Ventilation Fire Risk Cleaning — Grease Extract & Kitchen Extract Hygiene

Ventilation fire risk cleaning is the cleaning of ductwork and associated extract components where the accumulated contamination is itself a recognised fire-risk consideration. In practice this is almost entirely a kitchen extract issue: grease deposits inside canopies, plenums, horizontal and vertical ductwork, extract fans and discharge points represent an unwanted fuel load in the system.

Our role is to reduce that contamination through methodical cleaning and to document what has been done so the operator, the FM team and the insurer all have the same picture of the system's hygiene condition. We do not provide fire risk assessments and we do not certify fire safety — that responsibility sits with the operator, their competent fire risk assessor and their insurer. What we provide is the hygiene evidence that those parties rely on.

Grease accumulates in predictable places — directly above cooking surfaces, in the canopy plenum, on the first sections of horizontal extract ductwork, at every change of direction and in the extract fan housing. Without a planned cleaning cycle, deposits build up to the point where extract performance degrades and the fire-risk position deteriorates. The mechanics of this build-up are covered on our grease build-up in extract systems page.

TR19 Grease is the recognised industry guidance for cleaning frequency, cleaning method and evidence retention for kitchen extract systems. Our delivery follows this guidance — the right cleaning interval for the cooking volume and operating hours, the right scope of works through the full extract chain, and the right photographic and written evidence at the end. The broader service is described on our extraction duct cleaning page, with hospitality-specific context on our hospitality and kitchens sector page.

Many kitchen extract systems do not have enough access panels along their run — sometimes none at all between the canopy and the fan. A credible fire-risk cleaning report identifies these limitations clearly: which sections were inspected, which were inaccessible and what access improvements are recommended. We never describe a section as "cleaned" if it could not actually be reached. Where access points need to be installed, this is recorded in the report and quoted separately.

Every visit produces a photographic record of access points before opening, internal condition before cleaning, internal condition after cleaning and the post-works state of the canopy, plenum and fan. The written report references TR19 Grease, the cleaning method, any limitations encountered and the recommended next cleaning interval. These records form the hygiene evidence pack that operators rely on at insurance renewal and during landlord, brand or local authority audits.

The right cleaning interval depends on cooking volume, the type of cooking, operating hours and the design of the extract system. We work with the operator to set an evidence-based interval rather than defaulting to a one-size-fits-all schedule. Where it is useful, this can be wrapped into a written risk view through our ventilation risk assessment service so the operator has a single document describing how the system is being managed over time.

To book a kitchen extract inspection or arrange ventilation fire risk cleaning, book an inspection, request a quote or contact us.