Commercial kitchen and property managers in Baltimore install hood systems to keep their kitchens safe, the air clean, and to comply with local and national fire codes. Kitchen exhaust hood systems utilize a hood, filters, duct, and fan to remove fumes, smoke, and grease generated during all cooking operations.
After weeks or months of use, however, the system will accumulate particulate that will clog the fan and greatly decrease its performance. This will lead to a smoky and hot environment in the kitchen because the air is not being drawn out of the kitchen and hood. If facilities do not keep their hoods clean and maintained, this buildup can eventually ignite and cause kitchen fires, threatening lives and your company’s livelihood.
Regular commercial hood cleaning and restaurant hood cleaning are essential to removing all blockages and grease particulate in the hood, ensuring safe and sanitary conditions. It also prolongs the life of vent components and ensures that you comply with the law for continued operation per building codes, your establishment’s insurance requirements, the fire marshal, and more.
As a leading facility maintenance company in the mid-Atlantic states, Interior Maintenance Company, Inc. cleans kitchens in cities like Baltimore, Maryland, to provide customers with economical, efficient, and rapid contract cleaning services. To better serve you, our technicians and staff are trained and adhere to NFPA Code 96 standards.
What Is the NFPA?
The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) is a leading global advocate for eliminating injury, death, and property or other losses resulting from electrical and fire-related hazards. The trade association has released over 300 consensus standards to reduce the chances and effects of fire through criteria for equipment:
- Design
- Construction
- Installation
- Operation
- Maintenance
- Servicing
The nonprofit organization delivers information through education, training, advocacy, and outreach. Local governments follow these standards as safe best practices for businesses such as commercial kitchens.
NFPA 96
Of the NFPA regulations, fire marshal-enforced NFPA 96 specifies operative and preventative fire safety requirements meant to minimize the potential fire hazards of both private and commercial cooking operations. The code has several components, with one of them revolving around cleaning and maintaining kitchen exhaust systems. The code designates who can clean, where to clean, and how. It specifies that fans, grease-removal devices, hoods, and ducts require cleaning to get rid of combustible contaminants before the surfaces become heavily dirty. NFPA 96 also highlights the required inspection schedule based on the type or volume of cooking.
Why Should You Regularly Schedule a Kitchen Exhaust Cleaning in Baltimore?
A well-functioning hood traps smoke, grease, and grime to channel them out of your kitchen. However, those substances generate deposits that build up and turn into a sticky, highly flammable residue inside the hood. This puts you, your team, customers, assets, and the entire building at risk of a fire emergency.
However, fire isn’t the only reason to schedule a regular kitchen exhaust cleaning in Baltimore. Other reasons include:
- Compliance with local and national codes. The NFPA 96 requires all commercial kitchens and restaurants to clean their exhausts regularly, and building codes and insurance regulations may also include requirements. Failing to clean your system means exposing yourself to fines or even a shutdown of your facility until your systems are up to code and insurable, during which time you lose revenue.
- System efficiency. Your system can only trap so much grime and grease at any given time. Too much buildup makes the ductwork and filters less effective at ridding air of particles or preventing clogs. Cleaning your hood and exhaust system removes buildup, allowing free-flowing air through the ducts. Adequate ventilation boosts system performance and lowers costs.
- System life span. A clean and well-maintained system will work efficiently without straining. It will also have less corrosion, thus preventing premature breakdown and degradation.
Which Types of Establishments Need Kitchen Exhaust Cleaning in Baltimore?
Hood cleaning is necessary for any restaurant or commercial cooking facility in the U.S. Many jurisdictions have adopted the NFPA 96, the country’s minimum standard for commercial kitchen operators and hood cleaners. Outside of restaurants, kitchens are present in:
- Cafeterias
- Casinos
- Churches
- Convenience and grocery stores
- Government buildings
- Hospitals
- Hotels
- Nursing homes
- Prisons
- Schools
Baltimore, Md., Commercial Hood Cleaning Services
Keeping your kitchen exhaust system healthy requires expert maintenance and a certified hood cleaning service. A family-owned business since 1973, IMC began cleaning hoods for restaurants and food producers in Baltimore and the greater mid-Atlantic region in 1998. Offering customers comprehensive service is important to us, and so we partner with other businesses in the industry, such as air balancers and quality consultants, industrial hygienists, filter manufacturers, and mechanical contractors, to best meet your spectrum of contract cleaning and preventative maintenance needs.
Contact us today to learn more about our services or to request a quote for a cleaning.