Home / Duct Cleaning / Guide
Duct cleaning - buying well
Get quotes to clean your kitchen extraction system and the prices can differ sharply - which is puzzling until you see that a kitchen extract is quoted very differently depending on how much of it is cleaned, how heavy the grease is, and whether the clean is to a recognised standard with certification. Here is why extraction cleaning quotes vary so much, and how to read them so you compare the same job.
The short answer
Kitchen extraction cleaning quotes vary so much because a kitchen extract can be cleaned to very different extents and standards, so the same request (clean my extraction) covers a wide range of actual jobs. The first driver is extent - how much of the system is cleaned. A kitchen extraction system runs from the canopy over the cooking line, through the filters, along the ductwork, to the extract fan and discharge. A quote may cover cleaning the whole of that, canopy to fan, including the ductwork - or just the canopy and filters, the visible parts, leaving the ductwork (where grease builds up unseen and the fire risk concentrates). These are very different amounts of work, so they price very differently, and much of the variation between quotes is this: whole-system versus visible-parts-only. The second driver is the grease load and access - a heavily greased system, or one with awkward access to the ductwork, is a bigger, harder job than a lightly soiled, accessible one, so it costs more to clean properly. The third is the standard and certification - cleaning to the recognised TR19 Grease standard, with a post-clean report, before and after photographs, and certification, is more work and produces the evidence your insurer and fire risk assessment need; a basic clean with nothing documented is cheaper but leaves you without that proof. So extraction quotes vary because they cover different extents (whole system or just the canopy), different grease loads and access, and different standards (certified TR19 Grease or a basic wipe). The consequence is that you cannot compare them on price alone - a low quote often means cleaning only the visible parts to no certified standard, not the same job cheaper. And it matters especially for a kitchen extract, because the clean is a fire-safety and insurance requirement, so the certified whole-system clean is usually the one that actually counts - which the cheap canopy-only quote does not provide. Compare what each quote covers, and the variation resolves into which quotes offer the job you actually need.
Key points
Extent is everything
The single biggest reason extraction cleaning quotes vary is extent - how much of the system the quote covers - because a kitchen extraction system has a visible part and a hidden part, and cleaning them are very different jobs. The visible part is the canopy over the cooking line and its filters - what you can see and reach easily. The hidden part is the ductwork behind and above it, running from the canopy to the extract fan and out - the long runs, the risers, the sections you cannot see. A quote to clean the whole system, canopy to fan, including all that ductwork, is a substantial job; a quote to clean just the canopy and filters is a much smaller one. So a large part of the variation between extraction quotes is simply this: whether the ductwork is included or not.
This matters more for a kitchen extract than for many systems, because the hidden ductwork is exactly where the grease builds up and the fire risk concentrates. Grease-laden air rises off the cooking, and while the canopy and filters catch some grease, plenty passes into the ductwork and accumulates there, out of sight - so the ductwork is often the most fouled and most fire-critical part of the system. A quote that cleans only the canopy and filters leaves that ductwork grease in place, which means the most important cleaning - for fire safety - is not being done, however clean the visible canopy looks afterwards. So a canopy-only quote is not just cheaper because it does less; it is cheaper because it skips the part that most needs cleaning. This is why extent is the first thing to check in an extraction quote, and why the wide variation so often comes down to whether the quote is really cleaning the whole grease-bearing system or just wiping the visible canopy. The two are very different jobs at very different prices, both answering clean my extraction.
Grease load and access
The second driver of variation is the grease load and the access, which determine how big and hard the job is even for a given extent. A heavily greased system - one that has not been cleaned for a long time, or serves heavy, greasy cooking - has far more grease to remove than a lightly soiled one, so it takes more time and effort to clean properly, and costs more. So two kitchens asking for the same whole-system clean can be quoted differently because one is far more greased than the other, and the heavily greased one is genuinely a bigger job. A contractor who has assessed the actual grease load can quote it accurately; one quoting blind is guessing, which is part of why quotes differ. So the real state of the system affects the price, and quotes reflect that - or should.
Access compounds this. Reaching the ductwork to clean it needs access - using the access panels already fitted, or cutting and fitting new ones where the ductwork is sealed - and a system with poor access (few panels, awkward routing, ductwork in hard-to-reach places) is harder and more time-consuming to clean than one with good access, so it costs more. A quote that includes providing the access needed to clean the whole ductwork is doing more than one that cleans only what it can reach, and prices accordingly. So the grease load (how much cleaning) and the access (how hard to reach it) both affect the size of the job and the price, on top of the extent. This is why a contractor seeing the system before quoting matters for an extract: the grease load and access are things you can only gauge by looking, and they materially affect the job. Quotes that reflect the actual grease and access are pricing the real job; quotes that do not may be under-pricing a heavily greased or awkward system, which tends to show up later as corners cut or extra charges.
The standard and certification
The third driver, and a crucial one for a kitchen extract, is the standard the clean is done to and whether it comes with certification. A kitchen extraction clean can be done to the recognised TR19 Grease standard - the industry standard for grease extract cleaning - which specifies how thoroughly the system is cleaned and produces documented evidence: a post-clean report, before and after photographs, and often grease-thickness measurements, all certifying that the system was cleaned to standard on a given date. Or it can be a basic clean, done to no particular standard, with nothing documented. The certified TR19 Grease clean is more work (it has to meet the standard's requirements) and produces the evidence, so it costs more; the basic clean is cheaper but produces neither the assured thoroughness nor the proof. So quotes vary because some include the standard and certification and others do not.
This matters more for a kitchen extract than for almost any other cleaning, because the clean is a fire-safety and insurance requirement, and the certification is what satisfies it. Insurers and fire risk assessments rely on the evidence that the extract has been cleaned to standard - the TR19 Grease report and photographs - to show the grease fire risk is being managed. A basic clean with no certification, however cheap, does not provide that evidence, so it may not satisfy your insurance or fire-safety obligations even if the cleaning was adequate. So for a kitchen extract, the certified clean is usually the one that actually counts, and a cheap uncertified quote may be buying something that does not meet your real need. This is why the standard and certification are essential to compare in an extraction quote, not optional extras: they determine whether the clean satisfies the compliance requirements that are, for most kitchens, the whole reason for cleaning the extract in the first place. A quote without them is cheaper but may leave you non-compliant.
Comparing extraction quotes
To compare extraction cleaning quotes meaningfully, compare what each covers against the job you actually need - which, for a kitchen extract, is usually a certified whole-system clean for fire safety and insurance. The things to line up are: the extent (does it clean the whole system, canopy to fan including the ductwork, or just the canopy and filters?), the grease load and access (has the contractor gauged the actual system, or quoted blind?), and the standard and certification (does it clean to TR19 Grease with a report and photographs, or is it a basic clean with nothing documented?). Comparing these puts the quotes on a like-for-like footing and reveals which are offering the certified whole-system clean you need and which a cheaper, partial, uncertified job. Then the price differences make sense against what each buys.
The compliance angle makes this especially important for an extract. Because the clean is a fire-safety and insurance requirement, the quotes that do not include the whole ductwork and the TR19 Grease certification are often not offering what you actually need, however low their price - so choosing on price alone risks buying a clean that leaves the fire-critical ductwork grease in place and gives you no certification to satisfy your insurer or fire risk assessment. The right comparison, therefore, is not which quote is cheapest but which quotes cover the certified whole-system clean the kitchen requires, and then which of those represents fair value. A cheap canopy-only, uncertified quote is not a bargain version of that job; it is a different, lesser job that does not meet the requirement. So compare extraction quotes on the extent, the standard and the certification, with the compliance need in mind - and the wide variation resolves into which quotes actually address a kitchen extract's real requirements, and which only appear to.
The takeaway
Extraction cleaning quotes vary so much because a kitchen extract can be cleaned to very different extents and standards, so the same request covers a wide range of actual jobs. The variation comes from the extent (cleaning the whole system, canopy to fan including the ductwork, versus just the visible canopy and filters), the grease load and access (how much grease to remove and how hard to reach it), and the standard and certification (a certified TR19 Grease clean with a report and photographs, versus a basic clean with nothing documented). Each changes how much work the quote represents, so quotes covering the whole system to a certified standard come in higher than quotes cleaning only the canopy to no standard.
The consequence is that you cannot compare extraction quotes on price alone - a low quote often means cleaning only the visible parts to no certified standard, leaving the fire-critical ductwork grease in place and giving you no certification. And this matters especially for a kitchen extract, because the clean is a fire-safety and insurance requirement, so the certified whole-system clean is usually the one that actually counts. Compare what each quote covers - the extent, the grease load and access, and the standard and certification - against the certified whole-system clean the kitchen needs, and the wide variation resolves into which quotes address the real requirement and which only appear to. The cheap canopy-only quote is not a bargain version of that job; it is a lesser job that may leave you non-compliant.
Questions
Usually because it is cleaning far less. The most common reason is extent: a cheap quote often cleans only the canopy and filters (the visible parts), while a fuller quote cleans the whole system, canopy to fan, including the ductwork where the grease and fire risk concentrate. Cleaning just the canopy is a much smaller job than cleaning the whole grease-bearing system, so it prices much lower. The cheap quote may also skip the TR19 Grease standard and certification, and may have under-gauged the grease load and access. So a quote at half the price is usually not the same job for less but a partial, uncertified job - which for a kitchen extract often does not meet the fire-safety and insurance requirement that is the reason for cleaning it.
TR19 Grease is the recognised UK standard for cleaning grease extract systems. Cleaning to it means meeting its requirements for thoroughness and producing documented evidence - a post-clean report, before and after photographs, and often grease-thickness measurements - certifying the system was cleaned to standard on a given date. This is more work than a basic clean, and it produces the evidence your insurer and fire risk assessment rely on, so a TR19 Grease certified clean costs more than an uncertified wipe. It affects the price because it is a real difference in both the work and what you get: the certified clean assures the thoroughness and provides the proof, while the cheaper basic clean provides neither. For a kitchen extract, the certification is usually essential, so it is not an optional extra to price out.
For a kitchen extract, you need the whole system including the ductwork, because the ductwork is where the grease builds up unseen and the fire risk concentrates. Grease-laden air rises off the cooking, and while the canopy and filters catch some, plenty passes into the ductwork and accumulates there out of sight - so the ductwork is often the most fouled and most fire-critical part. Cleaning only the canopy leaves that ductwork grease in place, so the most important cleaning for fire safety is not done, however clean the visible canopy looks. This is why a canopy-only quote, though cheaper, does not really meet a kitchen's need: the fire-safety clean has to include the ductwork. So yes, you need the ductwork cleaned, not just the canopy.
Because the grease load and the access - two things that strongly affect how big the job is - can only be gauged by looking. A heavily greased system has far more to remove than a lightly soiled one, and a system with poor access (few panels, awkward routing) is harder to reach and clean, so both make the job bigger and the price higher. A contractor who inspects the system can quote the actual grease load and access accurately; one quoting blind is guessing, which risks under-pricing a heavy or awkward system (leading to corners cut or extra charges later) or over-pricing a light one. So a contractor asking to see the system before quoting is pricing the real job, which makes their quote more reliable and more comparable. It is a good sign, not an inconvenience.
Only if it genuinely covers the job you need - which for a kitchen extract is usually a certified whole-system clean for fire safety and insurance. If the cheapest quote covers the whole system to the TR19 Grease standard with certification and simply prices it keenly, it can be the right choice. But the cheapest quote often does not: it commonly cleans only the canopy, skips the ductwork, and provides no certification - a partial, uncertified job that leaves the fire-critical grease in place and does not satisfy your insurer or fire risk assessment. So do not choose on price alone; check whether the cheapest quote covers the certified whole-system clean you need. If it does, it may be a genuine bargain; if it does not, its low price is buying the wrong job, and choosing it means redoing the work properly later.
Check that it includes cleaning the whole system to the TR19 Grease standard with certification - a post-clean report and before and after photographs - because that documented evidence is what insurers and fire risk assessments rely on to show the grease fire risk is being managed. A quote that cleans only the canopy, or cleans to no particular standard, or produces no report and certificate, may not satisfy your insurance even if the cleaning itself was adequate, because there is no evidence the system was cleaned to standard. So the things to confirm are the extent (whole system including ductwork), the standard (TR19 Grease), and the deliverables (report, photographs, certificate). A quote that includes all three provides what your insurer needs; one that does not may leave you unable to demonstrate compliance, whatever the price.
We clean the whole extraction system to the TR19 Grease standard with the report and photographs your insurer and fire risk assessment need. Ask us to see your system and quote the certified job.
