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Duct cleaning - cost
There is no flat rate for cleaning kitchen ductwork, because no two systems are the same. The price tracks how much system there is to reach, clean and measure - here is what actually moves it.
The short answer
Kitchen duct cleaning is priced mainly on the extract system rather than the kitchen: the length of ductwork, the number of risers and extract points, access to the fan, how easy the runs are to reach, and how heavily greased the system is. Indicatively, small sites can sit in the high hundreds and large or multi-kitchen ones in the four figures and beyond - but only a survey turns a range into a firm price.
Why the system, not the kitchen
The cost of cleaning kitchen ductwork tracks the ductwork, not the size of the room. Two kitchens of the same footprint can sit behind very different extract systems - one a short run to a single roof fan, another a long run through ceiling voids and up multiple risers to more than one fan. The second is far more system to clean and measure, and costs accordingly.
So a price built on floor area or a flat rate would be wrong for most kitchens. A real quote is built up from the physical system - the runs, the risers, the extract points and the fan - because that is where the cleaning time actually goes.
Driver one
Access moves a kitchen duct price more than anything else. Ductwork that runs sealed through ceiling voids needs access panels cut and fitted before it can be reached, adding materials and time. High-level runs and roof fans mean working at height, with the equipment and safety that requires. And because a kitchen can usually only be cleaned when closed, out-of-hours work is normal and factored in.
None of this is padding - it is the real cost of reaching a live kitchen's concealed extract safely. But it is why the same length of ductwork can cost very differently depending on how hard it is to get to, and why access is the first thing a survey assesses.
Driver two
Condition matters alongside size and access. A system cleaned regularly needs a routine reset; one that has not been cleaned in years, or ever, holds hardened grease that takes longer to remove and measure back below the required level. So a first clean of a neglected kitchen is often the dearest, and cleans on a planned cycle settle to a steadier, lower figure.
This is also why a suspiciously cheap quote is worth questioning on a heavily greased system - it may simply be quoting for less work than the system needs, leaving grease in the parts it never reaches.
The ranges
To give a sense of scale: a small site such as a cafe or single-canopy kitchen can sit in the high hundreds, a mid-size restaurant in the four figures, and a large hotel or multi-kitchen system higher again, with location also playing a part. Those are broad indications, not prices - the same headline size can vary widely with access and condition.
Treat any figure without a survey as a starting range. The honest price comes from someone assessing the actual system - the runs, the access that exists and the access that needs fitting, and the grease condition - so the quote describes your kitchen rather than an average.
Judging value
Because a duct clean is about reaching and proving the whole system, the lowest quote can be the dearest outcome. A clean that skips the concealed runs or leaves no certificate costs less on the day but leaves the fire risk in place and gives your insurer nothing to rely on - often meaning a second, proper clean later.
The better test of value is completeness: the whole system reached and measured, access fitted where needed, and a certificate with readings. A slightly higher price for a clean that actually controls the risk and evidences it is usually the cheaper decision across the year.
Questions
It is priced mainly by the extract system - ductwork length, risers, extract points, fan access and grease condition. Indicatively, small sites sit in the high hundreds and large or multi-kitchen ones in the four figures and beyond. A survey gives a firm price.
Because the cost tracks the ductwork, not the room. Two kitchens the same size can have very different extract systems behind them, and it is the system that sets the cleaning time and price.
Sealed ductwork needs access panels cut and fitted, high-level runs and roof fans mean working at height, and a live kitchen usually has to be cleaned out of hours - all of which add time to reach the concealed extract safely.
Often. A neglected system holds hardened grease that takes longer to remove and measure, so a first clean is usually dearer than the cleans that follow on a planned cycle.
Because it may be quoting for less work - cleaning only the accessible parts and leaving the concealed runs and fan, where the grease and fire risk sit. Cheap can mean a partial clean, not a better deal.
With a survey. The drivers - length, access, height and grease condition - can only be assessed on site, so a firm figure comes from someone looking at your actual system, not an average.
We survey the extract system and quote against what is actually there - no averages, no surprises.
