Greater London · Canopy and hood cleaning
Canopy and hood cleaning in Finchley, Greater London
Specialist canopy cleaning for Finchley: diagnosis first, then a fixed quote, the work and a report with pictures. Ask us for a fixed quote.
- Grease channels that no longer drain
- An EHO comment about the canopy
- A hood coated in old grease
Canopy cleaning in Finchley, done properly
Duct Doctor has cleaned canopies and hoods since 2009. As a BESCA Vent Hygiene Elite member, cleaning to BESA TR19® Grease, we treat the canopy as one part of a whole system, and we’re fully insured, with CHAS, SafeContractor and ISO 9001. If you’re dealing with a sticky, discoloured canopy and a canopy that no longer draws the smoke away, we can put it right.
In a London area like Finchley, a kitchen extract often passes through shared space on its way out: a riser, a service void, the floors above. Grease in a duct like that is a fire risk to the whole building, not just the kitchen, which is why keeping it clean to TR19® matters.
Insurers, fire officers and environmental health officers all look at records. So every job comes with a written report and photos, and grease extract cleans come with a TR19® certificate issued through the BESCA Vent Hygiene Elite portal.
- Location
- Finchley (N3, N2, N12, NW11)
- Region
- Greater London
- Reporting
- Certificate plus before-and-after photos
- Price
- Fixed quote, normally within a working day
- Hours
- Nights, weekends or holidays to suit you
- Phone
- 0345 646 2711
- Page updated
- 30 October 2026
Looking after it afterwards
No system stays clean for ever, but care slows the build-up. A few tips:
- Give the canopy a wipe after service
- Avoid harsh scourers that scratch the canopy
- Wash or exchange the filters on a regular cycle
- Flag any change in how the canopy behaves
We clear away the sheeting, waste grease and water before we leave. Filters are back in place and seated properly, and the kitchen is ready to cook.
Wipe the canopy surfaces at the end of each day. It doesn’t reach the plenum, but it stops the outside building up.
What we’re called out for in Finchley
Moisture in the air mixes with the grease on the canopy. Water vapour condenses on the cooler canopy surfaces and drips and runs with the grease. The result is sticky streaks and drips onto the range.
Common reasons sites call us include:
- A filter housing caked in grease
- Canopy gutters full of old fat
- A greasy hood noticed by an inspector
- Drips from the canopy onto the range
Healthcare kitchens can’t easily close, so their extracts are cleaned overnight or between meal services; the nearest hospital to Finchley is Finchley Memorial Hospital, about less than half a mile north-east.
What to look for in a quote
- Exactly which parts of the system are covered
- Whether a written report and photos are included
- What hours they’ll be on site
- Whether the quote is based on a survey or pictures
How we price canopy cleaning
Before we fix a price, we need to know a few things. We look at:
- How big the system is
- The condition of the system
- One-off work versus a regular cycle
- Site requirements such as sign-in and permits
Several systems or sites on one quote often makes better use of the time. Tell us about everything you’d like looked at, and you will get one fixed quote.
Helping us quote
Photos let us diagnose from a distance. Try to include:
- The postcode and the type of business
- When the site is open and when it’s quiet
- Any previous report or certificate
- Close-ups of filters, grilles, hatches or access panels
Quotes are quick. Call or email with a few details and you will usually have a fixed price within one working day. Where a survey is needed, we arrange a time that suits the site.
Finchley questions
Can parking be tricky for a job in Finchley?
Tell us where a van can stop near your site in Finchley, and about any building rules on loading. Working overnight, as we often do in London, typically makes it simpler.
Who is the fire and rescue service for Finchley?
It’s London Fire Brigade, which covers Finchley. It’s worth keeping your fire risk assessment, TR19® certificates and photo reports together, ready to show.
Can you look after several sites?
Yes. We work across South East England and London, so sites at different addresses can be planned together on one programme. Every site has its own report.
Which sectors do you work in?
Any commercial site with kitchens or ventilation, from a small pub to a hospital. We work with hotels, schools, care homes, offices, retail and leisure sites.
What does TR19 mean?
BESA’s ventilation hygiene specification in two main parts: TR19® Grease for kitchen extract systems and TR19® Air for general ventilation. It is not legislation, but it’s the standard people check against.
Do you provide pictures of the cleaned canopy?
You get a photo report with before and after photos. If the canopy is cleaned as part of a full TR19 clean, a TR19 certificate is issued too.
Can you come out in an emergency?
Yes, any time. For anything urgent, such as a fan failure or damage after a fire, ring the 24/7 line, and we will advise on what to do next.
What do you do to protect the area?
We cover floors and nearby surfaces with sheeting before we start, and anything we remove is contained. Before we leave, we tidy up and clean down.
How the visit works
There are three stages on the day: set-up, the treatment itself and the sign-off. Getting ready means protecting surfaces and switching off what needs to be off, while signing off means the written report and pictures. The middle part takes longest, and that takes an hour or two for one small canopy, longer where there are several. We fit London jobs around the building rather than the other way round, so a visit in Finchley is typically out of hours.
- First the canopy is surveyed, by photos or in person.
- The range is turned off and allowed to cool before we cover it.
- Filters come out and the plenum behind them is scraped and degreased.
- Inside and out, the canopy and its grease channels are degreased.
- Clean filters are refitted and before and after pictures go into your report.
How to prepare
- Let us know how we reach the system, including roofs, risers and plant rooms
- Clear loose items from the work area
- Tell us about site rules, permits or sign-in
Getting a quote
Photos are the quickest way to a quote: the system from a couple of angles, plus any access panels or hatches. Tell us what kind of site it is and when it’s open, and we can price many jobs without a visit.
Related advice
Multi-site and managed buildings
Multi-site operators often want one contractor and one number. We work across London and the South East, so visits at different addresses can be planned together and kept on a regular cycle.
Whether it’s one building or many, you get the same standard: diagnosis, a fixed price, work booked around your hours and a written report with photos.
What canopy cleaning can’t fix
Before you book, it helps to know what’s not included:
- Ductwork and fans beyond the canopy (those need a full TR19 clean)
- Faulty canopy lights or wiring (a job for an electrician)
- Poor airflow from a fan that needs repair
If in doubt, ring 0345 646 2711 or email us and we’ll say what we think before you book.
Where we work
- Plenum chambers
- Wall canopies
- Baffle filters
- Canopy light fittings
- Island canopies
- Grease gutters
Canopy cleaning around Finchley
There are about 180 cafés, restaurants and staff canteens and about 55 sandwich bars and takeaways in and around Finchley, up to about a mile and a half out, according to the Food Standards Agency’s register. Where they cook under a hood, the plenum behind the filters is where grease hides. Food hygiene inspections in Finchley are the job of Barnet council’s environmental health team. Extraction counts as kitchen equipment, so its condition can come up on the day. A TR19® certificate and photo report after each clean gives you a record to show an inspector. Finchley is covered by London Fire Brigade. Fire and rescue authorities enforce the Fire Safety Order in most non-domestic premises, and in a kitchen that fire risk includes the grease in the extract.
If you look after a school kitchen, at a school such as Manorside Primary School or anywhere near Finchley, the holidays are the usual time for a TR19® clean. If you run a church or community hall kitchen, near St Paul's Finchley or elsewhere in Finchley, its extract still collects grease from every lunch and event.
Finchley is about 6 miles north of City of Westminster, in Greater London. Whatever kind of site you run in Finchley, canopy cleaning is something we can help with. We can work out of hours so the site keeps running. We cover 764 places across Greater London, large and small. Our London page covers sites nearby (8 miles or so).
We cover every part of N3, N2, N12 and NW11 for canopy cleaning and the streets around it. If you need canopy cleaning at premises on Station Road, Chaplin Square and Market Place or a nearby road, we can help. You will find Finchley on the B1462, so it’s easy for us to get to for canopy cleaning. Neighbouring places we cover for canopy cleaning include Church End (1 mile west), Woodside Park (1 mile north), North Finchley (1 mile north), Friern Barnet (2 miles north-east) and Oakleigh Park (2 miles north). Further out, we also cover London (8 miles south-east), City of Westminster (6 miles south), Marylebone (6 miles south), Kensington (7 miles south), St Pancras (6 miles south-east) and Shoreditch (7 miles south-east).
Near you in Finchley
Around Finchley, our work takes us to kitchens and buildings near The Elephant Inn, Bishop Douglass School and Francis Skaryna Belarusian Library and Museum and the streets around them. Also close by are Victoria Park (under half a mile north) and Woodhouse College (1 mile north-east). The closest station to Finchley is New Southgate station, about 1.9 miles north-east of the centre. A little further out are Finchley Memorial Hospital (within half a mile north-east) and Grand Arcade (1 mile north). Not far away are Highgate Hill and Lakeside Nature Reserve.
Also near Finchley
What else we do in Finchley
How the job changes from site to site
School and staff canteen kitchens
A canteen canopy may cook fewer hours, but it still collects grease. BESA guidance still sets a minimum interval for the whole system, and the canopy is part of it.
Grease troughs and gutters
Many canopies have troughs or gutters around the edge to catch running grease. They’re emptied and cleaned during the job, so they can do their job again.