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Kitchen extraction cleaning - design for cleaning
A kitchen that's hard to clean stays dirtier, costs more to clean, and hides problems - while one designed for easy cleaning stays hygienic with less effort. Cleanability comes from design: the surfaces, the layout, and - crucially for fire safety - an extraction that can actually be reached and cleaned. Here is how to design a kitchen for easy cleaning, extraction included. This is general information; design is for competent designers.
The short answer
Cleaning is a constant, costly task in a commercial kitchen - and how easy or hard it is depends heavily on the design. A kitchen designed for easy cleaning stays hygienic with far less effort; one that isn't becomes a struggle, stays dirtier, and hides problems where they can't be cleaned. Here is how to design for cleanability. This is general information; the design is for competent designers. Cleanable surfaces and finishes. The materials matter: surfaces and finishes throughout the kitchen should be cleanable - smooth, impervious (non-porous), durable materials that wipe down easily and withstand repeated cleaning (stainless steel, suitable wall and floor finishes). Joints should be sealed and corners coved (curved) rather than sharp - so there are no cracks or right-angled corners to trap dirt and grease. Cleanable materials, well-detailed, are the first foundation of an easy-to-clean kitchen. An accessible layout. Just as important is that you can reach everywhere to clean it. The layout, and how equipment and fittings are positioned and mounted, should leave no inaccessible gaps and corners: equipment either sealed to the wall/floor or with enough space to clean around, under and behind it (not a narrow gap that traps grease and dirt unreachably); fittings mounted for cleaning access. So the kitchen should be laid out so every part can be reached and cleaned - because gaps and corners that can't be cleaned become hidden reservoirs of dirt, grease and pests (as covered in the pest-risk-behind-clean-looking-equipment page). Sensible drainage. Floors and wash areas should drain and clean easily - proper falls to drains, cleanable floor finishes and drainage - so the wet cleaning of floors is easy and water doesn't pool. The extraction: the fire-safety-critical part. Crucially for fire safety, the kitchen extraction must be designed to be cleanable - because it accumulates grease and must be cleaned regularly (to TR19 Grease) for as long as the kitchen operates. That means designing in: adequate access panels throughout the ductwork (so the whole duct can be reached and cleaned - no hidden, unreachable stretches); a fan that can be safely reached and serviced; and sensible duct routing (avoiding needlessly convoluted or inaccessible runs). An extraction that can't be properly cleaned isn't just hard work - it's a standing fire risk (grease building up uncleaned where it can't be reached). So the cleanability of the extraction is a fire-safety matter, not just convenience. Why it's worth it. A kitchen designed for easy cleaning is quicker and cheaper to keep clean (less labour, less time), stays more hygienic (nothing hiding uncleaned), and doesn't harbour fire or hygiene risks in unreachable places. Retrofitting cleanability into a kitchen that wasn't designed for it is difficult and imperfect - so it's far better designed in. So design a kitchen for easy cleaning with cleanable surfaces, an accessible layout, good drainage and, crucially, a cleanable extraction - so cleaning is easy and nothing dangerous hides where it can't be reached. So design cleanability in, extraction included. This is general information; design is for competent designers.
Key points
Why design for cleaning
The case for designing a kitchen for easy cleaning is that cleanability, built into the design, saves effort and prevents problems hiding - whereas a hard-to-clean kitchen is a constant struggle that stays dirtier and conceals risks. Cleaning is a large, constant task in a commercial kitchen (daily, for hygiene and fire safety), so how easy the kitchen is to clean has a big ongoing impact: an easy-to-clean kitchen is kept clean with less time and labour and stays hygienic; a hard-to-clean one takes more effort, tends to be cleaned less thoroughly, and stays dirtier.
Worse, a hard-to-clean kitchen hides problems: the places that can't easily be cleaned (inaccessible gaps and corners, unreachable ductwork) become reservoirs of dirt, grease and pests, building up unseen - a hygiene risk (contamination, pests) and, in the extraction, a fire risk (grease). So cleanability isn't just about convenience; it's about the kitchen staying genuinely hygienic and safe, with nothing dangerous accumulating where it can't be reached. This is why designing for cleaning matters - and why it should be built in, since it's far harder to add later. So why design for cleaning: cleanability saves effort and hides nothing. The following sections cover how - surfaces, layout, drainage, and the extraction. So cleanability saves effort and hides nothing. This is general information.
Cleanable surfaces and layout
Two foundations of an easy-to-clean kitchen are cleanable surfaces and an accessible layout. Cleanable surfaces and finishes: use smooth, impervious (non-porous), durable materials that wipe down easily and withstand repeated cleaning - stainless steel for equipment and surfaces, suitable hygienic wall and floor finishes. Detail them well: seal joints, and cove (curve) corners rather than leaving sharp right angles - so there are no cracks or angled corners to trap dirt and grease. Cleanable, well-detailed materials mean surfaces that actually come clean easily and don't harbour grime.
An accessible layout: design the layout and mount the equipment and fittings so you can reach everywhere to clean it. Equipment should either be sealed to the wall or floor (so there's no gap) or set with enough space to clean around, under and behind it - not left with a narrow gap that traps grease and dirt where you can't reach. Fittings should be mounted for cleaning access. The aim is no inaccessible gaps and corners - because those become hidden reservoirs of dirt, grease and pests (as covered in the pest-risk-behind-equipment page). So cleanable surfaces (that come clean) and an accessible layout (that you can reach) are the physical foundations of easy cleaning. So cleanable surfaces and layout - smooth finishes, no inaccessible corners. So smooth finishes and an accessible layout. This is general information.
The extraction must be cleanable
The most fire-safety-critical part of designing a kitchen for easy cleaning is ensuring the extraction can be cleaned - because it accumulates grease and must be cleaned regularly, for as long as the kitchen operates. The extraction is not optional to clean: grease builds up in it continuously, and it must be cleaned to the TR19 Grease standard at a frequency matched to the cooking, to control the fire risk. So the design must make that cleaning possible and practical. That means designing in: adequate access panels throughout the ductwork - so the whole duct can be reached and cleaned, with no hidden, unreachable stretches; a fan that can be safely reached and serviced (not buried in an inaccessible or dangerous spot); and sensible duct routing (avoiding needlessly convoluted or inaccessible runs that are hard to clean).
The stakes here are higher than convenience: an extraction that can't be properly cleaned isn't just hard work - it's a standing fire risk, because grease builds up uncleaned in the parts that can't be reached (exactly where a fire would spread). So the cleanability of the extraction is a fire-safety matter. This is why designing the extraction to be cleanable (as covered in briefing a ventilation designer and designing for maintenance access) is an essential part of designing a kitchen for easy cleaning - arguably the most important part, given the fire risk. So the extraction must be cleanable - access panels and a reachable fan, designed in. So the extraction must be designed to be cleanable. This is general information; the design is for a competent designer.
Drainage and the details
Beyond surfaces, layout and the extraction, the details finish off an easy-to-clean kitchen - notably the drainage and the small design choices that make cleaning practical. Drainage: floors and wash areas should be designed to drain and clean easily - proper falls (slopes) to drains, cleanable floor finishes, and adequate drainage (channels or gullies where needed) - so that wet cleaning of floors is easy and water doesn't pool (pooling water is a hygiene and slip problem). Good drainage makes floor cleaning quick and effective.
Other details help too: sufficient hand-wash and cleaning facilities positioned where needed; equipment on wheels where practical (so it can be moved for cleaning behind); splashbacks and surfaces that contain and shed soiling; and generally, thinking through how each area will be cleaned and designing to make that easy. These finishing touches, added to cleanable surfaces, an accessible layout and a cleanable extraction, complete a kitchen that's genuinely easy to keep clean. So drainage and the details - the finishing touches to easy cleaning - round out the design for cleanability. Attention to how the kitchen will actually be cleaned, in every part, is what makes cleaning easy rather than a fight. So drainage and details finish the easy-clean design. This is general information.
Designed in, not retrofitted
So designing a kitchen for easy cleaning means building cleanability into the design - cleanable surfaces, an accessible layout, good drainage, and a cleanable extraction - so the kitchen stays hygienic and safe with less effort, and nothing dangerous hides where it can't be reached. It's far better to design this in than to try to add it later. So designed in, not retrofitted - easy cleaning built into the kitchen.
The reason to design cleanability in from the start is that retrofitting it is difficult and imperfect: you can't easily change surfaces, re-lay out equipment, or (for the extraction) add proper access after the fact - and the attempts are usually compromises (retrofitted access panels more limited, awkward gaps left, poor drainage lived with). Whereas designing for cleaning from the start gets it right - a kitchen that comes clean easily throughout, including the fire-safety-critical extraction. So make cleanability a design requirement (as part of a ground-up design, and in briefing your designers - covered in briefing a ventilation designer): cleanable surfaces and finishes, an accessible layout, good drainage, and above all a cleanable extraction. The payoff is a kitchen that's quicker and cheaper to keep clean, more hygienic, and safer (no hidden grease or dirt) - for its whole life. So design easy cleaning in, extraction included - built into the kitchen, not retrofitted. So easy cleaning built into the kitchen. This is general information; design is for competent designers.
Questions
Build cleanability in: use cleanable surfaces and finishes, lay it out with no inaccessible corners, provide good drainage, and design the extraction to be cleanable (access panels, a reachable fan). Designing for easy cleaning covers the whole kitchen. Use smooth, impervious, durable surfaces and finishes that wipe down easily, with sealed joints and coved corners (no dirt traps). Lay out and mount equipment so you can clean around, under and behind it - no inaccessible gaps and corners where grease and dirt build up unseen. Provide sensible drainage (falls to drains, cleanable floors) so wet cleaning is easy. And crucially, design the extraction to be cleanable - adequate access panels throughout the ductwork, a fan that can be safely reached, sensible routing - so it can be cleaned to TR19 Grease with no unreachable, grease-laden stretches. So design cleanability into the surfaces, layout, drainage and extraction. So build cleanability into every part. This is general information; design is for competent designers.
Because it accumulates grease and must be cleaned regularly for fire safety - so it needs access panels, a reachable fan and sensible routing; an extraction that can't be cleaned is a standing fire risk. The extraction isn't optional to clean: grease builds up in it continuously and must be removed (to the TR19 Grease standard, at a frequency matched to the cooking) to control the fire risk, for as long as the kitchen operates. So the design must make that cleaning possible: adequate access panels throughout the ductwork (so the whole duct can be reached - no hidden stretches), a fan that can be safely reached and serviced, and sensible routing. An extraction that can't be properly cleaned isn't just inconvenient - it's dangerous, because grease builds up uncleaned where it can't be reached (a fire risk). So designing the extraction to be cleanable is a fire-safety matter, and an essential part of designing a kitchen for easy cleaning. So it needs designing for cleaning because uncleaned grease is a fire risk. So because uncleanable extraction is a fire risk. This is general information.
Porous or poorly-detailed surfaces, inaccessible gaps and corners, poor drainage, and an extraction that can't be reached - all of which trap dirt and grease where they can't easily be removed. A kitchen is hard to clean when the design works against cleaning: rough, porous or cracked surfaces and sharp corners that trap and hold grime; equipment and fittings with narrow inaccessible gaps around, under or behind them (grease and dirt build up unreachably); poor drainage (water pools, floors are hard to clean); and an extraction with inadequate access (unreachable, uncleanable ductwork). These faults create places that can't easily be cleaned - which stay dirty, harbour pests, and (in the extraction) build up a fire risk. The remedy is to design them out: cleanable surfaces, an accessible layout, good drainage, a cleanable extraction. So what makes a kitchen hard to clean is inaccessible, dirt-trapping design - avoidable by designing for cleanability. So porous surfaces, inaccessible corners and poor access. This is general information.
Somewhat - you can improve surfaces, seal gaps, add drainage and (for the extraction) retrofit access panels - but it's harder and less complete than designing cleanability in, so build it in for a new kitchen. An existing hard-to-clean kitchen isn't stuck - some improvements are possible: replacing or sealing poor surfaces, sealing or opening up inaccessible gaps, improving drainage, and (importantly for the extraction) retrofitting access panels to make the ductwork cleanable (as covered in the retrofitting-access-panels page). These help. But retrofitting cleanability is harder, costlier and less complete than designing it in from the start (you can't easily re-lay out equipment or fully change surfaces after the fact). So for an existing kitchen, make the improvements you can (especially extraction access); but for a new kitchen or refurbishment, design cleanability in from the start. So yes, partly - but designing it in is far better. So somewhat - but design it in when you can. This is general information.
It removes the inaccessible places where dirt, grease and pests build up unseen - so an easy-to-clean kitchen stays genuinely hygienic and doesn't harbour pests behind clean-looking fronts. Dirt, grease and pests thrive in places that can't be cleaned - the inaccessible gaps and corners, the unreachable ductwork - building up unseen behind a clean-looking kitchen (as covered in the pest-risk-behind-clean-looking-equipment page). A kitchen designed for easy cleaning removes these harbourage points: with an accessible layout (no inaccessible gaps), cleanable surfaces (nothing trapping grime) and a cleanable extraction (no grease-laden hidden ductwork), there's nowhere for dirt, grease and pests to accumulate unreached. So the kitchen stays genuinely hygienic (not just superficially clean) and doesn't harbour pests. So easy-to-clean design helps hygiene and pest control by removing the hidden reservoirs. So it removes where dirt and pests hide. This is general information.
Yes - it saves ongoing cleaning time and cost, keeps the kitchen hygienic and safe, and prevents hidden fire and hygiene risks; the design effort pays back over the kitchen's whole life. Cleaning is a constant, costly task, so a kitchen that's easy to clean saves labour and time every day, for its whole life - a large cumulative benefit. It also stays more hygienic (cleaned more thoroughly, nothing hiding) and safer (no grease building up uncleaned in the extraction - a fire risk, or dirt harbouring pests - a hygiene risk). And it avoids the difficulty and cost of trying to clean, or retrofit cleanability into, a kitchen that fights you. So the modest extra thought at design stage (cleanable surfaces, accessible layout, good drainage, a cleanable extraction) pays back many times over in easier cleaning, better hygiene and safety across the kitchen's life. So yes - designing for cleaning is well worth it. So yes - it pays back over the kitchen's life. This is general information.
An extraction designed to be cleanable - adequate access panels, a reachable fan, sensible routing - can be kept clean to TR19 Grease easily and thoroughly. We clean such systems fully, and a cleanable design is what makes that practical. Ask us about keeping your extraction clean, whatever its design. This is general information; design is for competent designers.
