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Extraction cleaning - cost
Extract cleaning quotes vary more than almost any other trade - and it is not random. The price tracks how much system there is to reach, how greasy it is, and how hard it is to get to. Here is what actually moves the number.
The short answer
A TR19 Grease clean is priced mainly on the size and layout of the extract system - the length of ductwork, the number of risers, the extract points and fan access - together with how heavily greased it is and how easy it is to reach. Access is the big swing factor: sealed ductwork in ceiling voids, work at height and out-of-hours access all add time, and time is what you are paying for.
The size of the system
The first driver is simply how much system there is to clean and measure. A single canopy over one cookline with a short duct run to a roof fan is a modest job; a multi-canopy kitchen with long horizontal runs, several vertical risers and more than one extract fan is a far bigger one. Quotes are built up from ductwork length, riser count and fan access, because each adds cleaning and measuring time.
This is why floor area alone is a poor guide to price. Two kitchens the same size can have very different extract systems behind them, and it is the system, not the room, that sets the cost.
Access and height
Access moves the price more than anything else. Ductwork that runs sealed through ceiling voids needs access panels cut and fitted before it can be reached, which adds both materials and time. Work at height - high-level runs, roof fans, plant on a roof - brings equipment and safety requirements that a ground-level clean does not.
Out-of-hours working is the other access cost. Most kitchens can only be cleaned when they are closed, so overnight, early-morning or closing-day work is normal and factored in. None of this is padding; it reflects the real conditions of reaching a live kitchen's extract system safely.
Condition and history
How greasy the system is matters too. 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 to the required level. That is why a first clean of a neglected system is often the dearest, and why cleans on a planned cycle tend to settle to a steadier, lower per-visit figure.
Missing access is part of this history. A system that was never designed with access panels needs them fitting on the first visit - a one-off cost that every later clean then benefits from.
Getting a real figure
Because the drivers are physical - length, access, height, condition - a firm price really needs eyes on the system. As an indication of scale, small sites such as a cafe or pub can sit in the high hundreds, mid-size restaurants in the four figures, and large hotel or multi-kitchen operations higher again, with location also playing a part. Those are broad ranges, not quotes.
A survey turns the range into a number by measuring the actual system: the runs, the risers, the access that exists and the access that needs fitting, and the current grease condition. It also means the quote you get reflects your kitchen, not an average one - and that the certificate at the end covers the whole system rather than only the reachable parts.
Frequency changes the sum
The cleaning interval feeds back into the cost of each visit. A system cleaned at the right frequency for its cooking hours never accumulates the hardened grease that makes a clean slow, so each visit is a routine reset. Let the interval stretch and every clean becomes a heavier job, taking the system back from a worse starting point - which costs more, visit for visit.
So the cheapest long-run position is usually the correct frequency, not the longest gap between cleans. Skipping a clean to save money tends to raise the price of the next one and, in between, leaves the system carrying more fire risk and a lapsed certificate. Regular cleaning is both safer and, over time, better value.
What a survey measures
Because the price tracks physical things, a survey is simply a matter of measuring them. A competent surveyor looks at the total ductwork run, counts the risers and extract points, checks where access panels exist and where they need fitting, assesses how greasy the system is, and notes anything at height or awkward to reach. Those observations are what the quote is built from.
That is also why a survey-based quote is worth more than a phone estimate. It reflects your actual system rather than a category average, so there are no surprises when the work starts, and the certificate at the end covers what was measured rather than a guess made down the line.
Cost versus consequence
It helps to see the price of a clean against what it is protecting rather than in isolation. A grease-laden extract system is a serious fire risk and a potential reason for an insurer to reduce or refuse a claim; the cost of a fire, of lost trading, or of a failed claim runs far beyond the cost of the cleaning that would have prevented it.
That does not mean paying over the odds - it means judging value on completeness and evidence, not just the headline figure. A clean that reaches the whole system and certificates it properly is doing the job the price is there for. The cheapest partial clean can be the most expensive thing on the site if the part it skipped is where a fire starts.
Questions
Mainly the size and layout of the extract system - ductwork length, risers, extract points and fans - plus how greasy it is and how hard it is to reach. Access and work at height are the biggest swing factors.
Because the systems behind similar-looking kitchens vary a lot, and because access differs. A canopy-and-short-duct job and a multi-riser system with sealed runs in voids are very different amounts of work.
Sealed ductwork needs access panels cut and fitted, work at height needs extra equipment and safety measures, and cleaning around a live kitchen usually means out-of-hours work - all of which add time.
Often, yes. A neglected system holds hardened grease that takes longer to remove and measure, and may need access panels fitting for the first time. Cleans on a planned cycle tend to settle lower.
We can give an indicative range, but a firm price needs a survey, because the drivers - length, access, height and condition - can only be assessed on site.
It varies widely - indicatively from the high hundreds for a small cafe or pub up to the four figures and beyond for large or multi-kitchen sites, with location a factor. A survey gives a firm figure.
We will survey the system and quote against what is actually there - no averages, no surprises.
