Kitchen Hood Cleaning FAQ

Fire code (NFPA 96) sets the schedule by cooking type and volume. Wood or charcoal cooking needs monthly cleaning. High-volume kitchens need it every three months, most restaurants every six months, and low-volume kitchens once a year. Your fire marshal can require more often.

Yes. Most restaurants are cleaned after closing, often overnight. Corporate cafeterias are usually cleaned early in the morning. We work around your hours so you don't lose a service.

The whole exhaust system: hood canopy, plenum (the chamber behind the filters), baffle filters, ductwork and the exhaust fan on the roof. We protect the cook line and roof and contain the wash water. Then we put everything back and leave a dated service label on the hood.

Yes. Every job gets a dated service label on the hood showing the next service due. You also get a service report with photos of the work. Anything we couldn't reach, or that needs repair, is on the report.

Yes. Miguel's Steam Cleaning, Inc. holds California contractor license #922991 (C-61/D-38). We're bonded and carry workers' compensation insurance. You can check the license on the Contractors State License Board website.

It depends on the job. The number of hoods, the length of the ductwork, how heavy the grease is and roof access all affect the price. We give a free quote up front, so call us or send the quote form.

We're based in Vacaville and serve Solano County and the Bay Area. That includes Napa, Marin, Contra Costa, Alameda, San Francisco, San Mateo and Santa Clara counties.

Yes. We regularly work for corporate campuses through their facility management firms. We handle purchase orders, separate billing addresses, time-and-materials invoices and vendor compliance portals.

Very little. Make sure the kitchen is closed, the equipment has cooled down and we can get to the roof. We take care of covering the equipment, the cleaning and the clean-up.

Yes. We cover the cook line before we start and remove all the wash water. Filters go back in, pilot lights are relit and the floor is cleaned, so your crew can cook at the next shift.

It helps, but it isn't enough. Dish machines don't run hot or long enough to remove baked-on grease from inside the baffles. Steam cleaning gets the grease the dish machine leaves behind.

No. Clean filters slow down how fast the ductwork loads up. But fire code still requires the full system to be cleaned on schedule. Filter service keeps you in better shape between those cleanings.

Yes. A large share of our work is detail cleaning for corporate campus cafeterias, often several kitchens per campus. We work with facility management companies, purchase orders and vendor compliance requirements.

Yes. We schedule deep cleaning for when you're closed and work area by area, so the kitchen is ready for the next service.

Yes. Hot water removes grease and oil far better than cold. That's why it's standard for restaurant and commercial work.

Not down the storm drain. We block drains, contain the runoff and recover the wash water. That follows the stormwater rules for outdoor washing in the Bay Area.

Yes. Campuses and commercial properties can book a recurring schedule, so entries and trash areas stay clean.

So it can be opened safely for cleaning. Without a hinge, a rooftop upblast (mushroom-style) fan has to be lifted off its curb to reach the fan and the top of the duct. That risks damaging the fan, wiring and roof. Fire code (NFPA 96) calls for upblast fans to be hinged.

Yes. We offer stand-alone exhaust system inspections. They're useful before buying or leasing a restaurant, after a fire inspection, or to find out how often your kitchen really needs cleaning.