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Extraction cleaning - cost
Extraction cleaning has no flat rate, because no two systems are the same. The price tracks the whole system - canopy to fan - and how hard it is to reach and how greasy it is. Here is what moves it.
The short answer
Kitchen extraction cleaning is priced on the whole extract system - the canopy and filters, the concealed ductwork and risers, the plenum and the extract fan - together with how hard it is to reach and how heavily greased it is. Indicatively, small single-canopy sites can sit in the high hundreds and large or multi-kitchen systems in the four figures and beyond, with location a factor. Only a survey turns a range into a firm price.
The whole system is the job
Extraction cleaning to standard covers the whole extract system, not just the visible canopy - the filters, the concealed horizontal ductwork, the vertical risers, the plenum and the extract fan. So the price reflects the size and complexity of that whole system, because all of it has to be reached, cleaned and measured. A quote based on just the canopy, or on the size of the kitchen, misses most of what the job actually is.
This is why two similar-looking kitchens can cost very differently to clean. Behind one might be a short duct run to a single fan; behind another a long run through voids and up multiple risers to more than one fan. It is the extract system, not the kitchen, that sets the work - and the quote is built up from the components of that system.
Driver one
Access moves an extraction cleaning price more than anything else. Ductwork sealed in ceiling voids needs access panels cut and fitted before it can be reached; 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. The same length of ductwork can cost very differently depending on how hard it is to reach safely.
This is why a survey assesses access first. A system with good existing access is quicker and cheaper to clean than one where panels have to be fitted and high-level runs reached - and where access is missing, fitting it is a one-off cost that every future clean then benefits from.
Driver two
Condition matters alongside size and access. A system cleaned regularly needs a routine reset; one neglected for years, or never cleaned, holds hardened grease that takes longer to remove and measure back below the required level. So a first clean of a heavily greased system is often the dearest, and cleans on a planned cycle settle to a lower, steadier figure.
It is also why a very cheap quote on a heavily-greased system is worth questioning - it may be pricing for less work than the system needs, leaving grease in the parts it does not reach. Condition is part of what an honest survey assesses, so the quote matches the state the system is actually in.
The ranges
As an indication of scale: a small single-canopy site such as a cafe or pub 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 - city-centre and London especially - adding a premium. These are broad ranges, not prices, and the same headline size varies widely with access and grease condition.
Treat any figure given without a survey as a starting range. A firm price comes from assessing the actual system - the runs, the risers, the fan, the access that exists and needs fitting, and the grease condition - so the quote describes your kitchen rather than an average one, and the certificate at the end covers what was measured.
Judging value
Because extraction cleaning 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 headline number alone is a poor guide.
The better test is completeness: the whole system reached and measured, access fitted where needed, and a certificate with grease readings. A slightly higher price for a clean that genuinely controls the fire risk and evidences it is usually the cheaper decision across the year - which is the real answer to what extraction cleaning should cost.
Questions
It is priced on the whole extract system - canopy, filters, ductwork, risers, plenum and fan - plus access and grease condition. Indicatively, small single-canopy sites sit in the high hundreds and large or multi-kitchen systems in the four figures and beyond. A survey gives a firm price.
Because the price tracks the extract system, not the kitchen, and no two systems are the same. Behind similar-looking kitchens can be very different runs, risers and fans, and it is the system that sets the work.
Sealed ductwork needs access panels fitted, high-level runs and roof fans mean working at height, and a live kitchen usually has to be cleaned out of hours - so the same ductwork can cost very differently depending on how hard it is to reach.
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.
On a heavily-greased system it may be pricing 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 - the whole system, access, height and grease condition - can only be assessed on site, so a firm figure comes from someone looking at your actual extract system, not an average.
We survey the whole extract system and quote against what is actually there - canopy to fan - then clean and certificate it.
