Greater London · Kitchen extract cleaning
Kitchen extract cleaning in Downham, Greater London
Kitchen extract cleaning for Downham, from a team that has been trading since 2009. Out-of-hours visits and 24/7 emergency callout.
- A smoky, hot kitchen with weak extraction
- Extraction mentioned at an environmental health visit
- An extract that has never been cleaned to TR19
Staff cleaning versus specialist work
If your staff spot something between visits, like drips, unusual noise, smells or damaged filters, it’s best reported rather than tackled in-house. We’ll take a look and give you a fixed quote.
Your own staff can handle the daily basics: wiping down canopy surfaces, cleaning filters and keeping a simple log. Inside the ducts, risers and fan is specialist work, and that is where we come in.
Kitchen extract cleaning in Downham
A kitchen extract system is far more than the canopy you can see. Behind it sit the plenum and grease filters, then the ductwork, risers, extract fan and discharge, and each part collects grease. A TR19® Grease clean deals with the whole route, not only the parts on show. Common call-outs are for rancid smells from grease in the duct and years of baked-on grease in the ducts, on plenums and filters, extract fans and canopies and hoods. Extraction cleaning, hood cleaning and TR19 duct cleaning all end up in the same place: a clean that goes past the canopy into the duct and fan, backed by a certificate.
A clean in Downham covers the canopy, plenum, filters, ductwork, risers and fan, and the discharge where it can be reached.
Kitchens in Downham, like many across London, can share a building with flats or offices, with the duct running up through shared risers. Grease in a duct like that is a fire risk to the whole building, not just the kitchen, which is why keeping it clean to TR19® matters.
The sign-off is always in writing: a dated report with pictures of the work, and for TR19® Grease cleans, a certificate issued through the BESCA VHE portal. Any parts we couldn’t reach are recorded on it too.
- Location
- Downham (BR1, SE6, SE12)
- Wider area
- Greater London
- Paperwork
- TR19® certificate and photo report
- Quotes
- Fixed quote, normally within a working day
- When we work
- Out of hours as standard, 24/7 emergency line
- Phone
- 0345 646 2711
- Page updated
- 30 October 2026
When it’s something else
Not every problem is solved by kitchen extract cleaning, and we’d rather say so up front. It won’t put right:
- Damaged duct sections that need replacing
- A fan motor or bearings that have failed (that needs a fan repair or replacement)
- A grease trap that needs emptying
Not sure which it is? You can call us on 0345 646 2711 or use the quote form and we’ll tell you honestly before you book.
What we work on in Downham
- Extract fans
- Horizontal duct runs
- Plenums and filters
- Vertical risers
- Discharge points
- Canopies and hoods
Questions from Downham
Do you do school kitchen extract cleaning in Downham in the summer holidays?
Yes. Half-terms and the summer break are the natural time for school work. There are about 22 schools, colleges and universities on the FSA’s food hygiene register within about 1.5 miles of Downham. Send us your term dates when you call us on 0345 646 2711 or use the quote form, and we’ll fit the work in.
Which council inspects kitchens in Downham?
The local authority for Downham is Lewisham council, and its environmental health team does the inspecting. How often a business is inspected depends on the risk rating the council gives it, so it’s worth staying ready all year.
What happens if you can’t reach some of it?
The report shows them clearly. Often the fix is extra access, such as new panels in ductwork, which we can install.
Can you come out in an emergency?
Yes. There’s a 24/7 emergency line, for problems that can’t wait. Ring any time and tell us what’s happened.
What types of premises do you cover?
Any site with a kitchen or a ventilation system to look after, from a small pub to a hospital. Hotels, schools, care homes, offices, shops and leisure sites are all part of our work.
How long does it take to clean a kitchen extract system?
Short systems are done in a few hours, but large systems may be spread over more than one visit. Your quote says how long to expect.
Do you clean the whole extract system or just the canopy?
The whole system: canopy inside and out, plenum, grease filters, ductwork, risers, extract fan and discharge, plus attenuators where fitted. Anything we cannot reach is recorded on the report.
Will the clean disrupt our service?
The clean is done when the kitchen is not cooking, so evenings, overnight, early mornings and weekends are all options. We need the equipment switched off and cooled first.
When to call us in Downham
The reason for all this is fire. Flames from a pan or grill can be pulled into the canopy by the fan, and once grease in the duct catches, fire can spread through the building’s ductwork. That’s why controlling extract grease belongs in the fire risk assessment.
The symptoms we are asked about most include:
- Fat running down the canopy edge
- A system with no record of a TR19 clean
- A kitchen taken over without any extract records
- A smoky, hot kitchen with weak extraction
Healthcare kitchens cannot easily close, so their extracts are cleaned overnight or between meal services; the nearest hospital to Downham is Bromley Hospital, about 2.1 miles south.
What your quote should include
- Whether the figure could change on the day
- What records you’ll receive afterwards
- Whether inaccessible sections are listed on the report
- Whether VAT is included
For landlords and multi-site operators
We work for landlords, managing agents and facilities managers as well as the people running the site. Shared systems, like a riser serving several units, need a clear agreement on who books the work, and we’re happy to quote for all of it.
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 photos, so records stay tidy.
Places near Downham
Other services in Downham
Looking after it afterwards
Think of this as the after-treatment advice, short and simple:
- Never cook with filters missing or out of place
- Flag any change in how the extract sounds or works
- Wash or exchange the filters often
- Keep to the recommended cleaning interval
We hand the kitchen back clean, with the sheeting removed and waste taken away. Waste grease and water are contained and removed, so you can start cooking as normal.
Run the extract whenever the kitchen is cooking. Cooking with the extract off lets grease and heat settle in the canopy, and the next clean has more to do.
What we do, step by step
On the day, we arrive at the time agreed with you, often in the evening, overnight or at the weekend so the site keeps working. Equipment that has to be off is switched off and allowed to cool before work begins, and floors and nearby surfaces are sheeted. The work itself takes one visit for most kitchens, while large or complex systems may need more than one. Expect the work in Downham to happen after your last customer leaves, not during trading.
- First comes a survey of the whole system, by pictures or a visit.
- We measure the grease at set points along the system, then give you a fixed price.
- With the kitchen closed and equipment off and cool, the area is sheeted.
- We clean the canopy, plenum, filters, ducts, risers, fan and discharge.
- We test again, photograph the result and issue your TR19 certificate and photo report.
Before we arrive
- Move anything stored near the system
- Let us know about parking and loading
- Name a contact who can let us in at the agreed time
Get a fixed quote
The quickest way to a quote is to send pictures: 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 many jobs can be priced from that alone.
Related advice
Downham kitchens: local notes
Food Standards Agency records list about 152 restaurants, cafés and canteens and about 80 sandwich bars and takeaways within roughly a mile and a half of the centre of Downham. Those that fry, grill or roast under a canopy need their extracts cleaned at intervals set by how long they cook. In Downham, food businesses are inspected by environmental health officers from Lewisham council. The cleanliness of the kitchen and its equipment, extraction included, is part of what they check. Before-and-after photos from each clean are a simple way to show the extract is in hand. Downham sits within the area of 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.
Commuter trade near Grove Park station can mean long cooking hours, and long hours put a kitchen into BESA’s more frequent cleaning bands. Volunteers running a hall kitchen near St Barnabas, or anywhere in Downham, may not know when the extract was last cleaned, and a grease test settles it.
Downham is about 2 miles north of Bromley, in Greater London. Wherever you are in the BR1 postcode area, we can take on kitchen extract cleaning. We cover 764 places across Greater London, large and small. London is in our area too, around 7 miles away.
Every address in BR1, SE6 and SE12 is within our area for kitchen extract cleaning, from the main roads to the quietest streets. Whether your site is on Shaw Road, Arcus Road and Brook Lane or anywhere close by, our technicians can take on the work. Other places close to Downham include Plaistow (1 mile south), Grove Park (1 mile north-east), Sundridge (1 mile south-east), Chinbrook (1 mile east) and Bellingham (1 mile west). Within a short drive, we also cover London (7 miles north-west), City of Westminster (9 miles north-west), Marylebone (9 miles north-west), Kensington (10 miles north-west), St Pancras (9 miles north-west) and Shoreditch (8 miles north-west).
Landmarks near Downham
Locally, jobs take us to businesses close to Holy Trinity College Bromley, Downham Fields and Bonus Pastor Catholic College. The closest station to Downham is Grove Park station, about 0.8 miles north-east of the centre. Well-known places in the area include The Glades (1.6 miles south) and Greenwich Castle (3.6 miles north). Not far away are Summer Hill and Downham Woodland Walk.
Why it’s worth doing now in Downham
A clogged extract doesn’t only raise the fire risk. Filters block, airflow drops and the kitchen gets hotter and smokier, while the fan works harder to move less air. Smells, dripping grease and condensation often follow. London sites work long hours, and the longer a job is left, the bigger it gets.
Leaving it longer rarely makes the work cheaper. Build-up, wear and faults tend to get worse, not better, which can make the next visit longer. If you are not sure what’s needed, give us a ring on 0345 646 2711, or email photos and we will give you an honest view and a fixed quote.
Why us?
- A BESCA Vent Hygiene Elite member, cleaning to BESA TR19® Grease
- Out-of-hours work and a 24/7 emergency line
- A fixed price before any work starts
- CHAS and SafeContractor accredited, with ISO 9001
Take a look at what affects the cost or how to check a contractor.