Phoenix Journal · Ductwork
A professional cleaning report is the proof behind the work - the evidence your insurer, fire risk assessor and environmental health officer expect to see. Here is exactly what a compliant one should contain.
Cleaning reports explained
A professional cleaning report is the paperwork that turns a day of work in your ductwork into proof - proof that grease has been removed, that the system is safe, and that you have met your obligations.
When a crew cleans your kitchen extract system, the visible result lasts only until the next service. The report is what endures. It is the document your insurer asks for after an incident, the evidence an environmental health officer or fire risk assessor expects to see, and the record that tells the next contractor exactly what state the system was left in. Without it, a clean is just a claim.
In the UK, the benchmark for this work is the BESA (Building Engineering Services Association) specification known as TR19 Grease. It sets out how kitchen extract systems should be cleaned and, crucially, how the result should be measured and recorded. A report that follows TR19 Grease is not a marketing leaflet - it is a technical account of what was found, what was done, what was measured afterwards, and what still needs attention. Understanding what a good one contains lets you tell a thorough job from a superficial one.
It also matters because responsibility for extract cleaning is not always obvious, especially in leased premises. The report is often the single piece of evidence that settles who did what and when, so it is worth knowing what a proper one should look like before you accept it.
A report built to the TR19 Grease standard is a post-clean verification document, not a receipt. At a minimum, you should expect to see the following, and you should be wary of any report missing them:
Those access notes are the part people overlook and the part that protects you most. A duct run that cannot be reached is a hidden fire risk, and a report that flags it gives you the chance to fix it. A report that quietly pretends the whole system was accessible is doing you no favours.
Where premises are leased, the report has a second job: it shows who arranged and paid for the work. If you are unsure whether that duty sits with you or your landlord, our guide on who is responsible for extraction cleaning in a leased kitchen explains how to read your lease and where the report fits in.
This is where a serious report separates itself from a hopeful one. Under TR19 Grease, cleanliness is not judged by eye - it is measured in microns, using a Deposit Thickness Test or a Wet Film Thickness Test at representative points along the system. The readings are what give the before-and-after photographs their meaning.
The numbers matter, so it helps to know what they mean:
A credible report presents these readings point by point, ideally mapped onto the same schematic used for access, so you can see the condition of the horizontal runs, the risers, the plenum and the fan housing individually rather than as a single vague pass or fail. The photographs should back the figures up: matched angles, clear lighting, and a consistent set of locations from one service to the next so you can track the system over time.
Be cautious of reports that quote a single “clean” verdict with no measurements, use stock or mismatched images, or omit the more awkward sections entirely. Grease fires in commercial kitchens are a leading cause of loss, and after an incident an insurer will scrutinise exactly this evidence. Vague paperwork is precisely what fails under that scrutiny.
Once you have a proper report in hand, it becomes a working tool rather than a filing-cabinet formality. Start at the back: read the access notes and recommendations first, because that is where your next actions live. If the report recommends additional access panels, a shorter interval before the next clean, or spot attention to a high-reading section, those are jobs to schedule now, not next year.
Next, check that the post-clean readings genuinely sit below the 50 micron target and that the photographs match the sections named in the schematic. Then use the recommended cleaning frequency to set your calendar. Frequency under TR19 Grease is risk-based - a heavy-use, solid-fuel or high-volume kitchen needs cleaning far more often than a light-use site - and the report should suggest an interval based on how quickly grease was accumulating.
Finally, keep every report together as a running history. A file of dated, measured reports is the backbone of a defensible compliance position under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, and it is exactly what a fire risk assessor or insurer wants to see. If you want to turn individual reports into an ongoing schedule, our guide to building a ventilation cleaning compliance plan shows how the reports, intervals and responsibilities fit together.
Questions
The report itself is not named in law, but the duty behind it is. Under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 the responsible person must manage fire risk, and a build-up of grease in extract ductwork is a recognised hazard. A dated, measured post-clean report to the TR19 Grease standard is the practical evidence that you are meeting that duty, and it is what insurers and fire risk assessors expect to see.
After a proper clean, deposits should be reduced to an average of less than 50 microns across the system, measured with a Deposit Thickness Test or Wet Film Thickness Test. Grease should never be allowed to exceed a mean average of 200 microns between cleans, and any area reading 500 microns or more needs immediate attention. A good report lists these readings point by point rather than giving a single pass or fail.
Phoenix Duct Clean · by the numbers
Phoenix surveys and cleans kitchen and building ductwork to the TR19 standard - measured, cleaned and certificated, UK-wide.