Oxfordshire · Canopy and hood cleaning
Canopy and hood cleaning in Merton, Oxfordshire
Canopy cleaning for Merton, from a team that has been trading since 2009. Evenings, overnight and weekends, plus a 24/7 emergency line.
- A canopy that no longer draws the smoke away
- Fat running down the front of the hood
- An EHO comment about the canopy
What canopy cleaning cannot fix
Before you book, it helps to know what’s not included:
- A hood that does not cover the cooking line
- Poor airflow from a fan that needs repair
- Bent or broken filters
If in doubt, phone us on 0345 646 2711, or email photos and we will say what we think before you book.
What we work on in Merton
- Baffle filters
- Island canopies
- Plenum chambers
- Grease gutters
- Canopy light fittings
- Wall canopies
Canopy cleaning in Merton
Duct Doctor has cleaned canopies and hoods since 2009. We’re a BESCA Vent Hygiene Elite member, cleaning to BESA TR19® Grease, and we are fully insured, with CHAS, SafeContractor and ISO 9001. Common call-outs are for a greasy hood noticed by an inspector and grease channels that no longer drain, on grease gutters, baffle filters and island canopies.
Somewhere as small as Merton, commercial kitchens are few: perhaps a pub, a school or care home kitchen, or a hall used for events. Every one of them still needs its extract kept clear of grease, whatever the size of the place.
Insurers, fire officers and environmental health officers all look at records. So every job comes with a written report and pictures, and grease extract cleans come with a TR19® certificate issued through the BESCA Vent Hygiene Elite portal.
- Place
- Merton (OX25)
- Region
- Oxfordshire
- Records
- TR19® certificate and photo report
- Quote
- A fixed price before any work starts
- Hours
- Evenings, overnight and weekends; 24/7 emergencies
- Telephone
- 0345 646 2711
- Reviewed
- 30 October 2026
Nearby places to Merton
Also in Merton
Questions from Merton
Can you get to a site in Merton?
Yes, smaller places are covered as well as towns. Let us know about access, parking and anything unusual about getting there when you book.
Who would carry out a food hygiene inspection at a kitchen in Merton?
In Merton, it’s Cherwell council that carries out food hygiene inspections. Ratings are published by the Food Standards Agency, so a clean extract and good records are worth keeping up.
How long will it take to clean the canopy?
That depends on the size of the canopy and how much grease is on it. Typically it takes an hour or two for one small canopy, longer where there are several.
What does TR19 mean?
BESA’s ventilation hygiene specification, with two parts that matter most here: TR19® Grease for kitchen extract systems and TR19® Air for general ventilation. It is not law, but it’s the benchmark.
Do you have a 24/7 line?
Yes, day and night, every day of the year. Office hours are Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm, and the emergency line covers the rest.
Do we need to close the kitchen for a canopy clean?
The clean is done out of hours: evenings, overnight, early mornings or weekends. The range must be switched off and cooled first.
Are you fully insured?
Yes. We’re fully insured, and we can share the details when you need them.
What paperwork do I get after a canopy clean?
Every clean comes with a photo report that lists what was cleaned and anything we couldn’t reach. A full TR19 clean adds a certificate from the BESCA Vent Hygiene Elite portal.
What staff can safely do
A few tasks are always specialist work: opening up ductwork, cleaning fans, drop testing fire dampers and measuring grease call for the right kit, training and safe access. Leave those to us.
Good housekeeping makes our visits easier, not unnecessary. Regular in-house cleaning slows the build-up, but hidden parts of the system still need specialist attention.
Why it’s worth doing now in Merton
Leaving the canopy until the next full clean can mean months of build-up. Some kitchens need the canopy cleaning more often than the whole system, and readings or a look behind the filters will show it. A planned visit to Merton is easier to arrange than an emergency callout.
Every site is different, so we price each one individually. Size, access, the condition of the system and when we can work all make a difference.
Why book with us
- Work around your opening hours, with 24/7 emergency cover
- Fixed quotes, usually within one working day
- Accredited under CHAS and SafeContractor, with ISO 9001
- Every visit written up, with photos
See how cleaning jobs are priced or our accreditations and certificates.
Grease, kitchens and Merton
The Food Standards Agency lists about 3 pubs and bars as registered food businesses within roughly a mile and a half of the centre of Merton. Breakfasts, bar meals and functions all put grease into the extract wherever they’re cooked. Fire safety in Merton falls to Oxfordshire Fire and Rescue Service. The Fire Safety Order puts the duty on whoever runs a kitchen to control its fire risk, and a greasy duct is fuel. Kitchens in Merton get their food hygiene inspections from Cherwell council. Extraction counts as kitchen equipment, so its condition can come up on the day. Before-and-after pictures from each clean are a simple way to show the extract is in hand.
Church and community hall kitchens, near Church of St Swithin or anywhere around Merton, are easy to forget, but their extracts collect grease like any other. If you run catering at a healthcare site, such as a hospital like Bicester Community Hospital about 2.9 miles north, the extract may need cleaning more often than a part-time kitchen. Boarstall Tower, about 3.7 miles south-east, is one of the historic houses near Merton; if you run event catering at a venue like that, cleans can be booked between functions.
Merton is about 3 miles south of Bicester, in Oxfordshire. From the centre of Merton to the outskirts, we cover canopy cleaning for every kind of premises, from small sites to large estates. Our area takes in 443 places across Oxfordshire, from busy centres to quieter spots. For sites nearby, see our Oxford page (8 miles or so).
We work across OX25 for canopy cleaning and the streets around it. If your site is just outside Merton, we cover Fencott (1 mile south), Murcott (1 mile south-east), Charlton-on-Otmoor (1 mile south-west), Wendlebury (2 miles north-west) and Lower Arncott (2 miles east). We also work in nearby towns such as Oxford (8 miles south), Bicester (3 miles north), Abingdon-on-Thames (13 miles south), Witney (15 miles west), Thame (11 miles south-east) and Kidlington (6 miles south-west).
Local landmarks in Merton
Locally, jobs take us to businesses close to The Old Plough pub. The nearest railway station is Bicester Village station, roughly 2.7 miles north of the centre. Nearby you’ll also find Bicester Community Hospital (2.9 miles north) and Bicester Avenue (2.3 miles north). For a walk, there’s Graven Hill and Woodsides Meadow.
How the visit works
We turn up at the time agreed with you, often in the evening, overnight or at the weekend so the site keeps working. Anything that needs to be off for the work is switched off and left to cool before any work starts, and floors and nearby surfaces are sheeted. On site, it takes part of a shift for most kitchens, more where there are several canopies or heavy deposits. If you can send pictures, we can arrive in Merton knowing what to expect.
- We look at the canopy first, from pictures or on a visit.
- Equipment below is switched off and left to cool, then sheeted.
- With the filters out, the plenum and housing are cleaned back.
- The canopy is cleaned inside and out, including troughs and seams.
- Clean filters are refitted and before and after pictures go into your report.
Before we arrive
- Name a contact who can let us in at the agreed time
- Mention any locked doors, roof access or ceiling voids
- Let us know when the site is closed or quiet
Get a fixed quote
Quoting starts with a diagnosis, either from photos and details you send or from a site visit. After that, you get a fixed price for the work, before we start.
Read more
Managing agents and facilities teams in Merton
If you look after several sites, we can schedule visits across all of them on one quote. Each site gets its own report and pictures, so records stay tidy.
Managing agents often deal with us directly. Send the address, what’s needed and how access works, and we’ll send a fixed quote.
Between visits
Simple habits between visits make a real difference. Our advice:
- Clean the hood’s outer surfaces daily
- Report new drips or smells from the canopy
- Keep filters on a set cleaning routine
- Use non-abrasive cloths on the hood
A before and after photo report follows the clean. It notes what was cleaned and anything we couldn’t reach, so the record is honest and complete.
Wipe the canopy surfaces at the end of each day. It doesn’t reach the plenum, but it stops the outside building up.
What the work involves, part by part
Grease troughs and gutters
A blocked or full trough is the usual cause of grease dripping from the canopy. Cleaning it clears the drip.
Plenums and filter housings
A plenum that hasn’t been cleaned for a long time can hold a thick layer of grease. We remove thick grease by hand, then degrease.