Cafés — Kitchen Extract Cleaning in London

A café kitchen looks quiet next to a restaurant's, but a grill or fryer running from breakfast onwards still sends grease into the canopy, the duct and the fan. We arrange TR19 extract cleaning quotes for cafés, coffee shops and breakfast bars across London. An independent specialist provider carries out the clean and issues the certificate.

London's cafés keep very different hours. In Soho, Bar Italia has been a café on Frith Street since 1949, and its website says it stays open until 5am every day before reopening at 7am for breakfast. Hours matter, because TR19 sets cleaning intervals by how long you cook.

Which TR19 frequency band your café falls into

BESA's TR19 guidance sets minimum cleaning intervals by daily hours of use: every 12 months for 2 to 6 hours a day, every 6 months for 6 to 12 hours and every 3 months for 12 to 16 hours. A café cooking breakfasts and lunches from 7am to 3pm uses its extract for about eight hours, which puts it in the six-monthly band. A coffee shop that only toasts may be light use, while one trading into the evening can reach the quarterly band. London Fire Brigade guidance note GN86 treats once a year as the minimum for any catering extract unless the fire risk assessment says otherwise, and notes that fried or chargrilled food produces much higher grease levels than baking or boiling. The TR19 compliance guide explains the bands.

Flats above, shared ducts and your fire risk assessment

If your café is a shop unit with flats above, the duct may climb the back of the building or pass through it. London Fire Brigade's guide for people living above shops, bars, cafés and takeaways warns that a fire in commercial ducting running through a flat can build up heat and ignite items nearby, although "if the ducting is properly encased and kept clean, this isn't something to worry about." The Brigade says its fire safety officers find dangerous conditions in shops that may affect homes above almost daily, leading to legal action and even bans on using the building.

The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 puts the duty on the responsible person, usually the employer, and GN86 says the extract system should be assessed in the fire risk assessment. If part of the duct runs through a landlord's or neighbour's property, GN86 makes the owner or occupier responsible for arranging access, and expects responsible persons who share a duct to coordinate so all of it is cleaned at the same time.

A London café fire that started in the fryer

In February 2021 a fire at a café in Belgravia damaged half of a first-floor kitchen and part of the roof, and destroyed the extraction system from the first floor to the roof. London Fire Brigade's investigators believed hot oil ignited in the deep fat fryer, then spread and ignited a build-up of fat and grease within the ducting. The Brigade advises that kitchen ducting should be cleaned regularly, because built-up grease could ignite and spread smoke and fire to other parts of the property and nearby premises.

What a full clean covers

The provider cleans the canopy and filters, the whole ductwork run to the outlet and the extract fan, fitting access panels where the duct cannot otherwise be reached. Grease thickness is measured before and after, against TR19's limit of 200 microns. GN86 expects the report to include the measurements, before and after photographs, a sketch showing access panels, test points and any areas that could not be cleaned, with the reason, and a certificate summarising the work. Between specialist cleans, GN86 expects canopies and filters to be cleaned daily or weekly, usually by the kitchen operator.

Booking around early starts

If you close by late afternoon, an evening clean costs no trading time. If you trade from a parade with flats above, tell us how the roof or rear yard is reached and whether the landlord or residents need notice, so the provider can plan access. If nobody knows where the duct goes, an inspection report will map it. The cost guide explains what affects the price, and you can request a quote online.

Food hygiene inspections

Your food hygiene rating is set separately by a food safety officer from your borough council, or the City of London Corporation in the City, and the inspection covers the physical condition of the business, including cleanliness and ventilation. Display of the sticker is voluntary in England, though businesses are encouraged to show it.

Cafés we arrange quotes for

We arrange quotes for cafés in Covent Garden, the City of London, Shoreditch, Dalston, Walthamstow, Brixton, Peckham, Clapham, Battersea, Kingston, Hammersmith and Ealing, and across the rest of London.

Where we see these kitchens most

Services: TR19 extract cleaning · canopy cleaning · ductwork · filters · what it costs

Frequently Asked Questions