Your Guide to a Safer, Clean
Kitchen Exhaust System

Filter Exchange: The routine service that removes your used commercial vent hood filters and replaces them with professionally cleaned ones restored to bare metal, like-new condition. This keeps airflow balanced, temperatures cooler, and grease capture efficient.

Vent Hood Cleaning (Kitchen Exhaust Cleaning or KEC): The process of cleaning grease buildup from inside the hood, ducts, and exhaust fan — typically performed by a certified cleaning provider on a regular schedule.

These services work hand-in-hand. Both methods are part of the best way to clean commercial kitchen exhaust systems — working together to maintain compliance, performance, and safety. FilterShine handles the parts that protect the system day-to-day, while your hood cleaning provider keeps the internal components up to code. Together, they create a more efficient and safer restaurant vent cleaning process overall.

Proper maintenance intervals depend on your cooking volume and methods. Here’s a general comparison of recommended service frequencies for Kitchen Exhaust Cleaning (KEC) and Grease Filter Exchange:

Cooking Type | Hood & Duct Cleaning (KEC) | Filter Exchange

Solid Fuel (Wood, Charcoal) | Every 1 Month | Weekly

24-Hour, Wok, or High Volume | Every 3 Months | Weekly or Every 2 Weeks

Medium Volume | Every 6 Months | Every 2–4 Weeks

Low Volume / Seasonal | Every 12 Months | Every 4–8 Weeks

If you’re creating your own hood filter maintenance guide, always start by checking NFPA 96 standards and manufacturer recommendations for your specific system type.

Regular filter exchange keeps grease from entering the ducts, helping your KEC provider perform a faster, more efficient service while keeping your system fire-safe and compliant between visits.

Filters are removable equipment, designed to capture grease before it enters the hood and duct system. Because hood filters clog much faster than the ductwork, hood filter cleaning must happen far more frequently than KEC.

Most vent cleaning companies ask that filters be removed before cleaning begins, outside of their scope of work. If neglected, those same filters can restrict airflow, cause excess heat buildup, and make hood cleaning more difficult and expensive.

Rooftop grease containment is the last line of defense in pollution control. It captures grease that escapes the exhaust fan before it can reach the roof surface, storm drains, or surrounding property. Without proper containment, that grease can:

• Damage roofing materials and void roof warranties.
• Cause environmental runoff into stormwater systems.
• Create safety and liability issues for both property owners and tenants.

This service should match your hood cleaning schedule — or occur more frequently if heavy grease output or certain fan designs allow higher discharge rates. Routine maintenance ensures rooftop grease containment systems, which may include grease absorbent pads and pillows, don't overflow or saturate beyond capacity.

Grease runoff is more than a mess — it’s an environmental violation. When rooftop grease flows into storm drains, it carries fats, oils, and grease (FOG) directly into waterways. Rooftop containment systems prevent that contamination, protecting both your roof and your reputation.

Property managers and building owners especially value this protection, since unchecked runoff can lead to fines, environmental cleanup costs, and disputes over roof damage responsibility.

Neglected filters lead to restricted airflow, hotter exhaust temperatures, and faster grease buildup inside ducts — all of which raise costs for your next cleaning and shorten the lifespan of mechanical components like motors and bearings and may require premature replacement of the entire exhaust fan.  Many kitchen exhaust cleaning companies require hood filters to be in good working order in order to certify your system —  and may require grease filter repairs or purchasing new filters for installation if damage is present or there is excessive grease stuck in the filters.

Neglected rooftop containment can cause environmental runoff, damage to roofs and equipment, and potential violations of EPA stormwater regulations. In multi-tenant buildings, that contamination risk often becomes both a tenant and property owner liability.

FilterShine USA doesn’t replace your hood cleaning provider — we make their work more effective.

We focus on the beginning and end of your kitchen exhaust system:

• Grease Filter Exchange: Keeping grease from entering ducts.
• Rooftop Grease Containment: Preventing grease from leaving your system and reaching the environment.

Together, these services form part of the best way to clean commercial kitchen exhaust systems — closing the gap and ensuring both fire safety and environmental compliance.  This creates a full-circle maintenance plan that supports safety, efficiency, and peace of mind. For many restaurants, this also provides restaurant kitchen air quality solutions and helps maintain a healthier workspace.

Keep your exhaust system covered from start to finish — with FilterShine handling your first and last lines of defense.

Find your local FilterShine location to learn more about Grease Filter Exchange and Rooftop Grease Containment services designed to complement your hood cleaning schedule and keep your kitchen — and the environment — protected.