By Keeping commercial kitchens clean and sanitized can seem like a never-ending task, but the health and safety of your patrons and employees depends on it. And wouldn’t it be nice not to cringe in fear every time the health inspector makes an impromptu visit?
Maintaining high cleanliness standards is an achievable goal, but it is one that takes education, established standards and commitment by employees and management alike. Having the right practices, supplies, and tools in place not only makes achieving these goals easier, but saves time and potentially reduces loss from the types of issues that a lack of cleanliness brings.
HERE ARE SOME TIPS FOR ACHIEVING AND MAINTAINING A CLEAN COMMERCIAL KITCHEN:
- Define the standard. Policies should be drafted, taught, and monitored. Timed checklists can be helpful in ensuring that regular tasks don’t fall through the cracks.
- Have policies in place for situations that demand immediate attention. Spills, potential contamination (such as meat juice drippings), dropped utensils, etc. need to be addressed immediately.
- Use the right cleaning products. Employees should be trained as to which products to use for different scenarios. Make sure the correct amount of product is being used when mixing chemical cleaners.
- Empower your employees with the right tools to do the job efficiently.
For example, many kitchen operations disperse their cleaning products using cheap, trigger handle sprayers. These are slow and do not evenly disperse the cleaning agents. Since this creates more work, employees may not use enough product, requiring more effort, or worse, they may not get the desired result. Pressure sprayers provide a controlled, even application, with less effort. They are heavy-duty and come with a variety of seals allowing you to find the correct sprayers for acidic, alkaline, and even foam cleaning products.
- Always keep your equipment in good working condition. Ensure sprayers, mop buckets & mops, and other cleaning tools are properly cleaned and maintained.
Safety first. Ensure your employees are well trained in how to use the cleaning products and tools in your commercial kitchen.
We all know that it is easier to maintain a standard, rather than come from behind. Keeping your commercial kitchen in a clean state makes maintenance easier on a day-to-day basis. A clean kitchen not only ensures that your food is safer, but also that your employees are safer as well. Everybody wins!
