Standards, staff & systems
A specification turns "give the kitchen a deep clean" into a defined, comparable, auditable job - scope, frequency, standards and proof.
The short answer
Ask three contractors to "deep clean the kitchen" and you will get three different jobs at three different prices, none of them comparable. A specification fixes that. It sets out exactly what the clean covers, how often, to which standards, how access is provided and how the result is verified - so quotes compare like for like, the crew knows what "done" means, and you have an auditable record afterwards. Writing one is not bureaucracy; it is how you get a clean you can actually rely on and defend.
What a spec should contain
Scope is the heart of it. List what is in: the canopy, baffle filters, plenum, accessible duct runs, fans, behind and under equipment, cooking equipment, drains and grease traps, floors and grout, walls and ceilings. Be explicit about what is out too, so nothing falls into a gap between the day cleaner and the deep-clean contractor.
Frequency should be usage-based, not a round number. For the extract system, TR19 Grease sets cleaning intervals by cooking volume - broadly around three-monthly for heavy use, six-monthly for medium and annually for light. State the interval and the basis for it.
Standards to cite give the spec teeth: TR19 Grease for the extraction system, BS EN 1276 or BS EN 13697 for food-contact disinfection, and DW172 or SFG20 where wider ventilation is in scope. Access matters because a duct cannot be cleaned through a wall - specify the access panels required (TR19 expects them at sensible intervals). And verification is what makes the clean auditable: pre- and post-clean photographs, wet-film readings where relevant, and a certificate on completion.
Who you are specifying for
A specification is also where you set the bar for the contractor, and that bar is not just price. The extract portion should be carried out by engineers trained to the TR19 Grease standard; the contractor should carry method statements and risk assessments tailored to your site, adequate public liability cover, and the ability to work out of hours so service is not disrupted. Building those requirements into the spec means you are comparing capable providers, not just cheap ones.
The payoff is threefold. Quotes become genuinely comparable because everyone is pricing the same defined job. The clean is consistent visit to visit, because "deep clean" has a written meaning. And the verification package - photos plus certificate - drops straight into your due-diligence file for the EHO and, importantly, for your insurer.
The limit
A good specification is one of the most useful things you can write for your kitchen - and it has an obvious limit. The spec is necessary but not sufficient, because a document does not clean anything. It scopes, defines and evidences the work, but a competent contractor still has to turn up and deliver it to the standard written, then verify it. A detailed spec that sits in a drawer while the extract loads with grease cleans exactly as much as no spec at all. Write it well, hold the contractor to it, and check the verification package proves the job matched the words - that is where the specification earns its keep.
Questions
Scope (what is cleaned), usage-based frequency, standards to cite (TR19 Grease, BS EN 1276/13697, DW172/SFG20), access provision, contractor competence and verification - photos and a certificate.
Base it on usage. TR19 Grease sets extract cleaning intervals by cooking volume - broadly quarterly for heavy use, six-monthly for medium and annually for light use.
Naming TR19 Grease and BS EN 1276/13697 gives the specification a defined benchmark, so the clean is measured against a recognised standard rather than a subjective "looks clean".
Verification is the proof the clean happened to standard - pre/post photographs, wet-film readings and a certificate. It makes the job auditable for your EHO and insurer.
No. A schedule is your in-house daily and weekly routine. A specification defines the periodic professional deep clean you procure from a contractor.
Phoenix Duct Clean · by the numbers
We scope the job, work to TR19 and the relevant standards, and hand back photographic verification and a certificate. Call or email to arrange a site survey and quote.