease removal services in your area because they have a lot more experience in this area.
By having your kitchen hood professionally maintained, you ensure your staff’s and restaurant’s safety as suggested by premiergrease.com/hood-cleaning-atlanta.html.
The hood cleaning company knows all regulations about grease and has its waste disposal system. In addition, many professional services offer replacement of your old filters for new ones to prevent the unneeded release of oils.
In addition, their service is ensuring your place that if a disaster happens due to their failure of keeping the grease out of your hood, the expenses are covered by them.
Lastly, you will have no worries when inspectors come to your restaurants. Knowing everything is clean at all times, will help you to run your business better and focus on expansion and chaining.
Maintain the grease traps
Besides the hood, you can use this time to maintain your grease traps. These filters are an essential piece of restaurant equipment since oils are usually thrown inside the sewage. Without them, the cooking oil is hardening due to the cold water and it adheres to the inner portions of the pipes.
If you already considered hiring hood cleaning professionals, you can have a deal to get your grease traps cleaned as well. That way, with a single company you get multiple things handled which makes the maintenance of your business easier.
Do not pour the oil into the sewage
When oils and gunk get build-up, the pipes get clogged and you get to face serious problems. Firstly, your restaurant will have to be temporarily closed due to non-functionality. In addition, inspectors will have to find you a large sum for causing damage to the environment.
This is a costly mistake that you can make especially if you cause clogging or an inspector notices your practices. The fines are usually too big for new owners that they are forced to close their restaurants. For a small fee of the service, you can get this handled without having to worry about it.
Why is regular cleaning so important
Keeping everything clean is essential in industrial food-related businesses. You have to prioritize the quality of the meals and that cannot be done in a nasty kitchen. For that reason, cleaning the whole kitchen must be done daily.
The hood needs to be regularly cleaned because it prevents serious and hazardous situations. The oils can get inflamed quickly, and the fire is hard to be stopped. The water and sand thrown for that purpose will cause further damage to your restaurant’s property where you might suffer permanent closing.
The regulations given by the state must be respected. For that reason, pouring oils inside the sink can lead to serious sanctions. Ensure proper disposal and keep yourself out of trouble.
Lastly, keeping your workplace clean motivates your employees and you can expect better results. The efficiency increases and the meals will be prepared quickly. This will make your business bloom and increases customers satisfaction.
