Surrey · Canopy and hood cleaning
Canopy and hood cleaning in South Merstham, Surrey
Looking for canopy cleaning in South Merstham? We survey first, give you a fixed quote and work around your opening hours, finishing with a written report and pictures.
- Wet, greasy drips from the hood
- Grease dripping from the canopy edge
- An EHO comment about the canopy
FAQs for South Merstham
Do you clean school canteen extracts around South Merstham out of term?
Yes. Half-terms and the summer break are the natural time for school work. With about 4 schools and colleges on the FSA’s register within roughly a mile and a half of South Merstham, it pays to plan holiday dates ahead. Just ring 0345 646 2711, or send details by email with your term dates and we’ll plan around them.
Who would carry out a food hygiene inspection at a kitchen in South Merstham?
Food hygiene inspections in South Merstham are carried out by Reigate and Banstead council. It helps to keep the extract cleaning records with your food safety paperwork, so they’re ready if asked for.
Where does the waste go?
We contain it and take it with us. We collect grease, debris and waste water as we go rather than letting it spread.
What do you need from me for a quote?
Just the basics: where it is, what kind of site, when it’s open and the access. Photos and any previous paperwork make it quicker. After that, simply phone us on 0345 646 2711 or drop us a line.
Does the law say we must follow TR19?
No. The law sets the duty, and TR19® is the recognised benchmark for meeting it. Under the Fire Safety Order 2005, the responsible person must reduce fire risk, and many insurers can refuse or reduce a claim without proof of cleaning.
What if parts of the system can’t be reached?
The report shows them clearly. In ductwork, new access panels are often the answer, which we can install.
Can one contract cover all our sites?
Yes. Tell us the addresses and what each needs and you will get one fixed quote.
When do you clean the canopy?
We clean out of hours as a matter of course, at night, early in the morning or at weekends. The kitchen is handed back ready to cook.
Canopy cleaning in South Merstham, 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 hold CHAS, SafeContractor and ISO 9001. If you have poor capture at the hood and grease filters blocking between washes, we can help, from baffle filters, plenum chambers and grease gutters onwards.
Size doesn’t change the work: a kitchen in a place like South Merstham gets the whole system cleaned, canopy to discharge. The visit is booked around your opening hours, and the journey is planned ahead.
Each visit ends with a written report and pictures, so you have a record of what was done and when. Where the work is a TR19® Grease clean, the certificate is issued through the BESCA Vent Hygiene Elite portal.
- Location
- South Merstham (RH1)
- Wider area
- Surrey
- Paperwork
- TR19® certificate and photo report
- Quotes
- A fixed price before work begins
- Hours
- Overnight and weekend work, 24/7 emergency callout
- Call
- 0345 646 2711
- Reviewed
- 30 October 2026
For landlords and multi-site operators
For anyone managing more than one site, we can schedule visits across all of them on one quote. Each site gets its own report and pictures, so records stay tidy.
Facilities teams in offices, schools and healthcare sites book us too across Surrey. Larger estates can be phased building by building to keep disruption down.
Keeping the system healthy
Looking after the system between visits is straightforward, and it makes the next visit easier:
- Clean the baffle filters often
- Keep the fan on through service
- Use non-abrasive cloths on the hood
- Keep grease cups and drawers emptied
A full system clean comes with a TR19 certificate from the BESCA Vent Hygiene Elite portal. Where only the canopy is done, the report says so clearly.
Empty the grease troughs and cups before they fill. Overflowing troughs are the usual cause of drips onto the range, so make emptying them part of the closing routine.
What staff can safely do
In-house cleaning and specialist cleaning do different jobs. Wiping filters daily and washing them weekly keeps the visible parts in order, but grease that has passed the filters is out of reach. That part needs specialist access and equipment.
A few tasks are always specialist work: opening up ductwork, cleaning fans, drop testing fire dampers and measuring grease need training, the right equipment and safe access. Leave those to us.
Nearby places to South Merstham
Also in South Merstham
South Merstham kitchens: local notes
Food Standards Agency records list about 14 restaurants, cafés and works canteens and about 4 takeaways and sandwich shops within roughly a mile and a half of the centre of South Merstham. Wherever there’s a canopy over the cooking, its hood and plenum collect grease with every service. Fire safety in South Merstham falls to Surrey 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. In South Merstham, food businesses are inspected by environmental health officers from Reigate and Banstead council. The cleanliness of the kitchen and its equipment, extraction included, is part of what they check. A TR19® certificate and photo report after each clean gives you a record to show an inspector.
For schools such as Merstham Primary School, kitchen extract cleaning is usually booked for the holidays, when the canteen is closed. If you cook for passing trade around Merstham station, the extract can be cleaned between your last and first customer. Church and community hall kitchens, near All Saints' or anywhere around South Merstham, are easy to forget, but their extracts collect grease like any other.
South Merstham is about 2 miles north-east of Redhill, in Surrey. Every kind of commercial site in South Merstham, we can take on canopy cleaning. We can work out of hours so trading isn’t interrupted. South Merstham is one of 395 places in Surrey where we work for commercial clients. We also work in London, around 17 miles away.
Every address in RH1 is within our area for canopy cleaning, from busy streets to back roads. Whether your site is on Station Road South, London Road South and Station Road or anywhere close by, our technicians can take on the work. Close by, we work in Merstham (1 mile north), Holmethorpe (1 mile south-west), Gatton (1 mile west), Nutfield (2 miles south-east) and Redhill (2 miles south-west). Larger places within reach include Epsom (7 miles north-west), Horley (6 miles south), Ewell (8 miles north-west), Reigate (3 miles south-west), Walton-on-Thames (14 miles north-west) and Caterham (3 miles north-east).
Landmarks near South Merstham
In South Merstham, that means kitchens and buildings near Merstham Park School, Nutfield Marshes and East Surrey College, among other places. South Merstham has its own railway station: Merstham station. A little further out are Bletchingley Castle (2.3 miles south-east) and The Belfry (1.7 miles south-west). Not far away are Colley Hill and Mercers Lake.
What canopy cleaning cannot fix
We’d rather tell you now than book work that won’t help, so these are the things it won’t cover:
- Electrical faults in the canopy
- Filters that no longer seal in the housing
- A fan that can’t pull enough air because it’s worn out
If in doubt, give us a ring on 0345 646 2711 or send us an email and we will say what we think before booking.
What the work covers
- Wall canopies
- Grease gutters
- Canopy light fittings
- Plenum chambers
- Island canopies
- Baffle filters
Different parts, different methods
Pub and hotel kitchens
Pub and hotel kitchens can cook from breakfast to late evening. Long hours mean the canopy collects grease fast, so it may need cleaning between full TR19 cleans.
Island canopies
With filters on more than one side, an island canopy has more plenum to clean. Both sides are taken apart and cleaned.
What happens on the day
Your trading hours come first. Most visits are booked for when the area is out of use, such as evenings, overnight, early mornings or weekends. When the team arrives, the work area is protected and the relevant equipment is switched off to cool, and the work takes an hour or two for one small canopy, longer where there are several. Tell us when your site near South Merstham is quiet and the visit will be booked for then.
- We start by checking the canopy and what’s behind its filters.
- We protect everything below once it has cooled.
- Thick grease is scraped away before the canopy is degreased.
- Plenum, housing, troughs and canopy are all cleaned and checked.
- You get photos of the result and a recommended date for the next clean.
Preparing for the visit
- Arrange a key holder or contact on site
- Tell us about access, such as roof hatches, plant rooms, ceilings or locked areas
- Plan for cooking equipment or plant to be off before we arrive
How to get a quote
Photos are the quickest way to a quote: the system from a couple of angles, plus any access panels or hatches. Add the site type and your opening hours, and we can price many jobs without a visit.
Advice
What affects the cost of canopy cleaning
The diagnosis comes before the price. The main factors are:
- The size of the system
- Site requirements such as sign-in and permits
- When the work can happen, such as evenings, overnight or weekends
- One-off work versus a regular cycle
Kitchens, offices, schools and hospitals are all priced the same way: the size of the job, access, condition and working hours. Call for a fixed quote and we’ll explain each part.
Asking for a quote
Photos and a few facts are often enough to price the work. Send what you can of the following:
- Where the site is and what kind of site it is
- A few general shots of the system
- Any symptoms, from odd noises to smells or leaks
- How we’d reach plant on a roof or in a plant room
Photos are enough for some jobs, while others need a look on site. Big or complicated sites, and systems that are hard to see in pictures, get a survey first. Either way, you get a fixed price before we start.