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Kitchen deep cleaning - quotes
Two deep-clean quotes for the same kitchen can differ by hundreds of pounds - not because one firm is dearer, but because they are quoting for different work. Here is how to read a quote and compare like for like.
The short answer
A commercial kitchen deep clean is usually priced on five things: the footprint of the kitchen, how much equipment there is, the current condition, how often you commit to cleaning, and the access window you can offer. The trap is that the extract system, waste disposal, specialist chemicals and out-of-hours work may sit inside one quote and outside another - so a lower headline figure is not always the cheaper job.
What a full deep clean covers
A proper deep clean quote should cover the whole kitchen environment, not just the surfaces on show. That means walls, ceilings, splashbacks, floors and drainage; all the fixed and free-standing equipment degreased inside and out; and - critically - the dead zones behind and beneath fryers, ranges, grills and refrigeration that daily cleaning never reaches.
Equipment count is where the time goes. A six-burner range, a salamander and a combi oven together can take the better part of an hour and a half to strip and clean properly, so a kitchen heavy with cooking kit costs more than its floor area alone would suggest. If a quote looks cheap for a well-equipped kitchen, check whether every appliance is actually listed.
The extras that catch people out
The gap between two quotes is usually hiding in the same handful of items. First, the extract system - canopy, filters and ductwork - is a separate discipline from a kitchen deep clean, and may be quoted separately or not at all. Second, waste disposal: removing the grease and debris a heavy first clean generates can carry its own charge. Third, specialist chemicals or equipment for particular flooring or heavy carbon can be an add-on. Fourth, out-of-hours working to fit around service.
None of these is a hidden trick - they are legitimate costs. The point is to see them itemised so you know what you are comparing. A single low number with no breakdown is the one to question.
Why the first clean costs more
Condition drives price as much as size. A kitchen that has been deep cleaned regularly needs a reset; one that has not been touched properly in years needs carbon and hardened grease taken back, which is slower and more chemical-intensive. That is why a first deep clean of a tired kitchen is often dearer than the cleans that follow it.
It is also why a frequency commitment usually lowers the per-visit price. Once a kitchen is on a planned cycle, each visit starts from a known baseline rather than from years of build-up, so the work is more predictable and the quote reflects that.
How to compare quotes
The way to compare fairly is to make every quote list the same things: the areas covered, the equipment by name, whether the extract system is in or out, whether waste disposal is included, and what the access assumption is. Once all three quotes describe the same job, the price difference becomes real information instead of guesswork.
As a rough sense of scale, an independent restaurant kitchen of around 40 to 60 square metres with four to six major appliances commonly sits in the several-hundred-pound range for a periodic deep clean, while a large hotel kitchen with fifteen to twenty pieces of equipment runs into the low thousands. Those are indicative only - a site survey is what turns a range into a firm figure for your kitchen.
Deep versus surface
The other place a low quote hides its economy is depth. Wiping the fronts of equipment, mopping the floor and cleaning the reachable surfaces looks like a deep clean and reads well on a quote, but it is really an enhanced routine clean. The value of a deep clean is in the parts that take effort - stripping equipment down, reaching the sealed dead zones, taking hardened carbon off oven interiors and canopy housings.
That work is slow and cannot be rushed, so if a quote for a well-used kitchen looks quick and cheap, it is worth asking what will actually be dismantled and reached. A clean that never gets behind the fryer or inside the canopy is not addressing the areas an inspector or an incoming operator will look at first.
Frequency and price
Most operators quote a one-off deep clean and stop there, but the per-visit price often falls once a kitchen is on a planned cycle. The reason is baseline: each clean on a regular cycle starts from a known, maintained condition rather than from months or years of accumulation, so the work is more predictable and quicker, and the quote can reflect that.
It also spreads the cost into a budgeted, repeating figure rather than an occasional lump. For a busy kitchen that is going to need the work anyway, agreeing a cycle is usually both cheaper per visit and easier to plan around than booking reactively each time condition slips.
Before you book
A few direct questions turn a vague quote into a clear one. Ask whether every appliance is listed by name, and whether dismantling is included where it is safe. Ask whether the extract canopy, filters and ductwork are in or out. Ask who removes the waste, and whether specialist chemicals for heavy carbon or particular flooring carry an extra charge. Ask what access window the price assumes.
The answers do two things: they let you compare quotes on identical scope, and they tell you something about the firm. A company that answers plainly and itemises is describing real work; one that resists breaking the figure down may be relying on the gaps to look cheap. Either way, you end up buying what you think you are buying.
Questions
Usually because they cover different work. The extract system, waste disposal, specialist chemicals and out-of-hours access may be inside one quote and outside another, so the headline figures are not comparing the same job.
Not always. Canopy, filter and ductwork cleaning is a separate discipline and is often quoted separately. Always check whether it is in or out before comparing prices.
A kitchen that has not been deep cleaned in a long time has hardened grease and carbon to take back, which is slower and more chemical-intensive than resetting a kitchen already on a cycle.
Ask each firm to itemise the same things - areas, equipment by name, extract in or out, waste disposal, and the access assumption - so you are comparing identical scope.
It varies widely by size, equipment and condition - indicatively from the several-hundred-pound range for a small independent kitchen up to the low thousands for a large hotel kitchen. A survey gives a firm figure.
Yes. We list the areas, the equipment and what is and is not included, so there are no surprises and you can compare like for like.
Tell us about your kitchen and we will quote the work in plain English, with inclusions listed.
