[Bill1903]

Hi i'm new to the forum

Recently started a domestic oven cleaning business and its going quite well.

However ive been asked quite a few times if i would give a price to clean small commercial kitchen(ie sandwhich shop etc)

What sort of equipment would i need if i was to move into this line of work?

Lady today nearly begged me to do hers as she said she really struggled to find someone willing to do it

Any information gratefully recieved

[Bill1903]

No information eh

Did a search(which i should've done in the first place) and found out plenty

[cwmarsham]

Depends on the size of the kitchen does it have a canopy in it? how many filters? Is it a high level clean or a deep clean of everything?

Equipment: you will need a food safe degreaser if there are filters you need something along the lines of suma frit BEWARE if using this product it is a caustic acid there are other less harsh products out there the choice is yours. I would say if you are doing a deep clean get written down everything you customer wants you to do as they tend to add on if you don't.

A high clean is pretty simple you clean with you degreaser everything above door height.

For a deep clean on a large kitchen I would charge £350

Smaller kitchen with no filters maybe a canopy £160

High Clean For a big Kitchen £185

Small £90

Hope this helps   

[Atlantic Cleaning]

For a deep clean on a large kitchen I would charge £350

Smaller kitchen with no filters maybe a canopy £160

High Clean For a big Kitchen £185

Small £90

Hope this helps   

Are you sure? That cant include the Ovens, Microwaves, Deep Fat Friars, Canopies etc.

Dont mean to be picky but it is impossible to have a "Caustic Acid" It is either a Caustic(Alkaline) or Acid different ends of the PH Scale.

Kitchen Deep cleaning is a specialist area and needs to be approached with CAUTION!!! as it is a mine field.

It is very difficult to go through a deep clean on here as I could be typing for days. One thing to be aware of is Aluminium, Is the Canopy Stainless or Aluminium? Same with the filters (more often or not they are Aluminium) In which case if the are they cant be cleaned with an Alkaline cleaner, or put in a caustic dip tank. I knew a chef once that thought he would soak an Aluminium pot in a Caustic soak over night to give it a real deep clean. In the morining he proudly checked on the pot only to find the handle left the rest dissolved, bit extreme I know but it gets the point over.

Beware of all electrics.

Take note on how everything comes apart and check it works before dismantaling, then check it works once back together.

I am sure you are aware of COSHH/ Safty Data for all chemicals this must be with you incase of accidents etc

As cwmarsham rightly said all chems MUST be food safe.

Use Bactericidal (not domestic anti bac chems) cleaners on all walls, floors, hard surfaces (whats the point of a deep clean if you are not killing the bacteria that causes food poisoning)

Finally CHECK YOUR INSURANCE!!!! Does it cover you for this kind of work? if not one misteak could cost you 10's of thousands....

Duncan

[BDCS]

Caustic acids may not in theory exist but they do, they are used in the food industry usually as a foaming cleaner which is sprayed on, left to dwell and hosed off. The chemical changes its state during the dwell. Johnson diversy do one but there are others. I have only experience of them in factory work but would obviously work in a smaller kitchen given a correct risk assessment

[hygiene]

to carry out kitchen deep cleans you need to be highly trained i wouldnt recommend it to make a small buck here and there .. get as much info as poss from the internet insure yourself to the hilt then give it a go it isnt cheap to set up properly ask yourself why your client cant get anyone

[Bill1903]

I'm still getting asked for this service but as has been pointed out its a minefield that i'll leave alone for the time being

[craig b]

dont leave it alone try it.....and learn

[cwmarsham]

Look ducts & fans leave well alone! Clean up to them that’s it. I charge a hospital kitchen that has a main kitchen area and small prep area £375 that’s canopy, filters, oven, walls top to bottom, kick plates, behind shelves, behind dishwasher, the two drain channels, behind the fridges & freezers and one small deep Fat Friar and the floor scrubbed = 2 days work from 14:30 (after lunch) to roughly 20:00-21:00 hrs and £375 in my pocket oh and free lunch and coffee from the chef LOL 

I would agree with Duncan check check and double check your insurance.

And a last bit of advice in this game like many you will have your doubters who will fill your head with negative thoughts but my advice is jump! Look at first it's it will be hard there will be days you will think "what am I doing" but no-one just becomes perfect overnight it takes a lot of trial and error but the main thing is you take that first jump.

[Robert Parry]

Cleaning is not rocket science, however deep cleaning commercial kitchens is a whole new ball game!

Firstly you need to be trained and qualified, just having a go, is not on at all!

The owner or manager of the premises has to comply with the regualations covering commercial kitchens, food prep area's etc.

Failure to comply with these regulations could in fact lead to criminal prosecution, not to mention food poisoning etc, this is just one of the reasons why these owners and managers pass on this work to outside contractors.

As others have stated, ordinary public liablity insurance would not cover you for this type of work, so if anything did go wrong, your insurance would not pay out!

Coshh, should be a given, using non tainting products only.

Ducts, extractors etc are a specialist area, requiring specialist equipment, and strict methods of operation and procedures.

In the present financial climate it is very tempting to take any sort of work, especially in this field as the rewards are very good, however, if you are not trained in this sort of work you could be held responsible for causing a fire, cases of food contamination, food poisoning, even death. You also could be held responsible for the closure of your client's business.

There is a world of difference in keeping a clean kitchen on a daily basis, and having a deep clean carried out.

Those on here and elsewhere who tell you to jump, are in my opinion, giving the wrong advice, they may have gotten away with it so far, but one day the chickens will in fact come home to roost!

cwmmarsham hospital kitchen is not a deep clean, but general kitchen cleaning, which can also be a good earner, although in my opinion is still a little cheap, not much but a little.

If you do decide to enter this segment of the market, be careful to distinguish between maintenance cleaning and a deep clean, but please remember to ensure that your insurance would cover you for general cleaning in a commercial kitchen as well.

Regards,

Rob

[daysdeepclean]

I was sucked in to do a deepclean of a commercial kitchen and quoted £450 thinking they wouldn't entertain that sort of money.... I got the job and wished I hadn't, 2 of us worked solid for 8 hours and were absolutely sickened by the end of the day. This is seriously hard work and without having the correct tools of the trade, very laborious!  I clean ovens (Domestic) and wrongly thought that I could tackle a commercial kitchen clean.... I have since turned 3-4 commercial jobs down. I'll stick to what I know!!!!