Kent · Grease trap cleaning
Grease trap cleaning in Ightham, Kent
Our technicians work in Ightham on grease trap cleaning. Out-of-hours visits, a fixed quote and a written report with photos on every job.
- A blocked kitchen drain caused by grease
- Scheduled grease trap emptying
- A kitchen drain that smells
What we do, step by step
There are three stages on the day: getting the area ready, doing the work and signing it off. Set-up means sheeting and making equipment safe, while signing off means the written report and photos. The middle part takes longest, which takes anything from under an hour to a few hours, depending on the trap. Visits to a village like Ightham are booked in advance, at a time that suits whoever runs the site.
- A visit is booked around your service.
- The trap is opened up and checked.
- We remove the grease layer and settled solids.
- The inside, baffles and outlet are cleaned.
- We close it up, check it drains and suggest when it needs cleaning again.
How to prepare
- Tell us where we can park and unload
- Have your last certificate or report to hand
- Clear loose items from the work area
Ask for a quote
Here’s what helps us quote: where the site is, what it is and its opening hours, photos of the system and any previous report or certificate. Once you have those, call 0345 646 2711 or email us.
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Grease trap cleaning in Ightham
Smells from the sink, gurgling drains or slow drainage all point to the grease trap. We find the trap, empty it and clean it and run water through to check it drains. Typical jobs include an interceptor full of grease and solids and a grease trap that hasn’t been emptied in a long time, across school and care home kitchens, under-sink grease traps and restaurants and takeaways.
Somewhere as small as Ightham, the kitchens that need a deep clean are normally a pub, a school, a care home or a hall kitchen, wherever there is one. Wherever there is one, it needs its grease trap and hard-to-reach areas kept clean.
The paperwork matters as much as the work. You get a written report with photos after each visit, listing what was done, anything we couldn’t reach and when the next visit is due. Keep it with your fire safety records so it’s to hand when an insurer or inspector asks.
- Location
- Ightham (TN15)
- Region
- Kent
- Reporting
- Photo report after every visit
- Price
- Fixed quote, usually within a working day
- Hours
- After hours by arrangement; emergencies any time
- Phone
- 0345 646 2711
- Checked
- 30 October 2026
Towns and villages near Ightham
More services for Ightham
In-house cleaning or 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 grease that has passed the filters is out of reach. Reaching it takes a specialist with the right equipment.
Day-to-day cleaning is something your team can do: wiping down canopy surfaces, cleaning filters and keeping a simple log. What they cannot safely do is clean inside the ductwork, the fan or the risers, and that is where we come in.
Multi-site and managed buildings
We work for landlords, managing agents and facilities managers as well as the people running the site. Where a system serves more than one tenant, such as a shared riser, it helps to agree who arranges the work, and we can quote for the whole system.
Facilities teams in offices, schools and healthcare sites book us too across Kent. Work can be phased by floor, building or site around the people who use them.
Common problems we fix in Ightham
Hot washing-up water keeps grease liquid for a while. When it cools, the grease hardens, often in the trap or the pipe beyond.
It’s time to book a visit if you see:
- A slow-draining kitchen sink
- Drains clogged with fat
- A grease trap that hasn’t been emptied in a long time
- Drains that gurgle and bubble
If you cater for weddings or events at a historic house in the area (Ightham Mote is about 1.5 miles south), deep cleans can be fitted between bookings.
What your quote should include
- Whether they’re fully insured
- If they look at the system before pricing
- Proof of accreditation you can verify
- What hours they’ll be on site
Grease trap cleaning around Ightham
There are about 11 cafés, restaurants and staff canteens and about 6 takeaways within about 1.5 miles of central Ightham, according to the Food Standards Agency’s register. Kitchens like these wash fat, oil and grease down the sink every day, and a grease trap is what stops it reaching the sewer. In Ightham, food businesses are inspected by environmental health officers from Tonbridge and Malling council. An inspection covers the structure of the kitchen as well as the food. Having the dates of the last deep clean to hand saves digging for them on the day.
Half-term is a good time for school kitchens, at schools like Ightham Primary School for instance, to have the grease trap emptied and the kitchen deep cleaned. Healthcare kitchens, like those at hospitals such as Sevenoaks Hospital (about 3.7 miles west), cook for long hours, so deep cleans and grease trap work are planned around patients’ meals.
Ightham is about 4 miles east of Sevenoaks, in Kent. Anywhere in TN15, we cover grease trap cleaning for commercial sites. Our Kent coverage runs to 922 places, and Ightham is one of them. Our Maidstone page covers sites nearby, about 11 miles away.
Every address in TN15 is within our area for grease trap cleaning, from the main roads to the quietest streets. We cover sites on The Street, Redwell Lane and Old Lane and the roads around them. We also cover Oldbury (1 mile north), Ivy Hatch (1 mile south-west), Sheet Hill (1 mile south-east), Styants Bottom (1 mile north-west) and Yopps Green (1 mile south-east). Further out, we also cover Maidstone (11 miles east), Dartford (12 miles north), Sevenoaks (4 miles west), Royal Tunbridge Wells (10 miles south), Gravesend (11 miles north) and Tonbridge (6 miles south).
Around Ightham
Around Ightham, our work takes us to kitchens and buildings near Ivy Hatch Nature Reserve, Wrotham School and The Old House and the streets around them. The nearest railway station is Borough Green & Wrotham station, roughly 1.5 miles north-east of the centre. Well-known places in the area include Ightham Court (1.1 miles north) and Beechin Wood Archery Museum (2.3 miles east).
Common questions in Ightham
Do you work overnight in Ightham?
Yes, we can come after you close and finish before you open. The site is handed back ready to open. Just phone us on 0345 646 2711 or email us with your opening times and we will plan around them.
Which council inspects kitchens in Ightham?
Food hygiene inspections in Ightham are carried out by Tonbridge and Malling council. How often a business is inspected depends on the council’s risk rating for it, so the kitchen needs to be ready at any time.
How much notice do you need?
It depends on the time you need and how big the job is. Mention your preferred dates with your enquiry, and for anything urgent, ring our 24/7 emergency line.
Where does the waste go?
We contain it and take it with us. Grease, debris and waste water are collected as the work goes on, so it does not spread.
Does the report say when we need you again?
Yes. The recommended date is on the report. For kitchen extracts, BESA’s minimum intervals run from every 3 months for heavy use to every 12 months for light use, and fire dampers need testing at least once a year.
Can we book visits on a schedule?
Yes. Tell us what you have and how it’s used and we will propose a schedule with a fixed quote.
Does the law say we must follow TR19?
No, not in itself. Insurers, fire officers and EHOs look to TR19® as the benchmark, and many insurers ask for proof of cleaning to it. The law behind it is the Fire Safety Order 2005, which applies in England and Wales.
Which kinds of sites do you work on?
Restaurants and pubs, hotels, schools and colleges, hospitals and care homes, offices and retail, as well as food production and leisure sites.
Looking after it afterwards
After the visit, a few habits help the work last:
- Book trap cleans at a set interval
- Collect waste cooking oil separately
- Report slow or smelly sinks early
- Keep strainers in every sink
Between cleans, keep food scraps out of the sink. Sink strainers help catch solids so less solid waste gets through.
Setting regular cleans takes the guesswork out. We agree the timing with you.
What the work involves, part by part
Restaurant and takeaway kitchens
A blocked drain in a busy kitchen can stop service. Keeping the trap clean reduces the risk.
Under-sink grease traps
Under-sink units are easy to forget. When they fill, the sink slows and starts to smell.
What happens if it’s left?
A dirty grease trap smells. Rotting food and grease give off foul odours that can reach the kitchen and beyond. Cleaning it removes the cause. Somewhere as small as Ightham, losing a kitchen or building to a fault is felt by everyone who uses it.
Leaving it longer rarely makes the work cheaper. Problems in a system tend to grow, and a neglected system can mean more work. If you are not sure what’s needed, phone us on 0345 646 2711 or use the quote form and we’ll give you an honest view and a fixed quote.
Why choose Duct Doctor in Ightham
- Ventilation hygiene specialists since 2009
- Photo reports with every job
- One contact for all your sites in London and the South East
- Fixed quotes from a survey or photos
Take a look at our cost guide and our accreditations.