How Often Do Commercial Kitchen Hoods Need to Be Cleaned? A Complete Guide

It’s one of the most frequent — and misunderstood — questions in restaurant maintenance.

Some teams clean their hoods only when they look greasy. Others wait for an inspection notice or a warning from the fire marshal. But in a commercial kitchen, this “we’ll clean it when it’s dirty” mindset is a major risk.

In reality, proper hood cleaning isn’t just about appearance — it’s about fire safety, health code compliance, and equipment performance. Grease buildup can quickly turn into a fire hazard, especially in high-volume kitchens. And missing a required cleaning can cost you — not just in fines, but in lost insurance coverage or even kitchen shutdowns.

This article will give you clear, practical answers about how often restaurant hoods should be cleaned — based on your kitchen’s volume, equipment, and type of cooking. We’ll also walk through key warning signs, legal requirements, and tips to build a maintenance routine that keeps your restaurant compliant and safe year-round.

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1. Why Cleaning Frequency Matters

If you’ve ever wondered how often commercial kitchen hoods need to be cleaned, the answer goes far beyond ticking a box for inspectors. Cleaning frequency directly impacts your kitchen’s safety, performance, and long-term costs.

Fire hazard #1: Grease buildup

Grease is flammable — and your hood system collects it constantly. Every hour of cooking sends vapors into the hood, where grease settles in filters, ductwork, and fan components. Left unchecked, this buildup creates a serious fire risk. In fact, kitchen exhaust systems are one of the leading sources of restaurant fires in the U.S.

A spark on the cookline can ignite grease inside the hood or ducts — especially if cleanings are infrequent or incomplete.

Health violations and failed inspections

Dirty hoods don’t just pose fire hazards — they’re also a health code red flag. A visible layer of grease, odors, or smoke buildup can lead to failed inspections, warnings, or even temporary closures. Some cities, like Los Angeles, require documented proof of cleaning frequency and certified contractors to avoid penalties.

Poor ventilation = Poor performance

When filters or ductwork are clogged with grease, your exhaust system can’t do its job. That means:

• Smoke and steam linger in the kitchen
• Temperatures climb
• Staff discomfort increases
• Food quality may suffer

Worse, an overworked exhaust fan will break down faster — and cost more to repair.

The cost of neglect

Skipping a cleaning might save a few bucks today — but it can lead to:

• $500–$2,000+ repair bills for motor or ductwork issues
• $10,000+ in fire damage
• Higher insurance premiums or denied claims
• Productivity losses due to system failure or downtime

In short, cleaning your hood regularly is cheaper than not cleaning it.

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2. General Guidelines: How Often Should You Clean Commercial Kitchen Hoods?

So — how often should restaurant hoods be cleaned in real life?

While the exact answer depends on your kitchen’s volume and cooking style, national fire codes like NFPA 96 offer clear industry standards. These recommendations are designed to reduce fire hazards and help kitchens stay compliant with local regulations and insurance requirements.

Here’s how it breaks down based on your restaurant type:

🔥 High-volume, grease-heavy operations → Every month

If you’re running a fast food kitchen, wok station, fry-heavy menu, or anything on open flame or grill, your hood system is collecting grease at high speed. In these cases, monthly cleaning is the baseline — and in some cases, even more frequent cleanings are recommended.

Why? These kitchens often operate long hours and generate high heat, vapor, and particulate buildup. Skipping cleanings can lead to rapid grease accumulation in both filters and ducts, creating serious fire and ventilation risks.

🍝 Casual dining or moderate volume → Every 2–3 months

For most casual dining restaurants, where cooking includes sautéing, baking, or some frying but at a lower intensity than fast food, cleaning every 2 to 3 months is generally appropriate. These systems still collect grease — just at a slower pace.

This category includes restaurants with moderate service hours and well-ventilated kitchens that stay on top of filter maintenance.

🥗 Light cooking, seasonal use → Every 6 months

Restaurants that focus on light prep, steaming, or reheating — or operate only part of the year — can usually stretch cleanings to twice a year. But even with lower grease output, it’s critical not to skip these cleanings. Grease still builds up slowly, and inspections still apply.

This group often includes cafes, seasonal beach restaurants, or small wine bars with limited hot food menus.

These are minimums — not maximums

Think of these timelines as a baseline. If your filters are visibly greasy, airflow drops, or your local fire marshal has stricter rules, you’ll need to increase cleaning frequency.

And don’t forget: filter cleaning should be done much more frequently (often weekly), while full system cleaning — hood, ducts, fans — follows the rhythm above.

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3. What Affects Hood Cleaning Frequency?

There’s no one-size-fits-all answer to how often commercial kitchen hoods need to be cleaned. Even within the same category of restaurant, some kitchens will require more frequent cleanings than others — simply because their day-to-day operations generate more grease and heat.

Here are the key factors that influence how often your hood system should be serviced:

Cooking Methods and Menu Type

Grilling, deep-frying, sautéing, or using solid fuel (like charcoal or wood) produces much more grease-laden vapor than steaming or boiling. A steakhouse, for instance, will need its hood cleaned far more frequently than a sushi bar.

➡️ The more grease and smoke your cooking produces, the faster your filters and ducts will clog — and the more often they’ll need cleaning.

Hours of Operation

A kitchen that runs 18 hours a day, 7 days a week builds up grease at a much faster rate than one that only operates for lunch service five days a week.

➡️ The longer your hoods are sucking up vapor and particulates, the more buildup they’ll accumulate — regardless of your menu.

Volume of Food Production

It’s not just what you cook — it’s how much. High-volume kitchens (think: catering operations, busy QSRs, or ghost kitchens) push their exhaust systems to the limit.

➡️ More food = more heat, more vapor, more airborne grease — and more frequent cleanings needed.

Hood System Type and Condition

Older or poorly designed hoods may struggle to extract grease efficiently, leading to quicker buildup. Some models have lower capture velocities or poor ductwork angles that retain more residue.

➡️ Even if your kitchen isn’t high volume, an inefficient or aging system may still need more frequent servicing.

Ventilation & Building Conditions

A well-ventilated kitchen with strong makeup air flow will reduce stress on your hood system. But older buildings with poor ventilation, hot climates, or kitchens without A/C often see faster duct saturation.

➡️ External conditions can quietly push your system to work harder — and get dirtier, faster.

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4. How to Know It’s Time — Beyond the Calendar

Even if you follow a cleaning schedule, your kitchen might need hood cleaning sooner than expected. That’s because not all kitchens accumulate grease at the same rate — and fixed timelines don’t always match real-world usage.

Here’s how to spot the warning signs that your commercial kitchen hood needs cleaning, even if the calendar says otherwise.

A. Visible Grease Buildup

If you notice grease dripping from the hood edges or running down the walls or ductwork, it’s not just a hygiene issue — it’s a fire hazard. A saturated filter or greasy duct is a clear signal that cleaning is overdue.

➡️ Rule of thumb: If it looks greasy, it probably is — and it’s time to act.

B. Strong Odors or Lingering Smoke

When grease accumulates in the hood system, it starts to trap and circulate odors instead of extracting them. If your kitchen still smells smoky long after cooking, your hood is likely underperforming.

➡️ A properly maintained hood should remove odors, not recycle them.

C. Weak Airflow or Poor Ventilation

If the hood doesn’t seem to be pulling air effectively, or smoke is lingering in the kitchen, your system may be clogged or struggling with restricted airflow. That can overheat your space, stress your staff, and even damage equipment over time.

➡️ Reduced suction is often a red flag that the ducts and fan are coated in grease.

D. Failed or Risky Inspections

Health and fire inspectors are trained to spot greasy ductwork, overloaded filters, and poor airflow. If you’ve ever received a warning or failed inspection, chances are you’re skipping key cleanings — or not documenting them properly.

➡️ Cleaning frequency isn't just about fire prevention — it’s also about passing inspections.

E. No Maintenance Log or Incomplete Records

If you don’t keep track of when your last hood cleaning was performed, you’re flying blind. A missing or outdated cleaning log can trigger automatic violations during an inspection — even if the system looks clean.

➡️ Always keep a record of cleanings, with dates and provider info if done by a professional.

In short:

You shouldn’t wait for a fire, inspection failure, or system breakdown to realize it’s time to clean your hood. Look, smell, listen — and trust your kitchen's signals. A simple visual check every few days can save you thousands in repairs (and penalties).

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5. Staff vs. Professionals: Who Should Do What — and When?

When it comes to commercial kitchen hood maintenance, not everything needs to be outsourced — but not everything can be done in-house either. Knowing the line between what your team can handle and when to call certified professionals is key to staying safe, compliant, and efficient.

What Your Staff Should Handle

Kitchen staff play a frontline role in keeping the hood system functional between professional cleanings. Their responsibility is routine upkeep, including:

• Cleaning hood filters regularly — ideally once a week, or more often for heavy-use kitchens.
• Wiping down the hood’s exterior daily to remove surface grease and prevent buildup.
• Visual checks of the filters, hood edges, and any signs of unusual smoke or grease drip.

➡️ These actions are simple, quick, and critical for preventing grease accumulation from getting out of control.

What Only Professionals Should Do

Beyond surface cleaning, a certified hood cleaning provider is required to address the full ventilation system:

• Duct cleaning: Grease buildup inside the ducts is a major fire hazard and impossible to reach without the right tools.
• Exhaust fan and motor cleaning: These components often accumulate hidden grease and need disassembly for proper maintenance.
• System inspection and reporting: Pros check for airflow issues, damage, and compliance with standards like NFPA 96.

➡️ These tasks require specialized equipment, training, and sometimes access to the roof or hard-to-reach ducting.

When to Hand It Off

So, how do you know it’s time to bring in the pros? Here are the most common triggers:

• You can’t see or reach inside the ducts — and that’s exactly where the fire risk is highest.
• Your team notices poor airflow, recurring smoke, or unusual smells.
• Grease buildup returns quickly, even after staff cleanings.
• You have an upcoming health or fire inspection — or just failed one.
• You haven’t had a full hood system cleaning in 3+ months, despite cooking daily.

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Your staff handles the surface — but professionals handle the risk. Don’t wait for a warning sign or fire code violation to pass the baton. Make professional hood cleanings a regular part of your kitchen's maintenance cycle.

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6. Pro Tips to Stay on Track

Even if you know how often restaurant hoods should be cleaned, staying consistent is often the hardest part. Kitchens get busy, staff changes, and maintenance tasks slip through the cracks.

Here’s how to make sure your hood cleaning schedule doesn’t fall off the radar.

Create a Cleaning Calendar — and Make It Visible

Set a clear, recurring schedule based on your kitchen's volume and type of cooking:

• Weekly reminders for filter cleaning.
• Monthly or quarterly professional duct cleaning, depending on your operation.
• Biannual inspections of the full system.

📆 Post the calendar in the back office or kitchen — and review it during team meetings.

Keep a Maintenance Log

A written or digital maintenance journal helps you track:

• What was done
• When it was done
• Who did it
• Any notes or observations

This becomes essential during inspections — and protects you in case of disputes with landlords, insurers, or regulators.

Automate Your Reminders

Use your POS, task manager, or even a Google Calendar to trigger cleaning reminders. Some hood cleaning companies (like Boh) can automate these notifications for you and schedule services proactively.

Automation = one less thing to worry about during service rush.

Combine Hood Cleaning with Other Maintenance

Whenever possible, group your hood cleaning with other recurring maintenance tasks, such as:

• Fire suppression system inspections
• Grease trap servicing
• Preventive checks on hot line equipment

This approach minimizes kitchen downtime, simplifies scheduling, and ensures that nothing falls through the cracks.

👉 Some maintenance partners — like Boh — are able to coordinate these services for you, helping you build a consolidated calendar and avoid missed inspections. Even if you manage it internally, aligning tasks saves time and keeps your back-of-house operations more efficient.

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Knowing how often to clean your commercial kitchen hood is step one. But building the habits, systems, and reminders to actually do it — that’s what keeps your kitchen safe and your team inspection-ready all year long.

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Conclusion

So—how often do commercial kitchen hoods need to be cleaned?

There’s no single answer. But here’s what’s certain: waiting until it “looks dirty” is a recipe for risk.

From grease buildup and poor airflow to serious fire hazards and failed inspections, neglecting hood maintenance can cost your restaurant far more than the price of a regular cleaning.

By following the guidelines outlined in this article — based on NFPA 96 standards, kitchen type, and real-world signals — you can:

• Stay compliant with health and fire codes
• Improve air quality and kitchen comfort
• Avoid costly emergencies and shutdowns
• Protect your staff, your guests, and your business

Whether you’re managing a fast-paced grill or a seasonal bistro, build a cleaning plan that fits your reality — and stick to it. And when in doubt, bring in a certified professional.

Because in a commercial kitchen, safety isn’t optional — it’s scheduled.

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FAQ

How often should restaurant hoods be cleaned?

Depends on cooking volume:

• Heavy use (grill, fryers): every month
• Moderate use: every 2–3 months
• Light use: every 6–12 months
  Always follow NFPA 96 and local codes.

What happens if I skip a scheduled hood cleaning?

Grease builds up fast — leading to fire risk, failed inspections, poor ventilation, and possible insurance issues.

Does my insurance require certified hood cleaning?

Yes. Most insurers require proof of NFPA-compliant cleanings done by certified pros.

Can my staff clean the hood system?

They can clean filters.
But ducts, fans, and full systems must be cleaned by licensed professionals.