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Kitchen extraction cleaning - records
An extraction clean produces records - a certificate, a report, photographs - but what should you keep and have to hand between cleans? Holding the right records means you can prove your compliance at any moment, know when the next clean is due, and track the system. Here are the records to keep between extraction cleans. This is general commentary.
The short answer
Each extraction clean produces records - a certificate, a report, before-and-after photographs - but the value of those records is in keeping them and having them to hand between cleans, not just at the moment of the clean. So what records should you keep between extraction cleans, and why? The records to keep: (1) The certificate from the last clean. The certificate certifies that the last clean was done to the recognised standard (TR19 Grease) - your headline proof that the extraction is currently cleaned to standard. Keep it accessible - it is the document an inspector, insurer or fire risk assessor will want to see. (2) The report from the last clean. The report documents what was inspected and cleaned (the whole system), the areas covered, and the condition found - the detail behind the certificate. (3) The before-and-after photographs. The visual proof that the whole system, including the ductwork, was genuinely cleaned. Keep these with the report - they are strong evidence (especially for insurance). (4) The due date for the next clean. Record when the next clean is due (based on the interval for your cooking), so you know it and do not let it slip - ideally with a reminder. (5) The cleaning history/logbook. The running record of cleans over time (the certificates/reports building up), showing regular maintenance at appropriate intervals - important for demonstrating ongoing compliance (not just one clean). (6) Any interim records. Records of filter cleaning done in-house between professional cleans (if you clean the filters regularly yourself), and any interim inspections. Why keep them to hand: so that at any moment between cleans, you can prove your compliance (produce the certificate, report and photographs to an inspector, insurer or assessor), know your status (when the last clean was, when the next is due), and track the system. Holding these records organised and accessible (in a file, or on a compliance dashboard) means your extraction compliance is always demonstrable and on track between cleans - not just at the moment of cleaning. So the records to keep between extraction cleans are the certificate, report and photographs from the last clean, the next-clean due date, the cleaning history, and any interim records - held to hand. This is general commentary on extraction records.
Key points
Why records between cleans
The reason to keep records between extraction cleans is that your compliance is continuous - you need to be able to show it at any moment, not just at the moment of the clean - so the records have to be kept and held to hand throughout. An extraction clean happens periodically (every few months), but your fire-safety compliance (the duty to control the extraction fire risk) is continuous - it applies all the time, between cleans as well as at them. So at any moment - if an inspector visits, an insurer asks, a fire risk assessment is done - you may need to demonstrate that your extraction is cleaned and maintained to standard. That means having the records to hand between cleans, not just filing them and forgetting.
So the records from a clean are not just for the moment of the clean - they are your ongoing evidence of compliance, to be kept and produced whenever needed in the period until the next clean. If you cannot produce the records between cleans (they are lost, or scattered), you cannot demonstrate your compliance when asked - even though the clean was done. So keeping the right records, organised and accessible, between cleans is what lets you prove your continuous compliance at any moment. This is the purpose: the records make your compliance demonstrable throughout, not just at the clean. The following sections cover which records to keep and why. So records between cleans matter because compliance is continuous, not just at the clean. So compliance is continuous, so keep the records. This is general commentary.
The proof from the last clean
The core records to keep between cleans are the proof from the last clean: the certificate, the report, and the before-and-after photographs. The certificate: the certificate from the last clean certifies that it was done to the recognised standard (TR19 Grease) - your headline proof that the extraction is currently cleaned to standard. It is the key document an inspector, insurer or fire risk assessor will want, so keep it accessible. The report: the report documents what was inspected and cleaned (the whole system - canopy, filters, ductwork, fan), the areas covered, and the condition found - the detail behind the certificate, showing the scope and quality of the clean. Keep it with the certificate.
The before-and-after photographs: the photographs of the ductwork internals (grease-laden before, clean after) are the visual proof that the whole system, including the hidden ductwork, was genuinely cleaned - strong evidence, especially for insurance (a loss adjuster values them). Keep them with the report. Together, the certificate (cleaned to standard), the report (what was cleaned and found), and the photographs (visual proof) are the complete proof of the last clean - and keeping all three to hand between cleans means you can fully demonstrate that your last clean was proper and to standard, at any moment. So the proof from the last clean - certificate, report and photographs - is the core records to keep. These are what evidence your current compliance between cleans. So certificate, report and photographs are the proof to keep. This is general commentary.
Tracking the next clean
As well as the proof of the last clean, keep a record of when the next clean is due - so you know it and do not let it slip. Extraction cleaning is periodic, at an interval matched to your cooking (the frequency to keep the fire risk controlled) - so between cleans, you need to know when the next one is due, to arrange it in time. So record the next-clean due date (calculated from the last clean and the interval), and track it - ideally with a reminder (as covered in automating planned-maintenance reminders), so it prompts you when due.
This matters because the compliance is only maintained if the cleaning keeps happening at the right intervals - and extraction cleaning is exactly the kind of periodic, out-of-sight task that slips if not tracked (the grease builds up unseen, so nothing prompts you). So holding the next-clean due date in your records (and being reminded) is what keeps the cleaning on schedule - so the fire risk stays controlled and the compliance continuous, rather than the clean being forgotten until badly overdue. So tracking the next clean - holding the due date so it doesn't slip - is a key record to keep between cleans: it turns the records from just proof of the past into a live tracking of the ongoing maintenance. So keep the next-clean due date, and track it, so the cleaning doesn't slip. So the due date, so it doesn't slip, is a key record. This is general commentary.
History and interim records
Two more things to keep between cleans are the cleaning history (the record of cleans over time) and any interim records (in-house filter cleaning, inspections). The cleaning history/logbook: as cleans accumulate, keep the running record of them - the certificates and reports building up over time - showing that the extraction has been cleaned regularly, at appropriate intervals, not just once. This ongoing history is important for demonstrating sustained compliance: it shows a pattern of proper maintenance over time (which an inspector, insurer or assessor wants to see - regular cleaning, not a one-off). So the history is more than the last clean - it is the record of ongoing maintenance.
Interim records: between professional cleans, there may be interim maintenance to record - notably, if you (or your staff) clean the grease filters regularly in-house (as is often done between the professional whole-system cleans), keeping a record of that filter cleaning shows the ongoing day-to-day maintenance; and any interim inspections of the system. These interim records support the picture of continuous maintenance between the professional cleans. So keeping the cleaning history (the accumulating record of professional cleans) and any interim records (in-house filter cleaning, inspections) completes the between-cleans records - showing not just the last clean but the ongoing, continuous maintenance of the system. So history and interim records are the ongoing record to keep. So the ongoing record is the history and interim records. This is general commentary.
Held to hand
So the records to keep between extraction cleans are: the certificate, report and before-and-after photographs from the last clean (the proof it was cleaned to standard), the due date for the next clean (so it doesn't slip), the cleaning history/logbook (the record of ongoing regular cleaning), and any interim records (in-house filter cleaning, inspections) - all held to hand, organised and accessible. Holding these between cleans means your extraction compliance is always demonstrable and on track - you can prove it at any moment, know your status, and track the system. So keep the records to hand for demonstrable compliance, always.
This connects to the broader value of extraction cleaning records (as covered in why the report and logbook are worth the fee). The records a clean produces are only fully valuable if kept and held between cleans - because that is when you need to demonstrate compliance (an inspection, an insurer's query, a fire risk assessment can happen at any time), know when the next clean is due, and track the system. So the discipline of keeping the records - the last clean's certificate, report and photographs, the next-clean due date, the history, and interim records - organised and accessible (in a file, or on a compliance dashboard) is what makes your extraction compliance continuously demonstrable and on track, rather than only evidenced at the moment of the clean. A good extraction cleaner provides these records with each clean; keeping them properly between cleans is your part - and it is what lets you always show your compliance and stay on schedule. So hold the records to hand for demonstrable, on-track compliance between cleans. This is general commentary on extraction records.
Questions
The certificate, report and before-and-after photographs from the last clean, the due date for the next clean, your cleaning history/logbook, and any interim records. The certificate certifies the last clean was to the recognised standard (TR19 Grease) - your headline proof of current compliance. The report documents what was inspected and cleaned (the whole system) and the condition found. The before-and-after photographs are the visual proof the whole system, including the ductwork, was cleaned. The next-clean due date lets you know when the next clean is due so it does not slip. The cleaning history/logbook is the running record of cleans over time, showing regular maintenance. And any interim records (in-house filter cleaning between professional cleans, any inspections) show the ongoing day-to-day maintenance. Keeping these to hand between cleans means you can prove your compliance at any moment, know when the next clean is due, and track the system. So keep the last clean's certificate, report and photographs, the next-clean due date, the history, and interim records. This is general commentary.
Because your compliance is continuous - you may need to demonstrate it at any moment, not just when the clean happens. An extraction clean is periodic, but your fire-safety compliance (the duty to control the extraction fire risk) applies all the time, between cleans too. So at any moment - an inspector visits, an insurer asks, a fire risk assessment is done - you may need to show that your extraction is cleaned and maintained to standard, which means having the records to hand between cleans. If you cannot produce them between cleans (lost or scattered), you cannot demonstrate your compliance when asked, even though the clean was done. So the records from a clean are your ongoing evidence of compliance, to be kept and produced whenever needed until the next clean - not just filed and forgotten. Keeping them organised and accessible between cleans is what lets you prove your continuous compliance at any moment. So keep them between cleans because compliance is continuous and can be checked at any time. This is general commentary.
The certificate from the last clean - it certifies the extraction was cleaned to the recognised standard (TR19 Grease), so it is the headline proof. The certificate is the formal confirmation that the last clean met the standard, so it is the key document an inspector, insurer or fire risk assessor will want to see as proof that your extraction is currently cleaned to standard. But the certificate is best kept with its supporting records: the report (documenting what was cleaned and the condition found - the detail behind the certificate) and the before-and-after photographs (the visual proof the whole system, including the ductwork, was genuinely cleaned). Together, the certificate (cleaned to standard), report (what was cleaned) and photographs (visual proof) are the complete proof of the last clean. The certificate is the headline, but the full proof is all three. So the certificate is the key proof, supported by the report and photographs. Keep them together and accessible. So the certificate is the headline proof, with the report and photographs supporting it. This is general commentary.
Record the next-clean due date and track it, ideally with a reminder - so you are prompted when it is due. Extraction cleaning is periodic (at an interval matched to your cooking), and it is exactly the kind of out-of-sight task that slips if not tracked (the grease builds up unseen, so nothing prompts you). So to make sure it does not get forgotten, record when the next clean is due (calculated from the last clean and the interval), keep that due date in your records, and track it - ideally with a reminder (a calendar reminder, a maintenance app, or your cleaner's scheduling) that prompts you when it is due. This turns the records from just proof of the past into a live tracking of the ongoing maintenance, keeping the cleaning on schedule so the fire risk stays controlled and the compliance continuous. Many cleaners will also track your due date and prompt you. So hold the next-clean due date in your records and track it with a reminder, so it does not slip. So record and track the due date with a reminder. This is general commentary.
Yes - if you clean the grease filters in-house between professional cleans (as is often done), keeping a record of that shows your ongoing day-to-day maintenance. Between the periodic professional whole-system cleans, the grease filters are often cleaned regularly in-house (by the kitchen staff), because they load up faster and need frequent cleaning. Keeping a record of this interim filter cleaning (when it was done) demonstrates the ongoing, day-to-day maintenance of the extraction between the professional cleans - supporting the picture of continuous maintenance. Along with any interim inspections, these interim records complement the professional cleaning records (certificates, reports, photographs), showing that the system is maintained not just at the periodic professional cleans but continuously. So yes - keeping records of in-house filter cleaning (and any interim inspections) is worth doing, as part of showing the ongoing maintenance of the extraction between professional cleans. So yes - record in-house filter cleaning as part of the ongoing maintenance record. This is general commentary.
Somewhere organised and accessible - a dedicated file, or a compliance dashboard - so you can produce them at any moment. The value of the records depends on being able to find and produce them when needed (an inspection, an insurer's query, a fire risk assessment can happen at any time), so they should be kept organised and accessible, not lost in a drawer or scattered. Options: a dedicated extraction (or fire-safety) records file (physical or digital) holding the certificates, reports, photographs, due dates, history and interim records together; or a compliance dashboard/system (which holds the records, tracks the due dates, and reminds you - keeping the extraction records alongside your other compliance). The key is that the records are together, current, and readily producible - so that at any moment you can demonstrate your extraction compliance, know your status, and track the system. Keeping them accessible is your part (the cleaner provides the records; you keep them properly). So keep the extraction records organised and accessible, in a file or on a compliance dashboard. So keep them somewhere organised and producible. This is general commentary.
We provide the records each clean produces - the certificate, report and before-and-after photographs - and can track your next-clean due date. Keeping them to hand between cleans means your extraction compliance is always demonstrable and on schedule. Ask us about the records and scheduling that come with a proper clean.
