Restaurant Hood Grease Cleaning

First 30 days

Study NFPA-style commercial kitchen exhaust cleaning expectations and local fire marshal requirements. Get insured, buy pressure washing equipment, degreasers, plastic sheeting, roof protection, scrapers, filters, PPE, ladders, and photo reporting tools. Practice on a small account or subcontract under an established operator before selling complex systems.

Build a service package with before-and-after photos, access panel notes, fan condition, filter condition, and a dated cleaning certificate. Target restaurants, schools, hotels, churches with kitchens, food halls, and commissaries.

Days 31–60

Sell recurring quarterly, semiannual, or monthly cleaning plans based on cooking volume. Visit kitchens after lunch and ask for the manager, then ask when their hood was last cleaned and who keeps the certificate. The certificate is your doorway.

Partner with fire-suppression companies, hood installers, plumbers, and insurance brokers. They see dirty systems before you do.

Days 61–90

Hire a helper for night work and build a checklist so every job produces consistent documentation. Charge properly for roof access, heavy grease, long duct runs, and overnight work. By day 90, aim for 20–35 recurring systems, clean photo reports, and a schedule that makes unpleasant hours profitable rather than merely unpleasant.

Typical operators report $400–$1,500 for many restaurant hood cleanings, while large kitchens, multi-hood systems, or neglected ducts can run higher. A small crew handling 6–12 jobs per week can gross roughly $4k–$15k weekly depending on market and system size. Costs include labor, fuel, degreaser, plastic, pressure washer maintenance, insurance, disposal, and occasional roof protection. Net margins often sit around 25%–40% after labor. Recurring contracts are the prize because restaurants need documentation, not just a one-time sparkle.

• Commercial pressure washer: $1,500–$8,000
• Surface cleaner, hoses, and reels: $500–$3,000
• Degreasers and chemical sprayers: $300–$1,500
• Plastic sheeting, tape, and containment: $200–$800
• Ladders and roof safety gear: $800–$5,000
• Scrapers, brushes, and filter tools: $150–$700
• PPE, respirators, gloves, boots: $400–$1,500
• Photo reporting/certificate software: $20–$200/mo

Call local fire-suppression service companies and ask if they need a hood-cleaning partner for small accounts. Then visit 30 independent restaurants and ask to see the hood-cleaning sticker. If it is expired or missing, offer an after-hours cleaning with photos and a certificate by morning. Keep the pitch brutally practical: clean system, dated report, fewer fire-inspection headaches. Offer the first account a fair but not desperate price, then ask for referrals to two other operators in their food network.