July 2025

Jack Murray
Detergents expert

For many businesses in the UK, the difference between commercial grade catering chemicals and detergents may not seem important.

However, in this guide we take a deep dive into the differences and why organisations should utilise professional chemicals for consistent performance, maximising hygiene, environmental considerations, reducing waste and convenience.

The importance of commercial chemicals and detergents

Commercial kitchens are significantly larger, busier and have more stringent hygiene and safety standards compared to a domestic kitchen. This means you should have chemicals that are capable of sufficiently cleaning a commercial kitchen whether it is rinse aid, potwasher, multi-surface cleaner or descaler.

Strength and concentration to ensure hygiene

Commercial kitchen chemicals and detergents are typically stronger and more concentrated to deal with the demands of a busy kitchen environment, such as larger volumes of washing and tougher grease deposits.

This is particularly critical in ensuring hygiene in commercial businesses like restaurants and the hospitality sector where domestic chemicals may be ineffective or require significantly higher volumes to achieve the same result.

More effective with larger warewashing equipment

Detergents work alongside your warewashing equipment to provide hygienic, clean and aesthetically pleasing results.

Commercial detergents are specialised for larger professional warewashing equipment, including dishwashers, potwashers, glasswashers and utensil washers, ensuring a more effective clean.

Household liquids and powders may simply be ineffective at cleaning tough and baked-on grease and grime along with the higher capacities associated with commercial warewashers.

Volumes, order quantities and logistics

Professional-grade detergents and chemicals are usually available in much larger quantities and volumes meaning they are more practical and less hassle for busy businesses.

JLA’s dishwasher liquids, for example, are available in 2x 5L bottles and 20L bottles with delivery to your site for reassurance. Domestic chemicals on the other hand are usually available in much smaller quantities causing unnecessary hassle.

Also, you can order at the most convenient time for you, with online purchasing via myJLA, available 24/7.

Advice and assistance

By purchasing from a supplier with experience working with businesses, like JLA, you can receive helpful advice, tips and assistance, which you cannot get from suppliers of household products.

Whether you are having issues with your detergents or are looking to improve cleaning processes, expert help from a supplier could help your business.

Reassurance and environmental standards

With businesses increasingly looking to become more sustainable, environmental accreditations and commitments are important to some businesses and their supply chains.

Both JLA and our chemical manufacturing partners are accredited to ISO 14001, providing our customers with the confidence that all raw materials and packaging are sourced sustainably, and that our products are designed to minimise environmental impact.

Auto-dosing systems

Automatic dispensers are available from suppliers for professional detergents, which are specifically designed to provide the optimum measure of detergent.

Reducing spills for health and safety and cost saving benefits.
Preventing overuse to save money and reduce excess suds in dishwashers and other warewashing equipment.
Strikes the balance between using insufficient volume resulting in poorly cleaned crockery, pots, and glasses yet avoiding over-use.
Predictable use so you can easily re-order chemicals.

If you require any assistance with your kitchen chemicals or detergents, then contact us today.

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Whether it’s hotels and spas needing soft towels, or care homes looking to improve their residents’ comfort, commercial fabric conditioner is a powerful tool in any commercial laundry setup. But what makes it work, and why is it a good idea to choose commercial-grade for your organisation? Here’s everything you need to know.

Giovanna Eaton
Compliance expert

Cleaning your commercial kitchen hoods and canopies is essential for safety, compliance and efficiency. But how often do they require cleaning, what are the regulations and what the tell-tale signs?

Tell-tale signs up a canopy requiring a clean

There are usually signs your canopy hood should be cleaned including the following.

Visible grease build-up
You shouldn’t ignore layers of grease on your cooker hood surfaces, filters, or ductwork. A heavy build-up won’t just reduce ventilation efficiency – it will increase the risk of fire and make your system non-compliant.

Lingering bad smells
Foul smells that hang around after service could mean grease and debris are trapped and decomposing in the system. At this point, only a professional clean will improve air quality.

Excessive smoke or poor airflow
If smoke isn’t clearing properly, or the kitchen feels too hot and humid, it’s likely that your hood airflow is being obstructed by grease-clogged ducts. A professional clean will restore the airflow to how it was before and ensure you remain compliant.

Noisy or weak fan performance
Unusual noises, weaker air suction, intermittent issues or a failure can stem from blades or ducts being clogged up with grease.

Increased pest activity
Rodents or insects will be attracted to grease deposits in ducting. Again, a fast response and deep cleaning will be needed to eliminate nesting sites and protect hygiene. Keeping your extractors clean can prevent this issue in the first place along with the headache and expense of a potential pest control issue.

What are the risks of not cleaning a cooker hood regularly?

Neglecting to clean your kitchen’s extractor system is likely to impact safety, compliance, and efficiency – not to mention your business’s reputation.

Increases the risk of fire
According to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), unclean extractor systems are the primary cause of restaurant fires, with even minor sparks igniting fires in grease.

Increases the risk of reputational damage, fines and closures
Non-compliance with TR19 and fire safety regulations can lead to fines or closures and will likely impact how your customers and staff view your business. You could even void your insurance coverage.

Increases the possibility of health issues
Poor air quality and bacterial build-up in an uncleaned ventilation system will quickly compromise air quality and could affect your staff’s health and wellbeing.

Increases your running costs
Blocked-up hoods will overwork your fans, reduce airflow and using more energy. In turn, you’ll spend more on bills, repairs and premature replacements.

Which regulations should I know about?

In the UK, kitchen extractor system cleaning is governed by both national regulations and specific industry guidelines.

Generally, though, your daily and weekly responsibilities should include cleaning filters and wiping clean filters and wipe surfaces to manage grease, and you should also arrange for certified technicians to assess your ductwork and fans quarterly or biannually.

Legally, you’re required to keep your kitchen safe and ventilated in line with the Health & Safety at Work Act 1974, as well as Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992. Both ask you to maintain a safe environment, including mitigating fire risks from grease build-up, to protect your employees.

Fire Safety regulations also necessitate monthly to quarterly cleaning, depending on cooking methods and volume. Local councils may enforce their own rules, particularly if air quality issues or fire hazards are identified. And, of course, insurance providers often require proof of regular hood cleaning to validate your coverage.

Elsewhere, TR19 guidelines specify that kitchen extraction systems should undergo professional cleaning at least every six months, with more frequent cleaning for kitchens seeing heavy use.

Contact JLA for more information on commercial kitchen hood cleaning or for advice on catering equipment.

Back to basics: specification and installation

Before you can think about extending the lifespan of your commercial boiler, you’ll want the essentials in place. If you’re looking at a new boiler, this means sourcing a unit that’s suitable for your business, fully compliant, and ready for the future.

Choosing the right boiler is imperative for the longer-term health of your system. Go too small, and your boiler will struggle to produce the necessary heat and work too hard to last. Go too big, and you’re likely to waste energy and spend far more than you need to.

Installation is the other part of the puzzle. By law, all boilers must be installed and serviced by an experienced Gas Safe-accredited technician for your safety and peace of mind. So, make sure you choose an installation partner who can demonstrate this expertise – JLA has 450 in-house engineers with all the relevant qualifications.

Your commercial boiler should be installed in a well-ventilated, dry room so it can perform at its best. Your boiler engineer will make sure there’s sufficient clearance around it, and will also check that all pipework is well insulated for the winter months.

Regular monitoring and upkeep

Simple, regular maintenance shouldn’t feel like a chore, and is a great way to keep your commercial boiler operating reliably. Keeping an eye out for small issues as they emerge will also help you improve long-term performance, which should increase the boiler’s lifespan. Here are the main things to add to your rounds.

Flush the system
Over time, sludge and mineral deposits accumulate inside your boiler, causing corrosion. We recommend flushing the whole system to clear these deposits and help to improve overall efficiency.

Check the pressure
Boilers usually need to operate within a set pressure range (typically 1.0–1.5 bar). Too high or too low can stress the system and lead to disruptive downtime. If the system needs water adding to it, make sure to use the manufacturer’s instructions.

Bleed the radiators
By bleeding your radiators, you’ll remove trapped air from your system and make sure heated water fills the whole unit. In turn, you’ll reduce strain on the boiler, which means greater efficiency and safer operation.

Use your thermostats
Thermostats ensure you get the heating or hot water you need, when you need it – which is far better than constantly turning your boiler on and off again. This will minimise wear and tear, and save energy.

Run an idle boiler
During the warmer months, some organisations are much less likely to rely on their commercial boilers for heating. Prevent parts from seizing or gaskets from drying out by firing up the boiler on a semi-regular basis.

Short cycling
Turning a boiler on and off in short bursts can drastically accelerate wear on its critical components. Make sure you’re giving the system time to come online and warm up properly.

Professional servicing and maintenance

Prevention is always better than cure, which is why regular commercial boiler servicing and maintenance are vital for the long-term health of your boiler. For newer units, it might also be the only way to protect your guarantee.

A comprehensive service plan and audit will help you to spot and sort any problems while keeping you fully compliant with your legal obligations, such as your annual gas safety check and certification. Carried out by Gas Safe-registered engineers, JLA’s competitive maintenance plans include:

An annual service and gas safety check
Asset specific compliance certification (CP15)
Same/next day business hours response times
No call out charges
24/7 helpline for faults or emergencies
A choice of 5 or 7 day a week contracts

Repairing faults or issues quickly

If your boiler develops a fault, such as unusual noises, a leak, or even differences in how it looks visually, you should contact an engineer for support as soon as possible.

Leaving it to chance is likely to affect the performance, reliability and lifespan of the system, and could even create a safety or compliance issue down the line.

For help and advice with your boiler and commercial heating system, contact JLA’s experts today.

Common challenges for school laundry rooms

Many school laundries rely on domestic-spec equipment, which isn’t designed to keep up with demand or large throughput, has longer cycle times and is far more likely to break down with constant use.

Installing newer, commercial-grade appliances will lead to fewer breakdowns, more capacity, and a much longer lifespan for your equipment, which will also add up to longer-term savings on top of improved energy efficiency and lower bills.

Even better, a commercial washer is far more effective when it comes to delivering reliable laundry disinfection, which could be a boost for settings where infection control is key.

What makes commercial laundry systems more efficient?

JLA’s popular commercial washers and dryers are packed with technology to make life easier, speed up cycle times, and save plenty of water and power as they go. Our commercial washing machines, for example, feature smart sensors that weigh a load then adjust the amount of water, temperature, and time needed to complete a cycle.

Similarly, our large-capacity tumble dryers use moisture-sensing technology to prevent overdrying, reducing electricity use and making sure you get perfectly dried clothes without extra delay.

We also offer the unique, ozone-powered OTEX laundry system, which, unlike traditional thermal disinfection, uses the naturally disinfecting power of ozone gas to kill 99.999% of harmful bacteria, moulds and yeasts, even on an energy-saving cool wash.

Together, these innovations can dramatically cut energy consumption without compromising on hygiene or performance.

Can you measure your return on investment?

As commercial-grade washers and dryers are engineered to use significantly less water and electricity per cycle, it is common to see a noticeable drop in energy use and utility bills over time – especially in settings where machines are in daily use. And because they’re more durable than domestic alternatives, they should also have a longer working life.

For many schools, especially those already processing large volumes of laundry, upgrading an in-house laundry could prove far more cost-effective than outsourcing. Factor in savings on transportation, turnaround times, handling, and hygiene control, and the benefits are tough to ignore.

Finding the right solution for your setting

Every education setting has its own needs, making a tailored approach to laundry essential.

Boarding schools, for example, will rely on high-capacity systems that can keep up with daily loads of uniforms, bedding, and towels, making consistency and reliability important.

Universities, meanwhile, will likely benefit from student-managed laundry services that use smart technology like app-controlled machines and contactless payments for ease of use. These setups are often more convenient for users and more efficient for facilities teams to look after.

And in vocational colleges, laundry is often embedded in the teaching – think towels for beauty therapy, sports science, or hospitality. These courses will depend on specialist equipment that’s capable of meeting industry standards, while also being energy-efficient and easy to operate.

Maintenance: the last piece of the puzzle

Even the most reliable laundry machines need proactive care to make sure they keep performing at their best. Preventative maintenance is how you’ll maintain efficiency beyond installation, reducing the risk of costly breakdowns and keeping energy use in check.

Many settings choose to protect their investments with service-level agreements like JLA’s all-inclusive Total Care package, which offers peace of mind through scheduled maintenance, inclusive servicing and repairs, and responsive repairs – all for a simple monthly price that makes it much easier to budget.

For more smart solutions to help you save energy, visit our Energy Smart Hub a resource hub packed full of practical tips and insights, brought to you from our experts:

Think of upgrading an existing setup or planning for a new laundry room? Get in touch to see how our experts can help you cut costs and meet sustainability targets.

Free download

Download the JLA education sector brochure

Take a look at our detailed brochure for more information on how JLA can help the education sector.

An overview on how JLA can help the education sector
Sustainability and ESG
Laundry, catering, HVAC and fire safety products
Digital support
Network of engineers
Purchase options, including Total Care

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The challenge: bring efficient heating to a heritage HQ

A family business for 120 years, Lincoln-based Stokes Tea & Coffee has a proud history of innovation that’s kept it competitive even as newcomers have arrived in the sector. To futureproof its ongoing success, the firm recently completed a £2 million refurbishment of its historic HQ, the Lawn Building – a former asylum turned roastery and training academy.

The work would include the replacement of its 43-year-old heating system with new commercial boilers to deliver reliable performance and zoning functionality to help meet different demands across the site. The system would also need to cut carbon emissions and ideally allow for the seamless integration of renewable energy systems in the future.

The solution: a flexible, future-ready boiler system

JLA was brought in to design and supply a commercial heating solution complete with all-inclusive servicing and breakdown cover for a decade. A pair of state-of-the-art boilers now do the work of three older cast iron models, improving efficiency by up to 30%. What’s more, the building’s entire heating system is controlled by a digital cascade unit, which also offers weather compensation and intelligent zoning for optimum performance from day to day.

By redesigning the Lawn Building’s internal pipework, JLA has enabled independent heating for the café and function room – two spaces often used outside normal working hours. This has allowed Stokes to turn on the heating in spaces where it’s needed, cutting unnecessary energy use.

Plans are also in motion for phase two of the upgrades, which will see the installation of heat pumps and solar thermal panels to further cut carbon and provide lower-cost heating for the Lawn Building’s water and underfloor systems.

“We like to make things last at Stokes, so we’re striving to make our Lawn Building into an eco-showcase where we can help share our knowledge and experience in waste and emissions reduction with anyone facing the challenges of owning or occupying historic buildings like ours.”

Andy Jackson, Project Manager, Stokes Tea & Coffee

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Unlock the valuable insights you need! Our comprehensive whitepaper takes a thorough look at the Decent Homes Standard, examining its significant effects on tenant satisfaction within the realm of social housing.

With Rachel Reeves’ ambitious £39 billion investment initiative and the rollout of Tenant Satisfaction Measures, the landscape is evolving rapidly.

This document brings together viewpoints from landlords, industry experts, and customer care specialists, highlighting both the challenges and the exciting opportunities that lie ahead.

Discover innovative strategies to elevate tenant experiences and ensure that homes are not merely compliant but genuinely liveable and welcoming.

Don’t let this vital resource slip away—download the whitepaper today and stay ahead in the conversation!

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Through the tenant lens

As JLA’s sustainability strategy lead, I take accountability for driving down emissions across our entire value chain. This means I’ve seen first-hand how much influence FMs can have – not just in managing day-to-day operations, but in shaping the long-term environmental impact of their organisations.

With sustainability rising on the agenda, understanding and managing your organisation’s carbon emissions is now a critical part of the FM role. But where Scopes 1 and 2 already offer a clear, well-established way to classify and report emissions, the newer Scope 3 is set to have an even bigger impact.

This is because Scope 3 involves quantifying indirect emissions across your whole supply chain – from procurement and outsourced services, right through to business travel, waste disposal and employee commutes. In fact, Scope 3 could account for up to 90% of your entire carbon footprint.

So, what is Scope 3, and what do you need to know?

Understanding Scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions

While Scope 1 emissions cover processes owned or controlled by your organisation, like fleet vehicles, and Scope 2 quantifies emissions resulting from energy you use but don’t generate, like electricity, Scope 3 is much broader, covering emissions created across your entire value chain.

The obvious complexity of this makes Scope 3 the hardest to measure, but also the most meaningful to act on. And while Scope 3 reporting isn’t mandatory just yet, your organisation will gain credibility for including it in any Net Zero planning.

How FMs can lead on Scope 3

JLA’s joint research with FMJ, published in our recent white paper, shows that 54% of FMs are already factoring sustainability into their procurement decisions, with a third treating it as a top priority.

But when it comes to supplier engagement, there’s an unfortunate gap. We found that only 12% of FM professionals are speaking to suppliers about sustainability – despite the fact that Scope 3 reporting relies on the data, and, crucially, the decisions, of your supply partners.

Behind costs, tracking emissions is widely seen as being the second biggest barrier to achieving sustainability, which is why starting the dialogue is essential. Right now, just 1% of FMs report actively talking with suppliers about making improvements.

That said, there signs of growing momentum. Water conservation, as one example, is already a priority for 63% of FMs, highlighting a focus on resource use and environmental impact. And as Scope 3 becomes more visible – and urgent – for all of us, a drive for new transparency and accountability should spread across the sector.

Want to understand what falls under Scope 3? Download JLA’s quick guide here.

Total Care

The importance of commercial chemicals and detergents

Strength and concentration to ensure hygiene

More effective with larger warewashing equipment

Volumes, order quantities and logistics

Advice and assistance

Reassurance and environmental standards

Auto-dosing systems

Similar blogs you may like

What is the difference between domestic and commercial kitchen chemicals and detergents

Is commercial fabric conditioner better than domestic?

Tell-tale signs up a canopy requiring a clean

What are the risks of not cleaning a cooker hood regularly?

Which regulations should I know about?

Similar articles you may like

How to tell if your commercial canopy hood requires cleaning

What are the benefits of preventative maintenance for laundry equipment?

Back to basics: specification and installation

Regular monitoring and upkeep

Professional servicing and maintenance

Repairing faults or issues quickly

Similar articles you may like

How to extend the life and longevity of your commercial boiler

A heating upgrade for Stokes Tea and Coffee

Common challenges for school laundry rooms

What makes commercial laundry systems more efficient?

Can you measure your return on investment?

Finding the right solution for your setting

Maintenance: the last piece of the puzzle

Download the JLA education sector brochure

Take a look at our detailed brochure for more information on how JLA can help the education sector.

Similar blogs you may like

The benefits of energy-efficient laundry systems in education settings

Choosing the right commercial oven for your school kitchen

The challenge: bring efficient heating to a heritage HQ

The solution: a flexible, future-ready boiler system

Similar testimonials you may like

A heating upgrade for Stokes Tea and Coffee

Introducing a seamless cooling and heating solution to Cargill’s Manchester site

Housing Whitepaper

Through the tenant lens

Download your free whitepaper today

Understanding Scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions

How FMs can lead on Scope 3

Similar JLA news articles you may like

Scope 3 emissions – what should FMs know?

New FMJ and JLA survey highlights key priorities for FMs

Watch the webinar here

About JLA

Solutions

Sectors

Jack Murray

Detergents expert

Giovanna Eaton

Compliance expert

Andy Mills

HVAC expert

Kristian Gabor

Education expert

Jonathan Ling

Sustainability expert

Talk to our experts today