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Compliance · Fire and life safety

How often should kitchen extract ductwork be cleaned?

  • 3tasks
  • 9sources
  • checked on
  • Englandscope
The short answer

It depends on how many hours a day the kitchen cooks. BESA's TR19 Grease sets minimum cleaning intervals of every 3 months for heavy use (12 to 16 hours a day), every 6 months for moderate use (6 to 12 hours) and every 12 months for light use (2 to 6 hours).

The tasks

What to do, and how often

Task How often Who Basis
Clean the entire kitchen extract system, including the canopy, fan and the full length of the ductwork Applies to: Heavy use: 12 to 16 hours of cooking a day Every 3 months Competent kitchen extract cleaning contractor Guidance BESA's TR19 Grease recommends cleaning every 3 months as a minimum for heavy use. SourcesS1
Clean the entire kitchen extract system, including the canopy, fan and the full length of the ductwork Applies to: Moderate use: 6 to 12 hours of cooking a day Every 6 months Competent kitchen extract cleaning contractor Guidance BESA's TR19 Grease recommends cleaning every 6 months as a minimum for moderate use. SourcesS2
Clean the entire kitchen extract system, including the canopy, fan and the full length of the ductwork Applies to: Light use: 2 to 6 hours of cooking a day Every year Competent kitchen extract cleaning contractor Guidance BESA's TR19 Grease recommends cleaning every 12 months as a minimum for light use. SourcesS3

Where a row says who or what it applies to, the task is for that case only.

The law

No law sets a cleaning interval. Regulation 5 of the Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992 requires mechanical ventilation systems in workplaces to be maintained, including cleaned as appropriate. BESA and government schools guidance both treat grease and cooking residue in extract ducts as a fire risk, to be managed alongside the fire risk assessment.

The standard

TR19 Grease, a standalone specification produced in 2019 by the Building Engineering Services Association (BESA) for fire risk management of grease accumulation in kitchen extraction systems. It is an industry specification, not a British Standard.

Records to keep

  • Post-clean report with before and after photographs
  • Grease thickness readings taken before and after cleaning
  • Record of any sections that could not be accessed
  • Cleaning certificate for the insurer

Notes

These are minimum intervals. BESA says more frequent cleaning may be needed depending on the type of cooking and the findings of insurance and fire risk assessments, and that grease deposits should not exceed a mean of 200 microns between cleans. Many insurance policies require TR19 compliance, so check the policy wording.

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Quick answers

Questions people ask

Kitchen extract (grease) ductwork: is the interval set in law?

No task on this page has an interval set in legislation. Each one is recommended by guidance. No law sets a cleaning interval. Regulation 5 of the Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992 requires mechanical ventilation systems in workplaces to be maintained, including cleaned as appropriate. BESA and government schools guidance both treat grease and cooking residue in extract ducts as a fire risk, to be managed alongside the fire risk assessment.

Kitchen extract (grease) ductwork: who should carry out each task?

Competent kitchen extract cleaning contractor: clean the entire kitchen extract system, including the canopy, fan and the full length of the ductwork.

Kitchen extract (grease) ductwork: what records should you keep?

Keep these records: post-clean report with before and after photographs; grease thickness readings taken before and after cleaning; record of any sections that could not be accessed; cleaning certificate for the insurer.

Checked on

Sources

Every task and legal statement is supported by at least one source fetched over HTTPS and read on the date shown. Quotes are verbatim and 25 words or fewer. A second, independent verification pass re-fetched every source and re-read the legislation on 5 October 2026. Intervals taken from British Standards were checked against published summaries of those standards by trade bodies and government guidance, because the standards themselves are paid publications.

  1. TR19 Kitchen Extract Ventilation Cleaning For Fire Safety Compliance ↗

    Building Engineering Services Association (BESA) · Published 5 January 2026 · read on

    “Heavy-use kitchens (12-16 hours per day) should be cleaned every 3 months.”

    TR19 Kitchen Extract Ventilation Cleaning For Fire Safety Compliance, Building Engineering Services Association (BESA)

    Supports: TR19 Grease heavy use interval

  2. TR19 Kitchen Extract Ventilation Cleaning For Fire Safety Compliance ↗

    Building Engineering Services Association (BESA) · Published 5 January 2026 · read on

    “Moderate use (6-12 hours per day) every 6 months.”

    TR19 Kitchen Extract Ventilation Cleaning For Fire Safety Compliance, Building Engineering Services Association (BESA)

    Supports: TR19 Grease moderate use interval

  3. TR19 Kitchen Extract Ventilation Cleaning For Fire Safety Compliance ↗

    Building Engineering Services Association (BESA) · Published 5 January 2026 · read on

    “Light use (2-6 hours per day) every 12 months.”

    TR19 Kitchen Extract Ventilation Cleaning For Fire Safety Compliance, Building Engineering Services Association (BESA)

    Supports: TR19 Grease light use interval

  4. TR19 Kitchen Extract Ventilation Cleaning For Fire Safety Compliance ↗

    Building Engineering Services Association (BESA) · Published 5 January 2026 · read on

    “The cleaning process encompasses the entire ventilation system, including the canopy, fan, and the full length of the ductwork.”

    TR19 Kitchen Extract Ventilation Cleaning For Fire Safety Compliance, Building Engineering Services Association (BESA)

    Supports: The clean covers the whole system

  5. TR19 Kitchen Extract Ventilation Cleaning For Fire Safety Compliance ↗

    Building Engineering Services Association (BESA) · Published 5 January 2026 · read on

    “a standalone specification produced in 2019 specifically for fire risk management of grease accumulation within kitchen extraction systems”

    TR19 Kitchen Extract Ventilation Cleaning For Fire Safety Compliance, Building Engineering Services Association (BESA)

    Supports: What TR19 Grease is

  6. TR19 Kitchen Extract Ventilation Cleaning For Fire Safety Compliance ↗

    Building Engineering Services Association (BESA) · Published 5 January 2026 · read on

    “must be controlled so as not to exceed a mean average of 200 microns between scheduled cleans”

    TR19 Kitchen Extract Ventilation Cleaning For Fire Safety Compliance, Building Engineering Services Association (BESA)

    Supports: TR19 Grease deposit limit between cleans

  7. TR19 Kitchen Extract Ventilation Cleaning For Fire Safety Compliance ↗

    Building Engineering Services Association (BESA) · Published 5 January 2026 · read on

    “Many insurance policies now explicitly require adherence to TR19 standards”

    TR19 Kitchen Extract Ventilation Cleaning For Fire Safety Compliance, Building Engineering Services Association (BESA)

    Supports: Insurers commonly require TR19 compliance

  8. Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992, regulation 5: Maintenance of workplace, and of equipment, devices and systems ↗

    legislation.gov.uk (The National Archives) · Revised text as shown on 5 October 2026 · read on

    “shall be maintained (including cleaned as appropriate) in an efficient state, in efficient working order and in good repair”

    Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992, regulation 5: Maintenance of workplace, and of equipment, devices and systems, legislation.gov.uk (The National Archives)

    Supports: Legal duty to maintain and clean mechanical ventilation systems in workplaces

  9. Good estate management for schools: Health and safety ↗

    Department for Education (GOV.UK) · Updated 20 July 2026. Written for schools · read on

    “they should be regularly cleaned or replaced in accordance with the maintenance or supplier recommendations”

    Good estate management for schools: Health and safety, Department for Education (GOV.UK)

    Supports: Government schools guidance on kitchen extract ducts and filters

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