Guide

Preparing the kitchen the night before hood cleaning day

Updated 2026-10-09

Most bad hood cleaning nights start at close: a hot fryer line, a locked roof hatch, food left on the shelf under the hood, and nobody on site who knows the crew is coming. Fifteen minutes of setup by the closing shift saves crew time on the clock and protects your food and equipment from degreaser and rinse water.

Short answer Confirm the scope and roof access days ahead. At close, stop cooking early enough for the line to cool, turn off pilots and gas per your own shutdown procedure, pull all food, smallwares, and portable equipment out of the work zone, empty grease cups and drain trays, clear a path to the line and the roof, and leave lights on. Do not pre-clean inside the hood or duct. Name one person who can be reached all night and who will walk the line with the crew before they leave.

Days before

Scope in writing: which hoods, and whether plenum, duct, and fan are included, not just canopy and filters (see full-system vs canopy)
Roof access: keys, hatch, ladder, or escort cleared with the landlord or building engineer. This is a common reason a visit stalls.
Building security and loading: crew name and arrival window on the list; parking or dock space for the rig
Known problems flagged: rattling fan, leaking seam, warped filter, a duct section that was “no access” last time
Grease interceptor timing: if your sewer utility recommends it, book the interceptor pump-out after the hood clean (see below)
Suppression contractor: if suppression service is due the same week, ask both vendors which visit goes first and put it in writing

At close, before the crew arrives

Task	Why
Stop cooking early; let fryers, griddles, and broilers cool	Nobody cleans over hot equipment, and waiting on a hot line is billable time
Pilots and gas off per your shutdown procedure	Degreaser and open flame don’t mix; crews also lock out fan and appliance switches before work
Remove food, single-use items, pans, utensils, and small appliances from the line and from shelves under or next to the hood	Covering an open tray is weaker than removing it; plastic can shift or tear
Lid or cover fryers per the vendor’s instructions	Degreaser or rinse water in fryer oil contaminates it
Empty grease cups and drain trays	Less mess for the crew; you see how full they were
Clear the floor route from the door to the line and to the roof access point	Hoses, ladders, and drums need a path
Leave lights on over the line and along the access route	Crews often arrive after close
Do not pre-clean inside the hood, plenum, or duct	That’s the job you are paying for, and it hides the before photos

The crew should still wrap fixed equipment and prep surfaces in plastic and set up runoff capture. If they show up without sheeting or a plan for the wastewater, ask before they start.

Drains and wastewater

Hood cleaning wastewater is hot, high-pH, and full of grease. Nashville’s Metro Water Services published one of the clearer local rules: before hood cleaning, seal internal plumbing that does not drain to the grease interceptor; waste that drains to the interceptor is allowed; coordinate the clean with an interceptor pump-out, ideally before the store reopens; and no hood cleaning waste may reach storm drains, parking lots, or ditches. Your city’s sewer utility may say it differently. Ask them, and see chemical runoff and grease waste handling.

Before the crew leaves

Walk the line together with a flashlight; look inside the hood and plenum
Filters back in, right orientation, no gaps
All access panels and covers back on; fan runs and sounds normal (see post-clean fan spin test)
Nozzle caps on and nothing disturbed on the suppression system
Plastic gone, floor dry, no residue on prep surfaces
New service label on the hood listing anything not cleaned
Written report or a promise of photos within a set number of days

Then file the report where the inspector can see it (documentation binder).

Who it’s for / not for

For: closing managers and shift leads on hood night; GMs writing a one-page close-out sheet; multi-unit operators standardizing prep across stores
Not for: replacing your own gas, electrical, or lockout procedures, or the vendor’s safety plan. Follow your equipment manuals.

Sources

Metro Water Services (Nashville): Vent Hood Cleaning Procedures & Regulations (PDF) (switch lockout, suppression not disabled, no chemicals on fusible links; seal plumbing not draining to interceptor; coordinate pump-out; no stormwater discharge)
Charlotte Hood Cleaners: How to prepare a restaurant for hood cleaning (vendor checklist: scope, roof access, cool line, clear line, grease cups, lights)
Superior Clean: Hood cleaning process step by step (vendor description of covering equipment, pilots off, manager walkthrough)
Cleanwell: Restaurant kitchen hood cleaning preparation checklist (removing food vs covering it; naming who isolates and restarts equipment)

Next step

Print the “at close” table, tape it inside the office door, and give it to whoever closes on hood night. Add the crew lead’s phone number and the roof key location at the bottom.