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Kitchen extraction cleaning - hiring
Hiring a duct cleaner sight-unseen, on price alone, is how kitchens end up with a partial clean and a fire risk left in the ductwork. A few pointed questions, asked before you hire, separate the cleaners who do the whole job properly from those who don't. Here are the questions to ask before hiring a duct cleaner. This is general commentary on hiring a cleaner.
The short answer
Hiring a duct cleaner is a decision that determines whether your fire risk is actually controlled - and because much of the work is hidden, you can't easily tell a good cleaner from a bad one after the fact. So the time to distinguish them is before you hire, by asking the right questions. Here are the questions to ask, and what good answers look like. This is general commentary. Why questions matter before hiring. A poor duct cleaner can leave the real fire risk in your hidden ductwork and fan while charging you for a 'clean' - and you may not know (the visible canopy looks clean). So you can't rely on judging the result; you have to judge the cleaner before hiring. A few pointed questions do this - they reveal whether the cleaner does the whole job properly (and can prove it) or cuts corners. So asking the right questions before hiring is how you avoid the poor cleaner. The questions to ask. 1. Do you clean the whole system? Ask whether they clean the entire extraction - the canopy, the filters, the ductwork throughout (reached via access panels), and the extract fan - not just the easy, visible parts. Good answer: yes, the whole system, including the hidden ductwork and fan (where the fire risk is). A cleaner who's vague, or only mentions the canopy and filters, is a warning sign. 2. Do you clean to the TR19 Grease standard? Ask if they clean to TR19 Grease - the recognised standard for kitchen extraction cleaning. Good answer: yes, to TR19 Grease, and they can explain what it means. A vague 'we'll clean it' isn't the same. 3. What proof do you provide? Ask what evidence they give of the clean. Good answer: before-and-after photographs (especially of the hidden ductwork and fan), a report, and a certificate to TR19 Grease - so you can verify the whole system was done. A cleaner who can't or won't provide proof is a red flag. 4. Are you insured and accredited? Ask about their insurance (proper public liability) and accreditation (recognised industry accreditation). Good answer: yes, and they can show it. These are marks of a legitimate, competent operator. 5. Will you survey my system before quoting? Ask if they'll see or survey the system before quoting. Good answer: yes - a proper cleaner wants to see the system to quote accurately (rather than quoting blind, which is a guess). 6. How will you set the cleaning frequency? Ask how they'd determine how often to clean. Good answer: matched to your cooking (the risk-based approach, per TR19 Grease), based on your actual system and cooking - not a blanket assumption or an oversell. Hire on the answers. The answers to these questions separate the cleaner who does the whole job to standard and proves it (the right hire - even if not the cheapest) from one who does a cheap partial clean and can't prove it. So ask these questions before hiring, listen to the answers, and hire on them - a cleaner who answers well (whole system, to standard, with proof, insured and accredited, surveys first, risk-based frequency) is the one to trust with your fire risk, not simply whoever's cheapest. So ask the right questions and hire on the answers. This is general commentary on hiring a cleaner.
Key points
Ask before, not after
The reason to ask questions before hiring a duct cleaner is that you can't easily judge the clean afterwards - much of it is hidden, so you have to judge the cleaner up front. A poor duct cleaner can clean the visible canopy and filters while skimping or skipping the hidden ductwork and fan - leaving the real fire risk untouched, while charging you for a 'clean' - and you may not realise (the visible parts look clean). So relying on judging the result is unreliable: a bad clean can pass at a glance.
So the time to distinguish a good cleaner from a bad one is before you hire, by asking the right questions. A few pointed questions reveal whether the cleaner does the whole job properly (and can prove it) or cuts corners - things you can establish upfront, before committing. So asking the right questions before hiring is your main protection against the poor cleaner who'd leave a hidden fire risk. It lets you hire on the substance (do they do the whole job to standard and prove it?) rather than on price alone (which tells you nothing about the quality). So ask before, not after - you can't judge a hidden clean afterwards, so judge the cleaner first. The following sections give the questions. So judge the cleaner before hiring, by asking. This is general commentary.
The whole system, to standard
The first and most important questions are about the substance of the clean: do they clean the whole system, and to the recognised standard? Do you clean the whole system? Ask whether they clean the entire extraction - the canopy, the filters, the ductwork throughout (reached via access panels), and the extract fan - not just the easy, visible parts. The good answer is a clear yes: the whole system, including the hidden ductwork and fan (where the real fire risk lies). A cleaner who's vague about this, or only talks about the canopy and filters, is a warning sign that they may do a partial clean.
Do you clean to the TR19 Grease standard? Ask if they clean to TR19 Grease - the recognised standard for kitchen extraction cleaning (defining the required cleanliness and the whole-system approach). The good answer is yes, to TR19 Grease, and they can explain what that means. A vague 'we'll give it a clean' isn't the same as cleaning to a recognised, benchmarked standard. These two questions - the whole system, to TR19 Grease - get at the heart of whether the cleaner does a proper clean or a token one. A cleaner who confidently confirms both is doing the substance right; one who's evasive or vague is a concern. So the whole system, to standard - do you clean it all, to TR19 Grease? - are the first questions to ask. So ask if they clean the whole system to standard. This is general commentary.
Proof and credentials
The next questions are about proof and credentials - can they evidence the clean, and are they a legitimate, competent operator? What proof do you provide? Ask what evidence they give of the clean. The good answer is before-and-after photographs (especially of the hidden ductwork and fan - proving those were done), a report (of what was cleaned), and a certificate to TR19 Grease (the formal proof of the standard) - so you can verify the whole system was actually done and have the records for your fire risk assessment and insurer. A cleaner who can't or won't provide this proof is a red flag (it suggests they may not do the whole job, or can't stand behind it).
Are you insured and accredited? Ask about their insurance (proper public liability insurance, covering any damage or incident) and accreditation (recognised industry accreditation - a mark of working to proper standards and competence). The good answer is yes, and they can show evidence of both. These credentials mark a legitimate, competent operator (as covered in checking a contractor's insurance and accreditation) - and their absence is a warning. So proof and credentials - what do you provide, and are you insured? - are the questions that check the cleaner can evidence their work and is a proper operator to trust. So ask about their proof, insurance and accreditation. This is general commentary.
Survey and frequency
Two further questions check the cleaner's approach - do they quote properly, and how would they set the cleaning frequency? Will you survey my system before quoting? Ask if they'll see or survey your system before giving a quote. The good answer is yes - a proper cleaner wants to see the system (its size, ductwork, access, grease loading) to quote accurately, rather than quoting blind (which is a guess that can lead to a wrong price or hidden extras). A willingness to survey is a sign of a proper, honest approach (as covered in why cleaners need to see your duct); a cleaner quoting blind, or reluctant to look, is less reliable.
How will you set the cleaning frequency? Ask how they'd determine how often to clean your extraction. The good answer is matched to your cooking - the risk-based approach (per TR19 Grease), based on your actual system and cooking volume and type (which drive the grease loading) - not a blanket assumption or an oversell (recommending more frequent cleaning than needed to sell more visits, or too infrequent leaving a risk). A cleaner who explains a risk-based, cooking-matched frequency is approaching it properly. So survey and frequency - will you see it first, and how often? - check that the cleaner quotes properly and sets the frequency sensibly. Together with the substance and credentials questions, these round out what to ask. So ask about surveying and the frequency approach. This is general commentary.
Hire on the answers
So the questions to ask before hiring a duct cleaner - do you clean the whole system? to TR19 Grease? with what proof? insured and accredited? will you survey first? how do you set the frequency? - reveal whether the cleaner does the whole job properly, and the answers are what to hire on, not the cheapest price. So hire on the answers - the substance, not the cheapest price.
A cleaner who answers these well - yes to the whole system, to TR19 Grease, with before-and-after photographs and a certificate, properly insured and accredited, wanting to survey first, and setting a risk-based frequency - is a cleaner doing the substance right, one you can trust with your fire risk. A cleaner who's vague, evasive, can't provide proof, lacks the credentials, or quotes blind is a warning - however cheap. So the answers separate the right hire from the wrong one far better than the price does. This is why asking the questions matters: it lets you hire on the substance (the whole job, to standard, proven, by a proper operator) rather than on a cheap headline that could hide a partial clean. So ask the questions, listen to the answers, and hire the cleaner who does the whole job properly - not simply whoever's cheapest. So hire on the answers - the substance, not the price. This is general commentary on hiring a cleaner.
Questions
Ask whether they clean the whole system, to TR19 Grease, with what proof (photos, report, certificate), whether they're insured and accredited, whether they'll survey first, and how they set the cleaning frequency. Six key questions reveal whether a cleaner does the whole job properly: (1) Do you clean the whole system? - canopy, filters, ductwork and fan, not just the visible parts; (2) Do you clean to the TR19 Grease standard? - the recognised benchmark; (3) What proof do you provide? - before-and-after photographs of the hidden parts, a report, and a certificate; (4) Are you insured and accredited? - proper public liability and recognised accreditation; (5) Will you survey my system before quoting? - a proper cleaner wants to see it; and (6) How will you set the cleaning frequency? - matched to your cooking (risk-based). The answers separate a proper cleaner from one who cuts corners. So ask these, and hire on the answers, not the price. So those six questions. This is general commentary.
Because price tells you nothing about the quality of a hidden clean - a cheap cleaner may leave the fire risk in your ductwork; the questions reveal whether they do the whole job properly, which price doesn't. Much of a duct clean is hidden (the ductwork and fan), so you can't easily judge the result - a poor cleaner can leave the real fire risk while the visible canopy looks clean. So comparing on price alone is dangerous: the cheapest might be a partial clean that leaves the fire risk (no bargain). The questions instead reveal the substance - whether the cleaner does the whole system, to standard, with proof, as a proper operator - which is what actually matters and what price can't tell you. So asking the questions lets you hire on the quality and thoroughness of the clean, not just the headline price. Compare the answers (do they do the whole job properly?), then weigh price among proper offers. So ask questions because price doesn't reveal the quality. So because price hides the quality. This is general commentary.
That they provide before-and-after photographs of the hidden ductwork and fan, a report of what was cleaned, and a certificate to TR19 Grease - so you can verify the whole system was done. When you ask what proof a cleaner provides, a good answer confirms they give: before-and-after photographs showing the system - especially the hidden ductwork and fan - before and after cleaning (proving those hidden, important parts were actually done); a report describing what was cleaned (the whole system); and a certificate to the TR19 Grease standard (the formal proof of the standard). This lets you verify the whole system was cleaned and gives you the records for your fire risk assessment and insurer. A cleaner who can't or won't provide this proof (especially the before-and-after photographs of the hidden parts) is a red flag - it suggests they may not do the whole job or can't stand behind it. So a good answer is full documentation, especially photos of the hidden parts. So photos, report and certificate. This is general commentary.
Yes - a proper cleaner wants to survey or see your system before quoting, so the quote is accurate for your actual system; a cleaner quoting blind, or reluctant to look, is less reliable. An accurate extraction cleaning quote depends on your specific system (its size, ductwork, access, grease loading, fan location), so a proper cleaner wants to see or survey it before quoting - rather than quoting blind (a guess that can lead to a wrong price or hidden extras). So when you ask 'will you survey my system before quoting?', a good answer is yes - it's a sign of a proper, honest approach. A cleaner who'll quote sight-unseen, or is reluctant to come and look, is less reliable (their quote is a guess, and it may signal a less thorough operator). So the willingness to survey first is a positive sign to look for. It also gets you a more accurate quote. So yes - a proper cleaner surveys before quoting. So yes - they should want to see it. This is general commentary.
Matched to your cooking - the risk-based approach (per TR19 Grease), based on your actual system and cooking volume and type - not a blanket assumption or an oversell. When you ask how a cleaner would set your cleaning frequency, a good answer is that it's matched to your cooking: the risk-based approach (per TR19 Grease), where the frequency is set by how fast your kitchen loads the extraction with grease (driven by your cooking volume and type), based on your actual system - so heavy, greasy cooking is cleaned more often than light cooking. This is the proper, standards-based way to set the frequency. Watch out for the opposite: a blanket assumption (the same interval regardless of your cooking), or an oversell (recommending more frequent cleaning than needed to sell more visits), or too-infrequent cleaning (leaving a fire risk). So a cleaner who explains a risk-based, cooking-matched frequency is approaching it properly. So a good answer is a risk-based frequency matched to your cooking. So matched to your cooking, risk-based. This is general commentary.
Treat it as a warning - a cleaner who's vague about the whole system or standard, can't provide proof, lacks insurance or accreditation, or quotes blind may do a partial, sub-standard clean; consider a cleaner who answers well instead. The questions are designed to reveal whether a cleaner does the whole job properly - so poor answers are informative. A cleaner who's vague about cleaning the whole system or to TR19 Grease, can't or won't provide before-and-after photographs and a certificate, lacks proper insurance or accreditation, won't survey your system, or sets the frequency by blanket assumption or oversell - is showing warning signs that they may do a partial, sub-standard clean (leaving your fire risk), or aren't a proper operator. So don't hire on a cheap price if the answers are poor - the risk is a clean that doesn't control the fire risk. Instead, use a cleaner who answers the questions well (whole system, to standard, with proof, insured and accredited, surveys first, risk-based frequency). So poor answers are a warning to look elsewhere. So treat poor answers as a red flag. This is general commentary.
Ask us the questions that matter - we clean the whole system to TR19 Grease, prove it with photographs, a report and a certificate, are properly insured and accredited, survey before quoting, and set a risk-based frequency. The answers a proper cleaner gives. Ask us before you hire. This is general commentary on hiring a cleaner.
