FAQs

Kitchen extract cleaning involves a thorough clean of the grease extract system which includes canopy cleaning, duct cleaning and fan cleaning throughout the building.

The grease extract system (which consists of canopies, fans and ducts) becomes encrusted with flammable materials such as grease and fat during cooking. Without thorough cleaning, it can develop into a fire risk as the amount of material deposited builds up over time.

With a heavy use kitchen (a kitchen on the go for between 12 – 16 hours a day) extract cleaning is recommended once every three months. With a medium use kitchen (in use between 6 – 12 hours a day) cleaning work should be carried out once every six months. We recommend annual kitchen extract cleaning for light use kitchens (ones that are used between 2 – 6 hours a day).

Kitchen extract cleaning is vital to meet Fire Risk Assessment laws, insurance needs and to comply with health and safety regulations. It is necessary to prevent fires and to maintain a healthy and clean working environment with good air quality.

A dirty extract system is a fire risk and can lead to personal injury in the work place. If you are unlucky enough to have a fire, an insurance company can refuse to pay out if your kitchen extract system has not been regularly cleaned. This can cause major financial loss to a business. A kitchen with poor hygiene standards also breaches health and safety laws which has significant consequences for a business. This can bring about fines, law suits and in the worst case scenario, business closure.

This depends on how dirty it is, but a kitchen extract system deep clean usually takes four hours.

As soon as we receive an enquiry we will ask a number of questions to form an accurate assessment of the work. If the request is more unusual we will carry out a no obligation site visit to find out exactly what cleaning is needed. For most standard kitchen extract system cleans we can provide a quote over the phone and confirm this price by email. Our price system takes into account the number of people needed to complete the work in the set time period.

We work at a time to suit the customer. As our kitchen extract system cleans are designed to keep disruption at a minimum. Much of our work is carried out at night or when the kitchen is not in use.

In most cases work starts within a fortnight of receiving an instruction. Sometimes the time-scale is much quicker, if the work is required urgently.

Ingot is a Safe Contractor approved company and is also accredited by the Contractors Health and Safety Assessment Scheme (CHAS). In addition, we are registered with Constructionline – a government national register for suppliers. Ingot complies with ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 quality standards.

Ingot operates throughout the UK including Birmingham, London, Ipswich, Liverpool, Manchester, Bristol, Suffolk, Essex, Cambridgeshire, Newcastle, Leeds, Coventry, Leicester, Norwich, Norfolk, Southampton, Brighton, Portsmouth, Wolverhampton and Milton Keynes.

At Ingot Services we cater for all your deep cleaning needs including canopies, grease filters, grilles, prep tables, microwaves, hard top stoves, combination ovens, bain maries and steamers. All cooking equipment is dismantled by hand, fully deep cleaned and re-assembled.

We also clean walls, floors and ceilings including lights, vents and high level pipework as well as all the usual kitchen fixtures and fittings.

We recommend that kitchens are deep cleaned at least once a year. Sometimes with a heavily used kitchen we would recommend every six months.

Yes we provide one-off cleans, as well as six monthly and annual industrial oven equipment cleans. Kitchen cleans tend to be one offs, usually when the premises has changed hands. Usually owners keep on top of things from here.

Kitchen cleans take place at a time that causes the least disruption to the customer, which means that much of our work is carried out at night when the kitchens are not in use. Every kitchen deep clean is tailored to our customer’s requirements.

Most full kitchen cleans take a working day or one night to complete.

On receipt of an enquiry we will ask a series of questions, which will enable us to price up the job.  For unusual requests, we carry out a no obligation site visit to identify the  cleaning that is required. Otherwise, for most standard industrial oven kitchen equipment cleans we can quote straight away by phone and confirm by email. Our price depends on how many people we think it will take to complete the job in the time available.

It is much more cost efficient as we can clean a horribly-dirty kitchen in about eight hours, whereas it might take the owner a week. Hiring a professional kitchen cleaning contractor will ensure your business complies with health and safety regulations and that your equipment is working efficiently and safely. A professional industrial cleaning service gives the client ultimate peace of mind.  Our customers know that their kitchen is cleaned to the highest standards, which means one less thing to worry about.

Commercial kitchen hygiene is controlled by stringent guidelines set out in the Food Safety Acts of 1990 and 1995. This states that ‘All Equipment must be kept clean and in good repair.’ Our industrial oven and kitchen equipment cleaning services will ensure that health and safety regulations are adhered to.

Any equipment failure causes great inconvenience as it will result in lost business while the equipment is being fixed or replaced. Also poor hygiene can lead to potential food poisoning or an influx of pests, which can damage a clients’ reputation and ultimately lead to loss of business.

Ingot are CHAS  (Contractors Health and Safety Assessment Scheme) accredited. In addition we are a Safe Contractor approved company and a member of Constructionline – the government’s national register for suppliers.  Ingot is also an ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 quality registered firm.

We operate throughout the UK including Birmingham, London, Ipswich, Liverpool, Manchester, Bristol, Suffolk, Essex, Cambridgeshire, Newcastle, Leeds, Coventry, Leicester, Norwich, Norfolk, Southampton, Brighton, Portsmouth, Wolverhampton and Milton Keynes.

Ingot has over 25 years’ experience in all types of industrial cleaning for all types of businesses and organisations including local authorities, hotels, restaurants, schools and catering industries. Our service is fast, efficient and professional. We know you want the highest standards at the best possible price, so we also offer a price match guarantee.

Deep kitchen cleaning involves cleaning all areas of a commercial kitchen including the walls, ceiling, floors, preparation tables and equipment. It particularly focuses on the hard to reach areas where grease and dirt can build up, such as under cookers and around the seals of fridges. The deep clean starts with the ceiling and high level walls. We also clean all the preparation tables and remove them if needed. Then we strip down all the equipment, such as the fryers and the grills, clean them, put them back together, before tackling the floor which we clean and wet vac.

After our deep kitchen cleaning service, customers are presented with a hygiene certificate to show their kitchen meets the highest levels of cleanliness.

Even in the most organised of kitchens, it is hard to keep a kitchen thoroughly clean as dirt and grease builds up in hard to reach places. Therefore a through deep clean should take place at least once a year.

There are circumstances when a kitchen may need more than a once yearly deep kitchen clean. It all depends on how heavily the kitchen is used and how clean the owners and staff keep it.

Yes we do. This is called a wipe-over clean and is designed to make the premises thoroughly clean so it is ready to prepare food once the builders have left.

Even in the most well-run kitchens hidden areas such as under ovens and behind fridges can get overlooked. Deep cleaning is needed to maintain kitchen hygiene standards and to meet required health and safety laws.

Kitchen hygiene is important to meet health and safety standards as kitchen inspections are carried out annually. If a kitchen does not meet the required standards set down by law an enforcement notice can be served or in the worst case scenario, it can lead to business closure. A build-up of dirt and grease can create health risks to staff and customers and attract pests such as cockroaches, mice and rats.

Unhygienic kitchens can harbour germs and disease spreading bacteria and create a number of health risks. If customers are affected it can lead to a host of problems for the business including damage to reputation and loss of custom.

Salmonella – This is a form of bacteria which can cause food poisoning. It can be found in food, usually unprocessed milk, meat, poultry and eggs. The bacteria attacks the stomach and intestines. Symptoms include abdominal cramps, nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea and fever and can also lead to other health problems. In severe cases it can cause dehydration and death.

Campylobactor – This is the most common form of inflammation of the intestine and stomach (gastro-enteritis) food poisoning. It can be spread by bad personal hygiene, eating contaminated food or drinking unprocessed milk. The bacteria is found in raw food such as meat or poultry, unwashed salads, fruit and vegetables. Symptoms include severe abdominal cramps, nausea and diarrhoea.

E-Coli – This is a principal cause of diarrhoea and symptoms include nausea, stomach cramps and vomiting and fever. In severe cases it can be life threatening. E-coli can be found in raw meat and unprocessed milk and cheeses. The bacteria can be prevented by good personal hygiene, such as hand-washing, cleaning kitchen surfaces, utensils and chopping boards thoroughly after handling raw meat.

Hepatitis A – This is a liver inflammation which can be passed on by contaminated food or water. In incidents of contaminated food, the virus is usually spread by the person who prepares the food. In many people it shows no symptoms at all. However, symptoms can include tiredness, nausea, loss of appetite, headaches, fever, aching muscles and joints and jaundice.

Clostridium Botulinum – This is a serious disease which left untreated can cause paralysis in various parts of the body. It does not pass from person to person. Instead symptoms can develop if the toxin is ingested. Symptoms include double vision, slurred speech, drooping eyelids and muscle weakness.

The time it takes to do a deep kitchen clean varies according to the size of the kitchen, but it usually takes around eight hours from start to finish.

We ask our clients a number of questions to find out their exact requirements and the size of their kitchen. For a standard deep kitchen clean, in most cases we can provide a telephone quote and confirm this by e-mail. If the request is more involved, we will carry out a site visit at no obligation to our customers. We price by the number of people needed to do the work in the given time period.

We work around the needs of our clients. This means our deep kitchen cleans will normally take place at night or after hours so as not to cause any inconvenience to our customers.

In most cases work begins within two weeks, however, in urgent cases we can carry out deep kitchen cleans earlier.

Ingot has achieved the internationally recognised ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 quality standards. We are also accredited to the Contractors Health and Safety Assessment Scheme (CHAS) which means we meet the acceptable standards of health and safety. Ingot is a Safe Contractor approved firm and a member of the Building & Engineering Services Association. We are also Constructionline registered.

We work throughout the UK including Birmingham, London, Ipswich, Liverpool, Manchester, Bristol, Suffolk, Essex, Cambridgeshire, Newcastle, Leeds, Coventry, Leicester, Norwich, Norfolk, Southampton, Brighton, Portsmouth, Wolverhampton and Milton Keynes.

Duct work cleaning is the deep cleaning of air ducting in a building to remove dust, dirt and contaminants. Whilst air ducts do not need cleaning as regularly as a kitchen extract system, duct cleaning is required once every two years to remove the build-up of detritus. Air duct cleaning is required in all buildings with air conditioning.

Air ducts control the air quality in a room, diluting odours by replacing them with natural air. This helps to maintain a healthy air quality for commercial kitchen staff. Generally there is one duct over the cooking equipment and one over the pot wash. Air ducts also provide positive pressures, forcing air into the room, which is necessary for the kitchen extract to work effectively.

Ducts need a good clean because they can get very dusty inside. If equipment is not well-maintained, dirt, grime and debris can clog the filters, stopping the equipment working.

Regular duct cleaning also helps to prevent sick building syndrome, which is most commonly caused by poor air quality and biological contaminations such as moulds, bacteria and viruses which breed in air ducts. It will also help to maintain good air quality and remove any harmful contaminants helping to maintain the health of the workforce.

The time it takes for the work to be carried out varies on the amount of ducting the premises has. A no-obligation quote and cleaning time estimate will be provided on receipt of your enquiry.

Ingot can generally provide a quote over the phone if we know the clients’ exact requirements and the size of ducting that needs to be cleaned. We will then confirm this quote by e-mail. With more unusual cases, or for large jobs , we may need to carry out a no obligation site visit.

We carry out our duct cleaning services at a time that suits the client. Usually our duct cleans will take place at night or outside of business opening hours to avoid business downtime.

In most cases the work starts within a fortnight of our client’s instruction. However, in some cases we carry out work earlier if the client needs it done urgently.

Ingot is a member of the Contractors Health and Safety Assessment Scheme (CHAS) and is also a Safe Contractor recognised firm. We are affiliated to the Heating and Ventilating Contractors’ Association and are Constructionline registered. Ingot has also attained internationally recognised ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 quality standards.

Ingot Services work throughout the UK including Birmingham, London, Ipswich, Liverpool, Manchester, Bristol, Suffolk, Essex, Cambridgeshire, Newcastle, Leeds, Coventry, Leicester, Norwich, Norfolk, Southampton, Brighton, Portsmouth, Wolverhampton and Milton Keynes.

There is no height restriction if we can carry out work whilst adhering to Health, Safety and Welfare Regulations there is no height restriction.

A. Yes, we do not take on any gutter and window cleaning, domestic cleaning or day-to-day office cleaning.

Yes it is essential for a site survey to be carried out as each job has unique.

Yes, all our work is carried out to Health, Safety and Welfare Regulations, which requires a risk assessment to be carried out.

We offer a UK-wide service.

Surface areas that we clean include:

Ceilings, pipework, roofs, structural steel, extraction and air conditioning systems, cladding, atriums.

In order to reach high level areas we may be required to use scaffolding, ladders, platforms and Mobile Elevating Work Platforms (MEWPs) such as scissor lifts and cherry pickers.

All our specialist cleaners are IPAF accredited and are trained in the working at height. Ingot is a member of the Safe Contractor Scheme and of CHAS.

We work closely with you to ensure that interruptions to your day-to-day operations are kept to a minimum.  Cleaning can be carried out at a time suited to you 24 hours a day.