Grease traps are an essential tool that every commercial kitchen owner has to have at their disposal. They’re what prevents your drains from clogging, keeping you and your customers in a pleasant, odorless environment. However, as useful as they are, they’re also a handful to deal with. Without proper maintenance, they’ll become the problem rather than the solution sooner than you may think.
So, if you want to keep your grease traps in their optimal condition, proper cleaning is key!
Here we bring you our favorite tips on cleaning your grease trap like a pro, so keep on reading to find out more!
Table of Contents
1. Make a schedule
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Waiting until your kitchen gets all smelly to clean your grease trap is an awful tactic. In fact, the longer you wait, the worse your problems become. We suggest you keep a (flexible) schedule based on your deep-cooking habits. Luckily, in most cases, grease traps will need a cleaning somewhere about once in three months. That’s not so bad! Still, if your grease traps are used excessively for one reason or another, you might want to increase the frequency on which you do the cleaning (to at least once a month!).
Overall, your cleaning schedule should be based on nothing else but your own needs and activities in the kitchen. For starters, we suggest cleaning it as frequently as you can until you slowly find what works the best for you. Of course, cleaning it as much as you can is an excellent way to prevent grease built up and all other issues that come with it.
Lastly, if you notice even the faintest smell coming from your sink, it’s time for some detailed cleaning. Whatever you do, never ignore the smell! It’s almost certainly a sign there’s something wrong with your grease traps!
2. Avoid unapproved cleaning solutions
You should never try to clean your grease trap using some general cleaning products or cleaning solvents. There’s an entire market dedicated to specialized grease-trap-cleaning products that will help you get rid of that grease properly. Other types of cleaning solutions simply aren’t “strong” enough to dissolve those huge amounts of built-up grease. So, always choose specially designed cleaning products for your grease trap maintenance needs! Otherwise, you might be facing a serious plumbing issue (especially in the long run).
If you’re not sure which products are best for your needs and your budget, we suggest you seek advice from an industry professional in your area. They’ll be able to give you useful recommendations as there’s probably nobody who knows the local market better than them!
Other than that, you could read up on some reviews online until you find something that lines up with your expectations. Don’t settle for low-end products just because they’re cheaper, as these can do you more harm than good in the long haul.
3. The lid matters (bigtime)!
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One of the most common mistakes people make while cleaning their grease traps is forgetting about the lid and the sides. These also accumulate debris and grease, so they shouldn’t be left unattended! If so, you’ll quickly see your grease traps lose their efficiency.
Keep in mind that these might be a little tricky to clean without proper tools. If you’re having difficulties with cleaning them, we recommend grabbing a wet/dry vacuum to make it a bit easier. If not, you could always hire a professional service to do it for you.
Still, whatever you do, make sure you clean the lid of the grease trap thoroughly. It will help you prevent tons of issues along the way, so always keep this in mind when you’re about to perform your monthly cleaning routine. Yes, the process can be time-consuming and messy, but it will all be worth it once you get your kitchen back on track.
4. Consider hiring a professional service
Let’s be realistic: nobody likes to deal with grease traps. They can get quite difficult to clean, and they usually won’t be smelling like perfume either. Besides, if you’re not experienced at cleaning them, it will take you hours until you’re done with the job.
The only efficient way you can avoid this is by hiring someone skilled to do it instead. Professional cleaning services such as greasetrapphiladelphia.com can provide you with a plethora of benefits including the inspection of your pipes. Besides that, you’ll be able to focus on other important matters while your grease traps get cleaned. Lastly, it’s the most cost-effective solution (long-term-wise) as you’ll avoid unnecessary (and costly!) damage to your plumbing system.
Of course, DIY-ing it from time to time is completely viable. However, as soon as you notice signs of a serious clog, seek professional guidance before proceeding.
5. Always check for blockages while cleaning
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Last but not least, remember to check your pipes for signs of blockage while you’re cleaning. The best way to do this is by passing a stream of water through your trap to ensure it’s passing through. It’s a simple trick that could save you from suffering through serious clogs in your piping system.
No matter how insignificant the blockage might seem at the moment, it has the potential to grow into a larger issue if you decide to ignore it. So, keep your favorite cleaning service on speed dial, and always check your pipes!
Besides just checking for blockage, try to clean inside of your pipeline if you can. You can do it yourself with enough practice and a couple of cleaning tools, but hiring an experienced professional is undoubtedly your safest bet.
The bottom line
Having a clean grease trap is of the utmost importance for the day-to-day functioning of each modern commercial kitchen. If you suspect your own one needs some cleaning, try following the tips provided in this article and you’ll get the results you were hoping to get! So, keep a regular cleaning schedule, choose quality cleaning products, never forget about the lids and your pipes, and when in doubt call the professionals.
