Greater London · Extract fan cleaning
Extract Fan Cleaning in Chinatown
Professional extract fan cleaning in and around Chinatown, timed so the site keeps working and finished with a written report and photos.
- Grease around the motor and its mounts
- A fan left out of previous cleans
- Fat spreading onto the roof or wall by the fan
In-house cleaning or a specialist?
Away from the kitchen, the in-house job is mainly checking: keeping grilles clear, noting unusual noise or smells and logging filter changes. The inside of ducts and units needs a specialist.
In-house cleaning and specialist cleaning do different jobs. A daily filter wipe and a weekly filter wash keep grease down at the front of the system, but they do not reach the grease that builds up further in. That part needs specialist access and equipment.
About our extract fan cleaning in Chinatown
The fan is cleaned as part of every full TR19® Grease clean, but a fan can also need attention on its own, especially when it has started to vibrate or sound rough. A fan-only clean is recorded as exactly that. The work covers discharge points, centrifugal fans and roof-mounted fans, and common reasons people get in touch are a smell of hot grease from the extract and an extract fan with no cleaning record.
London kitchens are often tucked into basements or the back of a building, with extract ducts that can climb several floors to discharge at roof level. For a kitchen in Chinatown, that usually means a longer system to clean and more access panels to plan around.
The paperwork matters as much as the work. Each visit is written up with photos, listing what was done, anything we couldn’t reach and when the next visit is due. File it in your maintenance log so it’s to hand when an insurer or inspector asks.

- Location
- Chinatown (W1F, W1D, W1T)
- Wider area
- Greater London
- Records
- Certificate and photo report
- Quote
- Fixed quote, usually within a working day
- Hours
- Out of hours as standard, 24/7 emergency line
- Call
- 0345 646 2711
- Reviewed
- 30 October 2026
Towns and villages near Chinatown
More services for Chinatown
What the work involves, part by part
Kitchens with long cooking hours
When a busy kitchen’s fan fails, cooking stops. Keeping the fan clean is part of avoiding that, and our 24/7 emergency callout is there if it happens anyway.
Impellers and blades
While the impeller is clean, we can see its condition: cracks, bent blades or wear. We note any concerns.
When something else is needed
We will not sell you work that doesn’t address the problem, so these are the things it won’t cover:
- Electrical faults in the fan’s supply or controls (an electrician’s job)
- Grease in the canopy and ductwork
- A cracked or broken impeller (it needs replacing)
Not sure which it is? You can phone us on 0345 646 2711 or email us and we will tell you honestly.
What the work covers
- In-line fans
- Axial fans
- Centrifugal fans
- Roof-mounted fans
- Fan housings
- Discharge points
Common questions in Chinatown
How do you handle parking and loading in Chinatown?
London parking can be tight, so details of loading bays and permits help. Much of our London work is done overnight, which helps.
Who would carry out a food hygiene inspection at a kitchen in Chinatown?
In Chinatown, it’s Westminster council that carries out food hygiene inspections. An officer may look up into the canopy, so clean filters on the day and a recent certificate on file both help.
What types of premises do you cover?
Commercial premises of every kind: kitchens, offices, schools, healthcare, retail, leisure and food production. We fit the work around how the site operates.
Why has my extract fan got louder?
Build-up on the impeller is a frequent reason, since uneven grease makes it run out of balance. It can also be wear in the bearings or motor, which our report will flag.
How often does the fan need cleaning?
At least as often as the rest of the extract, which BESA guidance sets by daily cooking hours: every 3, 6 or 12 months. Some fans need attention sooner.
Can you look after several sites?
Yes. You deal with one contact for every site across London and the South East, with visits on a regular schedule.
Does a TR19 kitchen extract clean cover the fan?
Yes. TR19® Grease covers the whole system, fan included. We clean it alongside the canopy, ductwork and discharge.
Do you offer extract fan cleaning separately?
Yes, where it makes sense. We’ll often suggest checking the duct too, as a greasy fan normally means a greasy duct, but the choice is yours.
Keeping the system healthy
Aftercare is simple, and it helps at the next visit:
- Look for grease stains near the discharge
- Listen for new noises or vibration from the fan
- Leave a clear route to the fan
- Run the extract throughout cooking
The area around the fan is left clean, with waste grease removed. Wherever the fan is, the area around it is cleaned down.
Make sure the fan is reachable. Clear access means it’s never left out of a clean, whether it’s on a roof, in a ceiling or on a wall.
Multi-site and managed buildings
Keeping records across a portfolio is half the battle. Each visit ends with a dated report and pictures, ready to show insurers, fire officers or EHOs.
The Fire Safety Order 2005 puts the duty to manage fire risk on the responsible person, and that can be the employer, the owner, a landlord, a facilities manager or a managing agent. With shared responsibility, good records help everyone.
How we price extract fan cleaning
Sites vary more than people expect. The main factors:
- Whether it’s a one-off visit or part of a schedule
- Site requirements such as sign-in and permits
- Parking and loading at the site
- The number of sites or systems
A single site or a whole portfolio, we price it on the same basis: what needs doing, how we get to it and when. You will have a fixed price before work begins.
Asking for a quote
When you contact us, it’s useful to have:
- Anything you’ve noticed, such as smells, noise, drips or poor airflow
- Wide photos of the system and the area around it
- The roof, plant room or outside wall the system runs to
- The paperwork from the last visit, if you have it
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, the quote is fixed before any work is booked.
What happens on the day
There’s very little for your team to do on the day. A contact on site lets us in at the agreed time and points us to the system, and the rest is down to us. Before we leave, the area is tidied and the paperwork follows. Managed blocks in London often need contractors booked in ahead, and we are happy to deal with the agent directly for a site in Chinatown.
- We locate the fan and plan how to reach and isolate it.
- We isolate the power before opening the housing.
- We scrape the heavy grease from the blades and housing.
- The fan is degreased, taking care around the motor.
- It’s closed up, run, checked and photographed for the report.
Getting ready for the visit
- Mention any locked doors, roof access or ceiling voids
- Find the previous report, if there is one
- Mention any parking or loading restrictions
Get a fixed quote
The quickest way to a quote is to send photos: wide shots of the system, close-ups of anything that worries you and how we’d get to it. Add the site type and your opening hours, and we can price many jobs without a visit.
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Extract fan cleaning around Chinatown
Look up Chinatown on the FSA’s food hygiene register and you will find about 4,059 restaurants, cafés and canteens and about 602 takeaways within about 1.5 miles of central Chinatown. Where they cook under a canopy, an extract fan is pulling grease-laden air through its blades every service. It’s Westminster council that sends environmental health officers to food businesses in Chinatown. The cleanliness of the kitchen and its equipment, extraction included, is part of what they check. Our report lists what was cleaned and when, which is useful to have ready. Chinatown is covered by London Fire Brigade. Grease in a kitchen extract is a recognised fire risk, and the fire authority enforces the law on managing it in most commercial premises.
Healthcare kitchens, like those at hospitals such as St James Workhouse (about less than half a mile north-west), often cook for long hours, which puts them in BESA’s heavier-use bands. Church and community hall kitchens, near St Anne's Church or anywhere around Chinatown, are easy to forget, but their extracts collect grease like any other. For schools such as Soho Parish CofE Primary School, kitchen extract cleaning is typically booked for the holidays, when the canteen is closed.
Chinatown is about 1 mile east of City of Westminster, in Greater London. Sites in Chinatown get the same service as everywhere we cover: diagnosis first, a fixed price, out-of-hours working where needed and a written report with photos. Our area takes in 764 places across Greater London, large and small.
Extract fan cleaning in W1F, W1D and W1T is surveyed, quoted and booked the same way as anywhere else. That includes premises on Duck Lane, Drury Lane and Bruton Lane and the roads around them. Chinatown sits on or near the A4 and A301, so getting to you is simple for evening and night visits. We also cover the places around Chinatown: Soho (1 mile north), St James's (1 mile south), West End (1 mile north-east), Seven Dials (1 mile north-east) and St Giles (1 mile north-east). Larger places within reach include Kensington (3 miles west), Shoreditch (3 miles north-east), Walthamstow (7 miles north-east), Hoxton (3 miles north-east), Whitechapel (3 miles east) and Hampstead (4 miles north-west).
Local landmarks in Chinatown
Locally, jobs take us to businesses close to LITE Regal International School, London Library and Waxy O'Connor's pub. You will also find St Anne's Churchyard (less than half a mile north-west) and Harris Westminster Sixth Form (0.8 miles south). There’s a railway station in Chinatown itself: Tottenham Court Road station. Nearby you will also find Leverian collection (under half a mile south-east) and Montfichet's Tower (1.3 miles east). Open spaces near Chinatown include Barnsbury Wood and St. James's Park Lake.