| By :
Alison Withers
Copyright (c) 2010 Alison Withers After taking over a large and beautiful stately hotel its new owner quickly realised that the kitchen extract system would not be straightforward to maintain because the duct work for the extract system was somewhat ancient and therefore would be difficult to clean. A prestige hotel needs to maintain a high level of hygiene as well as to minimise the risk of a kitchen fire. So, if replacing the entire system is not an option what can the new owner do to find a solution that would meet exacting standards of cleanliness and ensure that the risk of a fire starting in the system is minimised while ensuring that the cleaning does disrupt the operation of the hotel and restaurant as a business? Using an experienced specialist commercial cleaning service to asses the establishment, the types of food cooked, how and at what level of intensity is the first step. It is difficult without this information to advice on how maintenance should be carried out. The cleaning cycle for a canopy and its components will depend not only upon the regularity and duration of cooking below but also upon the type of cooking and the ingredients used. Weher the kitchen use is light canopies and extract systems may only need a 12-month cycle for maintenance and cleaning. However, in a busy hotel, kitchen activity is most likely to be heavy and the cleaning company may advise a three or four-month cycle. Grease filters and canopies over the cookers should ideally be designed, sized and constructed to be robust enough for regular washing in a commercial dishwasher, which is the most thorough and efficient method of cleaning them yourself. It's important to make sure when re-installing filters that they are fitted the right way around with any framework drain holes at the lowest, front edge. Of course, grease filters are covered with a coating of grease and can therefore be slippery and difficult to handle. Appropriate protyective gloves should be used when handling them. The canopies and their component parts should be designed to be easy to clean, but if they are not, provided the cleaning intervals are fairly frequent, regular washing with soap or mild detergent and warm water, followed by a clean water rinse might be adequate. If too long a period is left between cleans, grease will become baked-on and require special attention. No grease filtration is 100% efficient and therefore a certain amount of grease passes through the filters to be deposited on the internal surfaces of the filter housings and ductwork. Left unattended, this layer of grease on the non-visible surfaces of the canopy creates both hygiene and fire risks. Deciding on when cleaning should take place, and how often, is something an experienced specialist cleaning company can help with. The simplest guide is that if a surface or component looks dirty, then it needs cleaning. Most important, however, is regular inspection of all surfaces and especially non-visible ones. Inspections should be included in the maintenance schedule for any kitchen installation.
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