How Often Should Your Restaurant Be Professionally Cleaned?

How Often Should Your Restaurant Be Professionally Cleaned?

Running a restaurant means balancing many priorities, serving great food, training staff, managing inventory, and keeping your space immaculately clean is foundational. Restaurant cleaning involves a continuous effort that is broken down into daily, weekly, and specialized deep cleaning tasks. Knowing the right frequency for each level of cleaning is absolutely essential for meeting strict health codes and maintaining operational efficiency.

Below, CleanNet of Cleveland breaks down the ideal cleaning cadence to maintain a safe, compliant, and welcoming restaurant environment.

Understanding the Levels of Cleaning

Restaurant maintenance is not a single task; it is a system with varying levels of intensity and frequency. These levels range from immediate spot cleaning during a shift to comprehensive, scheduled deep cleans performed a few times a year.

• Daily: Essential cleaning of high-use surfaces and equipment.
• Weekly: Detailed cleaning of less visible surfaces and equipment.
• Deep Clean: Professional service for hard-to-reach, high-risk areas.

Your staff handles the daily and weekly tasks, but professional cleaning services are vital for the specialized, high-risk areas that accumulate heavy grease and grime. Combining in-house and professional efforts guarantees comprehensive cleanliness.

Daily Cleaning: The Foundation of Hygiene

Daily cleaning is carried out by your staff and focuses on all food-contact surfaces and high-touch areas throughout the establishment. This level of cleaning must happen throughout the shift and immediately after closing to prevent cross-contamination and bacterial growth.

This includes: 

• Prep Areas: Counters and cutting boards must be sanitized immediately.
• Cooking Line: Grills, ranges, and fryers are wiped down after service.
• Customer Areas: Tables, menus, and restrooms are sanitized regularly.

Daily cleaning ensures you’re restaurant is clean and ready for the next day. It keeps grease, food debris, and bacteria from building up in high-use zones and reduces the risk of contamination.

Weekly Cleaning: Tackling Medium-Visibility Areas

Weekly cleaning tasks delve a bit deeper, focusing on areas that may not directly contact food but still accumulate grime quickly. These tasks usually happen during slower periods or before the start of a busy week.

Key weekly jobs include: 

• Walk-ins: Shelves and floors in fridges and freezers are sanitized.
• Drains: Floor drains are cleared and flushed with cleaner.
• Ovens: Interior walls and racks are scrubbed and degreased.

Weekly attention to these areas helps control odors and prevents the formation of thick, stubborn grease layers.

Professional Deep Cleaning: The Back-of-House Standard

Professional deep cleaning is the highest level of restaurant sanitation and should be performed by certified, specialized cleaning companies. This service targets areas that are impossible for your staff to reach or clean effectively, mainly due to accumulated grease and fire risk.

These professionals use heavy-duty equipment and powerful degreasers to access areas behind large equipment, clean exhaust systems, and tackle stubborn grout and hidden grime. 

• Exhaust Hoods: Cleaned down to bare metal to remove fire-hazardous grease.
• Behind Equipment: Grease and grime are removed from walls and floors.
• Deep Sanitization: Full cleaning of ice machines and large appliances.

Deep cleaning is primarily focused on the kitchen and technical areas. Whether your facility needs daily maintenance, periodic deep cleaning, or specialized sanitation, CleanNet of Cleveland offers flexible, dependable cleaning programs designed to meet your specific needs. Contact us at 216-674-1979 today. 

Deep Cleaning Frequency: The General Rule

The general standard for professional kitchen deep cleaning is every three to six months. This frequency ensures compliance with food safety regulations and effectively manages combustible grease buildup.

However, your specific schedule depends heavily on the volume and type of cooking you do. The more grease you produce, the more often a professional deep clean is required.

• Quarterly (Every 3 Months): Required for high-volume restaurants or those with heavy frying.
• Semi-Annually (Every 6 Months): Suitable for moderate-volume sit-down restaurants.
• Annually (Every 12 Months): May be sufficient for low-volume kitchens, such as those in seasonal businesses.

Factors That Affect Your Cleaning Schedule

Several variables can influence how often you need deep cleaning:

1. Volume of Business – Peak traffic means more grease, spills, and wear.
2. Type of Cuisine – Greasy or oily cooking (fried foods, heavy grilling) demands more frequent cleanings.
3. Kitchen Size & Layout – Larger or more complex kitchens have more nooks and equipment to service.
4. Staff Capacity – Well-trained staff can handle more in-house cleaning; limited staff might require more frequent outsourced help.
5. Local Regulations & Insurance – Some jurisdictions or insurance providers mandate particular cleaning frequencies
6. Fire Safety Risk – More grease buildup increases fire risk in grease traps and hood systems.

You must tailor your professional cleaning schedule to the realities of your operation. At CleanNet of Cleveland, we offer custom scheduling. Request a free quote today. 

Compliance and Fire Safety Requirements

Scheduling regular professional deep cleaning is not just about aesthetics; it is a critical fire safety and legal requirement. The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) sets standards for cleaning commercial kitchen exhaust systems to remove combustible grease.

• NFPA 96: Sets the fire code for kitchen exhaust system cleaning.
• Health Inspections: Regular cleaning logs are necessary for compliance checks.

Failure to adhere to these cleaning standards can lead to severe fines, invalid insurance coverage, or even a temporary shutdown of your business. Keep detailed, signed records of every professional cleaning service performed.

The Role of Front-of-House Cleaning

While the back-of-house often needs the most intensive attention, front-of-house (FOH) cleaning is equally critical. Cleanliness here is what customers experience directly, and regular FOH cleaning plays a big role in reputation and guest comfort:

• Daily tasks: Wipe down tables, chairs, menus, high chairs, and condiment stations. 
• Weekly tasks: Dust light fixtures, clean windows and mirrors, and wash restrooms more deeply.
• Monthly / Quarterly tasks: Deep-clean carpets or hard flooring, refresh upholstery, clean HVAC vents in the dining area. 

Professional cleaners like CleanNet of Cleveland can also provide FOH deep cleans, ensuring that every visible (and hidden) corner of your dining space shines.

How Often Should Your Restaurant Be Professionally Cleaned?

At the heart of a clean and safe restaurant is a thoughtful, consistent cleaning schedule,  one that combines daily diligence, weekly upkeep, and professional deep cleaning. As a rule of thumb, many restaurants benefit from a comprehensive professional clean every three to six months, with adjustments based on your restaurant’s size, traffic, and menu.

For Cleveland-area restaurant owners, CleanNet of Cleveland is ready to work with you to develop a tailored cleaning plan. Whether you need frequent hood cleaning, periodic deep cleans, or ongoing maintenance, our team has the expertise, equipment, and commitment to help you stay compliant, safe, and spotless. Visit our location 6500 Rockside Rd, Suite 395, Independence, OH 44131.

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