Cost & value / Scope boundaries
Every deep clean quote has a line where included stops and extra begins. Knowing where it falls is the difference between a clean invoice and a surprise.
Where included stops
A deep clean price is not a blank cheque for everything in the kitchen - it is a defined job with a boundary. The confusion, and the invoice disputes, come from not knowing where that boundary sits before the work starts.
The good news is the line is predictable. Once you know what a standard quote covers and what typically sits outside it, you can read any quote clearly and ask the two or three questions that stop surprises.
What the price covers
A standard deep clean price covers the cleaning itself and the proof of it. On the extract side that means the whole route - canopy, filters, fan and the accessible ductwork - degreased to standard. On the kitchen side it means the cooking line and the structure in scope: behind and under equipment, walls, ceilings and the surfaces a daily clean never reaches.
Crucially, it should include the evidence: a TR19 post-clean verification report with before and after photos from set positions and grease readings, plus the certificate. That paperwork is not an optional extra - it is the part your insurer and fire risk assessment actually rely on, and it belongs in the price.
What usually sits outside
What tends to be separate are things that are repairs or improvements rather than cleaning. If a filter is damaged, replacing it is a part cost. If the ductwork has no access panels, cutting them in is extra - though it is what makes a full clean possible in the first place. Structural fixes, resealing, and sometimes grease trap or drainage cleaning fall the same way.
None of that is a firm being awkward; it is the honest line between cleaning what is there and rebuilding or adding to it. The problem only arises when those extras appear on the invoice without warning.
The questions that prevent surprises
Two questions do most of the work: what exactly is in the price, and what happens if you find something extra? A good firm answers both at survey - flagging likely extras up front and agreeing that anything unforeseen is cleared with you before it is done, not sprung on the invoice.
So the headline clean everyone quotes is necessary but not sufficient. Without the full duct run, the verification report and a clear line on extras, the price does not describe a finished, compliant job - it describes the easy half of one.
Questions
Typically the extract system cleaned end to end - canopy, filters, fan and accessible ductwork - plus the cooking line and structure as scoped, and a TR19 post-clean verification report with photos and grease readings.
Physical repairs, replacing damaged filters, cutting in new access panels where none exist, and sometimes grease trap or drainage work. These are findings, not standard cleaning, so they are quoted on top.
Cleaning through existing panels is included. Installing new panels where the duct cannot otherwise be reached is extra - but it is what makes a full, compliant clean possible, so it is worth doing.
Not always. Grease trap and drainage cleaning is sometimes a separate line, so it is worth confirming whether it is in your quote or needs adding.
Ask for the scope in writing and ask what happens if the crew finds something extra. A good firm flags likely extras at survey and gets your say-so before doing them, so nothing lands unannounced.
Phoenix Duct Clean · by the numbers
We set out exactly what the price covers and flag anything separate before we start - so the invoice matches the quote. Ask us for a written scope.