Commercial Kitchen Hood Cleaning
A dropped renewal. A failed inspection. Fines that keep coming, all from a hood nobody cleaned to code. We clean the whole system to NFPA 96 and hand you the record inspectors, insurers and landlords accept.
Every kitchen starts the same way: a free Site Assessment of your exhaust system, measured at the hood canopy and the fan bowl, before you decide anything.
Schedule Your Site AssessmentCall (209) 318-2737Your Free Site Assessment
- Grease depth at the hood canopy and the fan bowl, against NFPA 96 limits
- Filters, fan, belt, hinge and access panels checked, with nothing in your kitchen moved
- Your cleaning schedule, determined from your readings, your hours open and the industry-average BTU ratings of your appliances
- Your estimate, and your eligibility for the Priority Service Plan
Before opening or between 2 and 4 in the afternoon. No obligation.
How we work with your kitchen
Site Assessment
Our Certified Exhaust System Inspector walks your system and measures grease at the hood canopy and the fan bowl. You get your report, your estimate and your schedule.
Schedule Your Site Assessment →Priority Service Plan
Your system kept at NFPA 96 limits on a schedule determined from your readings, your hours open and the industry-average BTU ratings of your appliances, with every record ready the day the fire marshal, health inspector or insurer asks.
See What Members Receive →Restoration Cleaning
Hood, duct and fan brought back from critical grease depth to NFPA 96 limits, measured part by part and documented.
See Restoration Cleaning →How it works
Schedule
Pick your days and time. We come when the line is quiet: before opening or between 2 and 4 in the afternoon.
Site Assessment
Grease readings at the hood canopy and the fan bowl, filters, fan and access. About an hour on average.
Report and estimate
What we found, what needs attention, your schedule determined from your readings, your hours open and the industry-average BTU ratings of your appliances, and your eligibility.
Cleaned to NFPA 96
Sign the service agreement and accept the schedule. After every service: a Report of Service and a Certificate of Service.
The Priority Service Plan
A kitchen qualifies when its system can be brought to and maintained at NFPA 96 limits and it is under a signed service agreement. Members receive:
- Inspection Day Ready records in EvidLY
- A direct line to our CESI
- Readings by part after every service
- A guaranteed service window
- 48-hour response
- Fire-5 Tag Verification at every visit
- Policy review at every renewal
- Member price lock
- Client Rewards
- The Inspection Day Guarantee
Most hood cleaners hand you an invoice. We hand you evidence.
An invoice
Proof you paid for a cleaning. Not proof the work met NFPA 96.
A Report of Service and Certificate of Service
Photos, readings and timestamps for every part, the record inspectors, insurers and landlords accept.
Why This Interval, Not Another
NFPA 96 Section 12.4 requires the entire exhaust system to be inspected for grease buildup by a trained, qualified, and certified person acceptable to your local fire authority, on the schedule set by Table 12.4.
| Type or volume of cooking | Inspection frequency |
|---|---|
| Solid fuel cooking | Monthly |
| High-volume cooking* | Quarterly |
| Moderate-volume cooking | Semi-annual |
| Low-volume cooking† | Annual |
*High-volume includes 24-hour, charbroiling, and wok cooking.
†Low-volume includes churches, day camps, seasonal businesses, and senior centers.
Independent fire and hood safety inspection · Or call (209) 318-2737
What an undocumented hood actually costs you.
Not someday. On a schedule you don’t control — starting with the one that comes every single year.
Every year: your insurance renewal
Your carrier reviews your cleaning records at renewal. No records, or lapsed ones, and coverage can be non-renewed or your premium raised — no fire required. This is the stake that comes due every single year.
A failed inspection — and the fines
A failed hood inspection brings fire-marshal fines, commonly $200–$2,000 per violation, until it’s corrected. And a greasy hood often draws two citations — one from the fire marshal, one from the health inspector — two independent authorities on one deficiency.
The fire itself
Grease is the leading cause of restaurant fires. A cleaning that stops at the hood — leaving the duct and fan — leaves the fuel exactly where fires start. When grease creates an imminent hazard, a fire marshal can order the kitchen closed until it’s fixed.
And if a fire does happen: the denied claim
After a kitchen fire, the carrier asks for your cleaning history. If the records aren’t there, the claim can be denied under the policy’s Protective Safeguards conditions — the fire is survivable; a denied claim often isn’t.
Who’s actually on your roof.
Arthur Haggerty founded Cleaning Pros Plus and still runs jobs. He holds the CESI — Certified Exhaust System Inspector — and the CECS — Certified Exhaust Cleaning Specialist — and has been retained as an NFPA 96 expert witness in commercial-kitchen fire litigation, where this standard decides the case. Cleaning Pros Plus cleans exhaust systems from single-hood taqueria kitchens to multi-unit national accounts — and every job produces the same documented record, no matter who’s on the truck.
He spent 25 years in enterprise IT consulting at Deloitte, Cisco and Dell, and ten years in the U.S. Air Force before that. That combination is why the record exists: Cleaning Pros Plus built the field software the crew runs on.
“Here in Merced, it’s been an uphill battle to get a quality company to clean our hood system. Now we’ve got Arthur here in our town. I’ve been in the business over 40 years. Very professional, courteous, fair pricing.” — John B. · Google Review
Trusted by national restaurant chains, independent kitchens, national park concessions, hotels and resorts, hospital and campus dining, and school district kitchens across California.
What your hood cleaner lets you believe
What commercial kitchens are told about hood cleaning — and what is actually true.
An invoice proves the system was cleaned.
An invoice proves you paid. A Report of Service and a Certificate of Service prove what was cleaned, what was found and when — and they are what a fire marshal, insurance broker or property manager asks for.
Hood cleaning means the hood.
The hood is where the grease enters. The plenum, the ductwork and the fan are where it collects. A cleaning that stops at the hood is not a system cleaning.
The kitchen determines the inspection and cleaning frequency.
NFPA 96 Table 12.4 sets the interval by cooking volume and equipment type — monthly for solid fuel, quarterly for high volume, semi-annual for moderate, annual for low. That is your calendar, not a preference.
Every hood cleaning company is certified.
Many aren't. IKECA is the trade's professional body, and many hood cleaning companies hold no IKECA credential at all. Cleaning Pros Plus is an IKECA member (#76716495). The founder holds the IKECA CESI (#200771) and CECS (#200452). The technicians are PECT Designated. Ask your hood cleaning company what they hold — and to show it.
Six more things kitchens are told about hood cleaning — and what is actually true
Clean is something you can see.
Clean is a measurement. Grease depth is gauged before and after and written on the report: Acceptable 50 µm, Cleaning Required 2,000 µm, Critical Depth 3,175 µm at the fan housing (NFPA 96 §12.6.1.1).
If a duct can't be reached, it's fine to skip it.
A duct that can't be reached is a finding. A missing access panel is documented on your report so it can be corrected before the next service — never a silent skip.
The filters get cleaned with the hood.
We don't clean filters in your kitchen. Degreaser changes the grease — it emulsifies into the wash water and can pass through drains into groundwater instead of separating out, and that discharge is governed by the Clean Water Act. Filters are exchanged and cleaned off-site under the Grease Filter Exchange program.
Your hood cleaning company's insurance is their problem.
If they damage your equipment or one of their workers is hurt in your kitchen and they aren't covered, it can land on you. Ask for the certificate of insurance before anyone gets on your roof. We attach ours to every estimate, unasked.
Grease on the roof is the landlord's problem.
Grease on the roof comes out of your fan. We photograph the roof on arrival and on departure so the condition is on record, and Rooftop Grease Containment keeps it off the roof between services.
You'll know when you're due.
Only if something is tracking it. We built the software our crews run on: it holds your interval from the last service, reminds you before you are due, confirms the appointment, texts you when the crew is on the way, and files the Report of Service and the Certificate of Service when the work is done. The date is on your Certificate of Service and on the hood sticker too — but you hear from the system first.
See what a documented service looks like
A real Report of Service and a real Certificate of Service, with the customer details removed — the same two documents we issue after every job.
An independent inspection, sold on its own.
An independent NFPA 96 kitchen exhaust inspection and Fire-5 Tag Verification — so you know exactly where your system stands before any cleaning. Built for hospitals, districts, campuses and multi-site owners who need every kitchen measured on one standard. Then you get the record most kitchens can’t produce when it matters.
Or call us directly — (209) 318-2737 · Serving the Central Valley, the Bay Area and Northern California
An IKECA member company · Member #76716495International Kitchen Exhaust Cleaning Association
Frequently Asked Questions
Clear answers for commercial kitchen owners and managers.
General
What areas do you serve?
We serve commercial kitchens across the Central Valley, the Bay Area and Northern California, including Alameda, Contra Costa, Fresno, Kern, Kings, Madera, Mariposa, Merced, Sacramento, San Joaquin, Santa Clara, Stanislaus and Tulare counties. Contact us for service availability in your area.
Do you only work with restaurants?
No. We serve every industry with a commercial kitchen — restaurants, healthcare, hospitality, education, entertainment, commissaries, and multi-location owners and managers. See every operation we serve →
Are you certified?
Yes. We are an IKECA member company serving the Central Valley, following NFPA 96-aligned service standards.
Inspection & Compliance
What is a Kitchen Exhaust Inspection (KEI)?
A KEI is a professional assessment of your exhaust system condition, grease levels, and compliance readiness with a photo-documented report.
Will your reports help with inspectors and insurance?
Yes. Every service includes photo documentation and a digital compliance report accepted by fire inspectors, insurance carriers, landlords, and corporate compliance teams.
Kitchen Exhaust Cleaning
How often do kitchens need exhaust cleaning?
Most kitchens require cleaning every 1–3 months depending on cooking volume and grease output.
Do you clean the whole system?
Yes — hood, plenum, ductwork and fan assembly. Foamed, brushed and rinsed. No pressure washing.
Can you support multi-location operations?
Absolutely. We serve multi-unit national accounts.
Filters, Fans & Rooftop
What is Grease Filter Exchange (GFX)?
A scheduled filter swap program. We deliver clean filters, remove and clean old ones off-site, and rotate them back.
Why does rooftop grease containment matter?
Exhaust fans discharge grease onto rooftops. Without containment, grease damages roofing, creates slip hazards, attracts pests, and can violate building codes.
EvidLY
What is EvidLY?
EvidLY is built for commercial kitchens by a 25-year enterprise IT consultant who also founded and operates a commercial kitchen services company. It replaces paper logs and spreadsheets with fire safety documentation, food safety workflows, temperature monitoring, and inspection-ready reporting — all in one place. Available nationwide to any commercial kitchen. EvidLY is now live. See current pricing at getevidly.com.
Do I need to be a Cleaning Pros Plus client to use EvidLY?
No. EvidLY is available nationwide to any commercial kitchen owner or manager — you do not need to be in our service area or use our cleaning services. Cleaning Pros Plus clients benefit from automatic documentation integration, but EvidLY works independently for any kitchen anywhere.
An IKECA member company · Member #76716495International Kitchen Exhaust Cleaning Association
Blog — Fire Safety & Compliance Insights
Expert guidance on kitchen fire safety, NFPA 96 compliance, and protecting your business.
Five Fire Systems, Five Records: A Fire Prevention Week Audit for Your Kitchen
The five fire systems in a commercial kitchen, the records each one leaves, and how to audit all five during Fire Prevention Week.
Read More →Hood Cleaning Certificates: What NFPA 96 Requires on Yours
A certificate with a logo and a signature isn't a compliance record. Here's what belongs on it.
Read More →Fire Prevention Week: The Fuel Load Above Your Line
The space above your cooking line is holding fuel.
Read More →Who Decides What Your Kitchen Owes Under NFPA 96
NFPA writes it, your state adopts it, your fire authority enforces it.
Read More →What Your Hood System Includes — and Why Every Section Matters
The six parts of your hood system and why each one matters.
Read More →NFPA 96 Compliance Guide for California Restaurants (2026)
Everything about NFPA 96 requirements and staying inspection-ready.
Read More →How Often Should Kitchen Exhaust Systems Be Cleaned?
Frequency depends on volume, grease output, and equipment type.
Read More →How to Pass a Fire Inspection: Commercial Kitchen Checklist
What inspectors look for and how to prepare.
Read More →Kitchen Exhaust Cleaning Cost: What to Expect in 2026
Transparent breakdown of hood cleaning pricing factors.
Read More →IKECA Membership: Why It Matters
What IKECA membership means and how to verify credentials.
Read More →Why We Document Every Service With Photos
Photo reports protect you from disputes and prove diligence.
Read More →Hood cleaning by city
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Ready to see where your system stands?
Served directly across the Central Valley, the Bay Area and Northern California. Multi-site clients elsewhere in California receive an estimate that includes travel.
Or call (209) 318-2737