Cost to Start a Hood Cleaning Business (Free Calculator)
You can start a hood cleaning business for as little as $1,300–$2,100 with a cold-water pressure washer, degreaser, and hand-scraping tools, enough for small single-hood kitchens. A full-time solo setup with a hot-water pressure washer and proper containment gear runs about $5,600–$8,900, and a service vehicle with an on-board tank and heating system pushes it to $30,000+. Use the calculator below to build your own number.
Build your hood cleaning startup budget
Pick a budget tier, edit any price to match your market, and see your real startup cost, monthly overhead, and how many cleanings it takes to break even. No signup, no email.
A cold-water pressure washer, degreaser, and scraping tools — enough to start cleaning small single-hood kitchens.
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The honest range: $1,300 to $30,000+
Hood cleaning’s range on “how much does it cost to start a hood cleaning business” comes down to water temperature and mobility — a cold-water pressure washer handles small kitchens; a hot-water system on a dedicated vehicle handles a full commercial route without depending on the restaurant’s water access.
Most people start with cold water on small kitchens and upgrade once they’re winning multi-hood commercial accounts.
Tier 1 — Bootstrap (~$1,300–$2,100)
A cold-water pressure washer, degreaser, and hand-scraping tools — enough to start cleaning small single-hood kitchens.
- Pressure washer (~$500) — the core equipment
- Scrapers & containment (~$250) — the working kit
- PPE (~$120) — respirator, gloves, eye protection
Tier 2 — Serious Solo (~$5,600–$8,900)
The upgrade that changes the business is a hot-water pressure washer — it cuts grease significantly faster and handles multi-hood kitchens. Proper containment and water-recovery gear keep you compliant on commercial jobs, and NFPA-96 certification training builds credibility with restaurant owners.
Tier 3 — Pro Rig ($30,000+)
A dedicated service vehicle with an on-board water tank and heating system lets you run a full commercial route without depending on the client’s water access — the setup for a real recurring-contract business.
Don’t forget the monthly number
Startup cost is the one-time hit; monthly overhead against what you charge decides whether the business works. Solo, budget roughly $290–$530/month: degreaser and chemicals, fuel, and general liability insurance, plus booking/invoicing software. At a $450 average job, covering $400 of overhead takes about one cleaning.
The calculator turns that into a single line: how many cleanings it takes to break even.
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to start a hood cleaning business?
A lean start is $1,300–$2,100 with a cold-water pressure washer, degreaser, scraping tools, and PPE — enough for small single-hood kitchens. A full-time solo setup with a hot-water pressure washer and containment gear runs $5,600–$8,900, and a service vehicle with an on-board tank runs $30,000 or more.
Do you need hot water to start hood cleaning?
No — a cold-water pressure washer with a good degreaser handles small, single-hood kitchens. Hot water cuts grease significantly faster and becomes worth the investment once you're regularly quoting multi-hood commercial kitchens where speed matters.
What certification does hood cleaning require?
There's no universal license, but NFPA-96 governs the cleaning standard commercial kitchens are required to follow, and training in it is what makes you credible to restaurant owners and their insurers — most operators treat it as a Serious Solo-tier investment.
What are the ongoing monthly costs of a hood cleaning business?
Budget roughly $290–$530 a month solo: degreaser and cleaning chemicals ($100–$300), fuel ($50–$280), and general liability insurance ($60–$190) — this matters given the fire-safety liability in commercial kitchens — plus booking/invoicing software.
Is a hood cleaning business profitable?
Yes, and it's recurring — NFPA-96 requires cleaning on a set schedule (monthly to annually depending on cooking volume), so every kitchen you clean is an account that repeats indefinitely. At a $450 average job, the Bootstrap tier pays for itself in about 3 cleanings.