Kent · Canopy and hood cleaning
Canopy and hood cleaning in Gravesend, Kent
Canopy cleaning for Gravesend, from a team that has been trading since 2009. Evenings, overnight and weekends, plus a 24/7 emergency line.
- Drips from the canopy onto the range
- Smoke hanging around the canopy during service
- A canopy flagged at an environmental health inspection
What the work involves, part by part
Wall canopies
A long wall canopy may hold several sections of filters. We work along the canopy section by section, with pictures for each.
School and staff canteen kitchens
School and canteen kitchens often cook to set hours, so the canopy can be cleaned when the kitchen is closed. We often clean them in holidays or at weekends.
About our canopy cleaning in Gravesend
We have been cleaning kitchen canopies since we started trading in 2009. We are a BESCA Vent Hygiene Elite member, cleaning to BESA TR19® Grease, and we hold CHAS, SafeContractor and ISO 9001. The work covers grease gutters, island canopies and wall canopies, and people most often call us about filters that clog soon after cleaning and heavy deposits behind the grease filters.
Kitchens in towns like Gravesend are often in older buildings that were never designed for them, so duct runs can be awkward, with bends, long horizontal sections and too few access panels. Sections we cannot reach are listed on the report, and access panels can be added.
For insurers and inspectors, the record counts. 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
- Gravesend (DA12, DA11)
- Region
- Kent
- Reporting
- Certificate and photo report
- Quotes
- A fixed quote up front
- When we work
- Evenings, overnight and weekends; 24/7 emergencies
- Telephone
- 0345 646 2711
- Updated
- 30 October 2026
The process
Before we leave, we walk the area with whoever is on site. Anything we couldn’t reach or that needs attention is pointed out there and then, and the same goes into the written report. All told, the work takes part of a shift for most kitchens, more where there are several canopies or heavy deposits. Sites in a town like Gravesend rarely need to lose trading hours, as the work fits around them.
- We start by checking the canopy and what’s behind its filters.
- Equipment is turned off and cooled, and the area under the canopy is protected.
- Heavy deposits come off by hand, then the surfaces are degreased.
- We finish the plenum, troughs and canopy and check them over.
- You get pictures of the result and a recommended date for the next clean.
Preparing for the visit
- Mention any locked doors, roof access or ceiling voids
- Find the previous report, if there is one
- Clear the space around the work
Ask for a quote
To help us quote: the address, the type of site and when it’s open, a few photos and the last certificate or report, if there is one. Once you have those, call 0345 646 2711, or email photos.
Advice
Also near Gravesend
Also in Gravesend
When something else is needed
Canopy cleaning cannot fix everything, and we’d rather say so up front. It doesn’t solve:
- Electrical faults in the canopy
- Filters that no longer seal in the housing
- A dirty extract fan further along the system
If you are not sure, just give us a ring on 0345 646 2711 or send us an email and we will give you a straight answer.
What we work on in Gravesend
- Canopy light fittings
- Island canopies
- Wall canopies
- Baffle filters
- Plenum chambers
- Grease gutters
What canopy cleaning looks like in Gravesend
Gravesend lies within about 2 miles of the sea. Salt air speeds up corrosion of roof-level fans, discharge cowls and their fixings. Food Standards Agency records list about 106 restaurants, cafés and works canteens and about 73 takeaways and sandwich shops within 1.5 miles or so of the middle of Gravesend. Wherever there’s a canopy over the cooking, its hood and plenum collect grease with every service. Gravesend sits within the area of Kent Fire and Rescue Service. In most workplaces, including commercial kitchens, it’s the fire and rescue authority that enforces the Fire Safety Order.
If you run a café or takeaway near Gravesend station, early starts and late finishes leave little time to clean, so overnight extract cleaning suits. Healthcare kitchens, like those at hospitals such as Gravesham Community Hospital (about 1 mile north-west), often cook for long hours, which puts them in BESA’s heavier-use bands.
Gravesend is about 9 miles north-west of Gillingham, in Kent. We carry out canopy cleaning for businesses, landlords and public buildings in Gravesend and the rest of Kent. Gravesend is one of 922 places in Kent where we work for canopy cleaning. Maidstone is in our area too, around 13 miles away.
Every address in DA12 and DA11 is covered for canopy cleaning, from the main roads to the quietest streets. We cover sites on Christ Church Road, Hillside Drive and Laurel Avenue and nearby roads. Gravesend sits on or near the A2 and A226, which makes travel easy for evening and night visits. We also cover Windmill Hill (1 mile north-west), Milton-next-Gravesend (1 mile north-east), Denton (1 mile east), Singlewell or Ifield (1 mile south) and Northfleet (1 mile west). Within a short drive, we also cover Maidstone (13 miles south-east), Dartford (7 miles west), Sevenoaks (13 miles south-west), Swanley (9 miles west), Kings Hill (11 miles south) and Foley Park (12 miles south-east).
What’s near Gravesend
Around Gravesend, our work takes us to kitchens and buildings near Northfleet Urban Country Park, St John's Catholic Comprehensive and St John's Catholic Comprehensive. For rail, the closest station is Gravesend station, roughly 0.9 miles north-west of the centre. Well-known places in the area include Gravesham Museum (0.9 miles north-west) and Stone Castle (4.5 miles west). The countryside around Gravesend includes Sawyers Lake and Gad's Hill.
Looking after it afterwards
Aftercare is simple, and it helps at the next visit:
- Avoid harsh scourers that scratch the canopy
- Flag any change in how the canopy behaves
- Empty the grease troughs before they fill
- Leave the extract running until cooking stops
We clear away the sheeting, waste grease and water before we leave. Every filter is refitted and checked, and the kitchen is ready to cook.
Run the extract for as long as anything is cooking. Turning the fan off early lets vapour settle on the hood.
Do you need canopy cleaning in Gravesend?
The canopy takes the hottest, wettest air in the kitchen. Fat in that air settles on the inside of the hood, in its seams and on the filters, and the plenum behind them collects the rest.
Common reasons sites call us are:
- A sticky, discoloured canopy
- An EHO comment about the canopy
- A filter housing caked in grease
- Wet, greasy drips from the hood
Volunteers running a hall kitchen near Christ Church Milton, or anywhere in Gravesend, may not know when the extract was last cleaned, and a grease test settles it.
What your quote should include
- Proof of insurance
- Whether inaccessible sections are listed on the report
- Whether VAT is included
- If they look at the system before pricing
For landlords and multi-site operators
For anyone managing more than one site, we can plan visits across the whole estate and price them together. Every building has its own written report, so records stay tidy.
We regularly work with managing agents. Tell us the site, the work and the access arrangements and we’ll come back with a fixed quote.
Gravesend questions
Can you clean school kitchen extracts in Gravesend during the holidays?
Yes, and it’s the easiest time to do it. Food Standards Agency records list about 33 schools, colleges and universities with registered kitchens within about a mile and a half of Gravesend. Send us your term dates when you phone us on 0345 646 2711 or drop us a line, and we’ll fit the work in.
Which council inspects kitchens in Gravesend?
That’s Gravesham council, whose environmental health officers carry out food hygiene inspections in Gravesend. How often a business is inspected depends on the risk rating the council gives it, so it’s worth staying ready all year.
How long is a canopy clean?
Allow a few hours for most canopies. We will confirm how long when we quote.
What do you do with what you remove?
Anything we remove is contained as we work and taken away with us, from grease and debris to used cleaning water. None of it is left on site.
Do you clean inside the canopy as well as outside?
Inside and out, along with its seams and grease channels. The plenum and filter housing behind the filters are cleaned too.
What causes grease to drip from the hood?
Most drips come from overflowing troughs, damaged filters or a plenum thick with grease. We clean all three and point out anything that is causing it.
Can you look after several sites?
Yes. Our area covers London and the South East, so we can schedule a run of sites as one programme. Each site gets its own report and photos.
How do you keep the site clean during the work?
By covering it before any work starts. We keep the work contained and clean down when we finish.
In-house cleaning or a specialist?
Staff cleaning doesn’t replace a specialist visit; it supports it. Regular in-house cleaning slows the build-up, but hidden parts of the system still need specialist attention.
When your team notices a problem between visits, like drips, unusual noise, smells or damaged filters, they should report it rather than try to fix it. We will take a look and send you a fixed quote.