Commercial Hood Cleaning in Toronto
Commercial hood cleaning is the scheduled degreasing of the exhaust hood over a cook line: the canopy inside and out, the baffle filters, the grease troughs and collection cups, and the plenum chamber behind the filters. Hood Cleaning Toronto performs that work across the City of Toronto on a documented 8 step process, photographs every surface before and after, and closes each visit with a signed certificate of performance referencing the published NFPA 96 standard. The hood is where an inspector, an insurer, and a fire both start, so it is the part of the kitchen where a paper trail matters most.
What a commercial hood cleaning includes, canopy to filters
Every component of the hood assembly itself is in scope. Anything past the duct collar belongs to a different service.
The visit covers the canopy (the stainless shell over the cook line, degreased inside and polished outside), the baffle filters (pulled, soaked, scrubbed and reseated so the baffles actually strip grease from the airstream again), the grease troughs and cups (emptied and washed, because an overflowing cup drips onto the equipment below), and the plenum (the chamber between the filters and the duct opening, which loads with grease faster than any surface a line cook can see). Lights, light covers, and the hood edges where grease beads and drips are wiped down as part of the same pass.
Where the scope ends is just as important as where it starts. The ductwork, the exhaust fan, and the rooftop discharge are a larger job covered on the kitchen exhaust cleaning page, and most Toronto kitchens book both as one overnight visit. Cooking appliances under the hood are a separate scope described on the restaurant equipment cleaning page.
Every job ends the same way regardless of size: before-and-after photos of every cleaned surface, a signed certificate of performance referencing the NFPA 96 standard, and proof of WSIB clearance and liability insurance delivered before the crew starts. That package is what a Toronto Fire Services inspector or an insurance adjuster asks to see.
The 8 step process Hood Cleaning Toronto follows on every visit
The same sequence runs whether the kitchen is a single-hood cafe or a multi-hood hotel line, because skipping a step is how grease gets certified instead of removed.
- Protect the kitchen. Appliances, counters and floors under the hood are sheeted in plastic and drop cloths, and a runoff funnel is rigged under the canopy so degreaser and grease drain into containment instead of onto the line.
- Isolate power and gas. Fans are locked off and pilot lights and appliance power under the work area are shut down before any water or chemical comes out.
- Pull the filters. Baffle filters come out first and go into a soak tank while the rest of the work proceeds, which is the only way the backs of the baffles get clean.
- Apply degreaser. Food-area-rated caustic degreaser goes onto the plenum, canopy interior and troughs and is given dwell time to break the grease bond rather than smearing it.
- Hot-water wash. Softened grease is washed out with controlled hot water into the containment, then stubborn buildup is scraped and re-treated until the metal shows.
- Detail and polish. Filters are rinsed and reseated, cups and troughs are emptied and rehung, and the canopy exterior and trim are polished so the hood looks as clean as it now is.
- Rinse and restore. Containment comes down, the surrounding surfaces are wiped, waste grease and wash water are removed from site, and gas and power are restored exactly as found.
- Document. After-photos are matched to the before-photos, the certificate is signed and dated, and a service sticker on the hood records the visit for the next inspector who walks in.
Visits run overnight, early morning, or between services, so the process finishes before the first prep cook arrives.
Hood cleaning vs kitchen deep cleaning: which one is your kitchen due for?
Hood cleaning is a fire-safety service on the exhaust hood. A kitchen deep clean is a sanitation service on the room. Operators who order one expecting the other end up with a gap.
| Question | Commercial hood cleaning | Kitchen deep cleaning |
|---|---|---|
| What is the target? | The exhaust hood assembly: canopy, filters, troughs, cups, plenum. | The room and its surfaces: floors, walls, equipment exteriors, prep areas. |
| What risk does it manage? | Grease fire risk and fire-code compliance. | Food-safety and sanitation risk, the DineSafe side of the kitchen. |
| Who asks for proof? | Toronto Fire Services, the insurer, the landlord. | Toronto Public Health inspectors and franchise auditors. |
| What proof exists after? | Before-and-after photos, a signed NFPA 96 referenced certificate, a hood sticker. | Usually an invoice and a checklist, with no fire-code standing. |
| Does it satisfy the other? | No. A certified hood does not make the floors or walls compliant. | No. A spotless kitchen with a loaded plenum is still a fire-code failure. |
Hood Cleaning Toronto covers the fire side end to end. For surfaces beyond the hood, see fire prevention degreasing.
How much does commercial hood cleaning cost in Toronto?
Hood Cleaning Toronto prices single-hood kitchens up to ten feet from $385 per visit and multi-hood kitchens from $725 per visit, with the full cost breakdown by kitchen type on the hood cleaning cost guide.
Larger kitchens, unusual systems, and multi-site operators get a written site-specific quote instead of a guess over the phone. Restaurants weighing frequency against cuisine can start with the restaurant hood cleaning page, which covers how a wok line and a salad bar end up on very different schedules.
How often does a commercial hood need cleaning in Toronto?
Hood Cleaning Toronto matches the interval to cooking volume under the published NFPA 96 frequency categories, and the full frequency table with what applies to each kitchen type lives on the regulations and NFPA 96 guide.
The practical answer for any specific kitchen comes out of the first visit, when the crew sees how much grease the line actually produces between cleanings. That observation, not a calendar default, is what a defensible schedule is built on, and it is recorded in the service documentation so the interval can be shown to an inspector or insurer rather than argued about.
Commercial hood cleaning in Toronto: frequently asked questions
How long does a commercial hood cleaning visit take?
A single-hood kitchen typically takes two to four hours, and a multi-hood line takes proportionally longer depending on grease load and access. Hood Cleaning Toronto schedules overnight, early-morning, and between-service windows sized to the specific kitchen, so the visit finishes with margin before the next service rather than racing it.
Does the kitchen have to shut down while the hood is cleaned?
Cooking under the hood stops during the work, but the kitchen as a whole does not need to close. Hood Cleaning Toronto sheets off the work zone, and prep or cleanup can continue elsewhere in the kitchen. Most Toronto operators simply book the overnight window after close so no service hours are touched at all.
What should staff do before the hood cleaning crew arrives?
Clear the cook line of food, small wares, and anything stored on or beside the equipment under the hood, and shut appliances down cool if the schedule allows. Hood Cleaning Toronto handles its own protection sheeting, containment, and power and gas isolation, so beyond a clear line there is nothing for staff to prepare.
Will the kitchen smell of degreaser the next morning?
No. The degreasers used are rated for food-area use and are fully rinsed out as part of the process, and the final wipe-down removes residue from surrounding surfaces. By morning prep the hood smells like clean metal, not chemicals, and the after-photos taken at the end of the visit show every surface as it was left.
Do you clean hoods in residential home kitchens?
No. Hood Cleaning Toronto services commercial kitchens only: restaurants, institutional kitchens, venues, and commissaries across the City of Toronto. A residential range hood is a different appliance under different rules, and a duct cleaning or appliance service company is the right call for a home kitchen.