Cater Clean 24 Seven provides ongoing Kitchen Extract Cleaning for an established national hotel group operating properties across the UK.
Although every hotel belongs to the same group, no two extraction systems are identical. The properties vary in age, design, kitchen layout and operating requirements. Some systems provide straightforward access, while others include concealed ductwork, restricted ceiling voids, vertical risers and high-level external extraction equipment.
Our role involves more than cleaning the visible canopy. We assess each complete extraction route, identify access limitations and select appropriate cleaning methods for the system. Where conventional access is not possible, we can arrange access-panel installation or involve IRATA-qualified technicians from Rope Access 24 Seven.
This approach helps the hotel group maintain clearer records, address previously inaccessible areas and establish suitable cleaning programmes across its estate.
The customer
The customer operates a national portfolio of busy hotels. Its properties may include breakfast kitchens, restaurants, bars, banqueting facilities, function rooms and room-service operations.
These kitchens often work for extended periods and experience significant changes in demand. Breakfast service may begin early, while evening dining, weddings, conferences and other functions can continue late into the night.
The hotel group required a specialist contractor capable of managing different kitchen extract systems while coordinating work around guests, employees and food-service operations.
It also needed consistent reporting that would show exactly which areas had been inspected, accessed and cleaned at each property.
The challenge
Different extraction systems at every hotel
A multi-site contract does not mean that every property can follow one identical cleaning plan.
Some hotels occupy modern purpose-built premises, while others operate from older or adapted buildings. Extract ductwork may travel horizontally through ceiling voids, rise through several floors or continue externally to roof-level discharge points.
The layout, cooking equipment and level of use can also vary between kitchens within the same hotel.
Therefore, Cater Clean 24 Seven assesses each system individually rather than applying a standardised cleaning method or assuming that previous access arrangements remain suitable.
Missing or insufficient access panels
One of the most common problems involves insufficient access to internal ductwork.
A canopy may appear clean while grease remains within hidden sections of the extraction route. If suitable access panels have not been installed, technicians may be unable to inspect or clean the ductwork properly.
Limited access can also make it difficult to confirm the condition of bends, changes in direction, fan connections and extended horizontal sections.
Cater Clean 24 Seven never presents an inaccessible area as cleaned or complete. When technicians identify a no-access section, we record it clearly and recommend the work required to resolve the problem.
Difficult-to-reach risers and external ductwork
Hotel extraction systems do not always remain within the kitchen.
Ductwork may run through restricted service areas, vertical risers, internal shafts or the exterior of a multi-storey building. Fans and discharge points may also sit at roof level or in locations that cannot be reached safely using conventional access equipment.
In these circumstances, the project may require specialist access planning. Where appropriate, IRATA-qualified technicians can use rope access techniques to reach, inspect and clean high-level sections without relying on extensive scaffolding.
Maintaining hotel operations
Hotels must protect the guest experience while continuing to provide food and beverage services.
Cleaning work must therefore be carefully coordinated around breakfast service, restaurant opening times, events and room-service requirements. The team may also need to work around restricted delivery periods, security procedures and limited access to back-of-house areas.
Cater Clean 24 Seven works with hotel management, facilities teams and kitchen personnel to plan each visit and minimise disruption.
Our approach
Assessing the complete extraction route
Before starting the main cleaning work, our team reviews the configuration of the system and establishes where the ductwork travels.
The assessment considers:
- The canopy and filter housing
- Horizontal kitchen ductwork
- Changes in direction and internal obstructions
- Ceiling voids and service areas
- Vertical risers
- Extraction fans
- External ductwork
- Roof-level discharge points
- Existing access panels
- Sections where access remains restricted
This process helps us select suitable cleaning methods and identify any access problems before they affect the wider programme.
Creating safe and practical access
Where a section of ductwork does not have suitable access, the solution may involve installing correctly sized access panels.
The access panel must suit the shape and dimensions of the duct. Its position should enable technicians to inspect and clean the relevant internal surfaces without creating unnecessary disruption to the building.
Some systems require several access points because of their length, bends or internal configuration.
Where the ductwork sits at height or within a difficult external location, Cater Clean 24 Seven can coordinate with Rope Access 24 Seven. Their IRATA-qualified technicians can provide specialist access to vertical risers, external ductwork and high-level extraction equipment where rope access offers a suitable solution.
Selecting the appropriate cleaning method
Not every extraction system requires the same cleaning technique.
The method depends on several factors, including the type and thickness of the contamination, the duct dimensions, the condition of the system and the access available.
Depending on the findings, our technicians may use a combination of:
- Manual scraping to remove heavier grease deposits
- Specialist degreasing products
- Controlled mechanical agitation
- Rotary brushing equipment where suitable
- Detailed hand cleaning around joints, corners and components
- Targeted cleaning through installed access panels
Using different methods allows the team to respond to the actual condition of each section rather than relying on a single process throughout the system.
The work follows the relevant principles of the BSEHV11 National Occupational Standard for kitchen extract cleaning.
Coordinating work around the hotel
Our Operations Team communicates with each property before the visit to confirm access arrangements, kitchen shutdown periods and any site-specific restrictions.
Where possible, work takes place outside the kitchen’s main operating hours. This may include overnight or carefully scheduled cleaning to reduce interference with hotel services.
Clear planning is particularly important when a property has several kitchens or a programme involves multiple hotels.
Clear and accurate reporting
Reporting forms an essential part of every project.
Following the work, Cater Clean 24 Seven provides documentation that records the completed scope. This may include before-and-after photographs, observations from technicians, identified access problems and recommendations for further work.
If technicians cannot access a section, the report records that limitation. The cleaning certificate only covers the areas that the team accessed and completed.
We do not issue a full-clean certificate when sections of the system remain inaccessible. The certificate is a dated legal document and must accurately reflect the completed work.
This gives hotel managers and facilities teams a transparent record rather than creating a misleading impression that the entire extraction system has been cleaned.
The outcome
By combining system assessment, appropriate cleaning methods, access-panel installation and specialist high-level access, Cater Clean 24 Seven helps the hotel group manage extraction systems across a varied property portfolio.
The ongoing programme provides:
- A clearer understanding of each extraction system
- Improved access to previously concealed ductwork
- Cleaning methods selected for the actual system condition
- Accurate photographic evidence
- Transparent records of accessed and completed areas
- Recommendations for unresolved access issues
- Coordinated scheduling across operational hotel
- Consistent communication with hotel and facilities teams
The contract also allows recurring problems to be identified across the estate. Where similar access limitations appear at several properties, the customer can plan remedial work and future maintenance more effectively.
Why honest certification matters
A certificate should confirm what technicians have completed—not what they were expected to complete.
If ductwork cannot be reached, it cannot be properly inspected or cleaned. Treating inaccessible areas as complete can leave hotel managers unaware of contamination within concealed sections of the system.
Cater Clean 24 Seven takes a transparent approach. We identify access limitations, explain the available solutions and certify only the completed scope.
Kitchen Extract Cleaning for hotels and multi-site groups
Cater Clean 24 Seven provides professional Kitchen Extract Cleaning, Kitchen Ventilation Cleaning and Kitchen Duct Cleaning for hotels, restaurant groups and other multi-site food businesses.
Whether the system includes concealed ductwork, a vertical riser or difficult high-level access, our expert Operations Team can help assess the requirements and develop an appropriate programme.