Make filter cleaning part of your regular kitchen routine
Keeping kitchen filters clean takes more than removing grease from the outside. Manual scrubbing can occupy staff for considerable time while leaving deposits inside the filter. An on-site soak tank gives your team a practical alternative to scrubbing and outsourced filter swaps.
At Chef's Choice Soak Tanks, we supply rented hot-soak tanks that let you clean filters in-house. Full submersion allows heated solution to reach internal grease, while permanent access means you can clean around your kitchen’s workload. Our biodegradable, non-caustic solution reduces reliance on harsh cleaning products.
Contact us to discuss your filters, current cleaning method and time between services.
Filter Cleaning - Overview:
We rent heated soak tanks for cleaning commercial kitchen hood filters across NZ.
- Mesh and fin-style filters share tanks with compatible kitchen metalware
- Typical filter soaks take approximately 20 minutes, with overnight soaking optional
- Tank selection considers filter dimensions, batch size and available space
- We include a controlled monthly chemical supply with tank rental
- Monthly draining, refilling and chemical replacement takes about 30 minutes
- We cover repairs and maintenance under the service warranty
Hood filter soak tanks for thorough grease removal with less manual scrubbing
- Reach grease inside filters by fully submerging them in heated solution
- Schedule filter cleaning around service with an on-site tank
- Reduce hands-on cleaning time with soaking and a quick rinse
Hood filter soak tanks in NZ, serving commercial kitchens nationwide
Full submersion reaches grease inside filters
Grease collects within mesh and fin-style filters, not just on their exposed faces. Dishwasher jets mainly spray the exterior and may leave grease trapped inside.
Water blasting can damage or deform filter fins.
Water blasting can damage or deform filter fins.
Full submersion lets heat and cleaning solution reach those internal surfaces without high-pressure cleaning. In one supermarket, Warren Smith successfully cleaned a filter that an outside contractor had assessed as needing replacement.
Fit regular filter cleaning around kitchen service
A typical filter soak takes approximately 20 minutes. With the tank on site, your team can plan cleaning between services or during quieter periods rather than depend on an external filter-swap schedule. Compatible heavy metalware can also soak overnight and be ready the next day.
We generally recommend weekly filter cleaning to prevent grease build-up and help maintain airflow. Permanent access to the tank lets you make cleaning a regular task rather than wait until deposits become difficult to remove.
Use one tank for filters and compatible metalware
Mesh and fin-style filters can be cleaned in the same tank as compatible grills, chargrills, racks, pots, pans and trays. Your cleaning routine can cover greasy kitchen metalware as well as filters.
When choosing a tank, check your filter dimensions, batch size and available space. Include your largest compatible racks or trays when assessing fit: items must sit fully beneath the solution. Some kitchens use an additional tank for extra filter-cleaning capacity.
Our soak tank rental and servicing includes the tank and a controlled monthly chemical supply, with repairs and maintenance covered under the service warranty.
Replace prolonged scrubbing with soaking and rinsing
Staff scrape off excess food and debris, fully submerge items for the required soak time, then rinse off excess solution. Soaking eliminates or significantly reduces manual scrubbing, although loading and rinsing still require staff time.
At one customer’s kitchen, smoker racks required two to three hours’ nightly scrubbing. After the tank was introduced, the employee could spend that time on salads and other food preparation instead.
Compare outsourced filter-cleaning invoices with staff time scrubbing compatible equipment. Allow for loading, rinsing and monthly changeovers. Water stays in the tank between batches; approximately monthly, staff drain it, refill it and add fresh chemicals, taking about 30 minutes.
Contact us to discuss bringing filter cleaning in-house.
No. The tank cleans removable filters, not canopies, ducting or complete extraction systems. Chefs Choice Soak Tanks provides an in-house filter-cleaning solution, not a full extraction-system cleaning service.
Teflon-coated items are unsuitable. Confirm material and coating compatibility before use, particularly for aluminium or other non-stick items, rather than assuming they can be cleaned alongside compatible metalware.
Commercial kitchen filters typically take around 20 minutes to clean in the heated soak tank, depending on the level of grease build-up. This makes it easy to clean filters between services or during quieter periods.
Soaking significantly reduces the need for manual scrubbing. Remove any loose debris before placing the filter in the tank, then give it a quick rinse after soaking to remove excess cleaning solution.
Filter Cleaning - Summary:
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What: Chefs Choice Soak Tanks rents heated soak tanks for cleaning commercial kitchen hood filters and compatible metalware, with monthly chemicals, repairs and maintenance included.
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Where: Chefs Choice Soak Tanks supplies hood filter soak tanks to commercial kitchens throughout New Zealand.
- Who for: Chefs Choice Soak Tanks supplies commercial kitchens that clean filters in-house, as well as filter-cleaning companies that clean collected filters at their depots.