Cleanliness is essential for every catering business, especially in the kitchen. A commercial kitchen requires top-tier hygiene standards. In the competitive catering market, cleanliness is a significant distinguishing factor. You might have the largest catering establishment but devoid of cleanliness, you’ll lose your clients.
Commercial kitchen cleaning practices ensure that you meet the food safety measures. Additionally, effective cleaning will protect your premises from fire risks and reduce food and customers. Below are insightful tips for commercial kitchen cleaning.
1. Train the Staff on Commercial Kitchen Cleaning Practices
The first step towards developing an effective cleaning plan is training your employees. Training equips the employees with the necessary skills and know-how. Moreover, the employees learn about proper cleaning and sanitization of kitchen tools. They also learn the appropriate storage of raw foods, fruits, and vegetables to prevent the spread of harmful pathogens.
You could establish an effective cleaning e-book or handbook and share it with the employees. Then, schedule for regular training meetings
2. Establish a Cleaning Checklist
The checklist essentially outlines the guideline and map to clean your commercial kitchen. In your checklist, you can divide the tasks into daily, weekly, or monthly tasks. You can also have your checklist as a downloadable PDF where employees check off whenever a task is complete. A checklist will help to build accountability and point out areas where you need necessary adjustments.
3. Ensure Proper Cleaning Equipment
Usually, commercial kitchen cleaning requires large and durable equipment. It’s best if you identify the most appropriate cleaning equipment. While purchasing the cleaning equipment, consider your budget and their eco-friendliness. Moreover, make sure to organize regular inspection and maintenance of the cleaning equipment to prevent sudden malfunction.
4. Clean the Equipment
Your cleaning equipment needs regular cleaning and sanitization. Cleaning the equipment primarily depends on the frequency of their use. If you have an automatic scrubber or floor machine, clean the housing, wheels, hand-control, and shroud. Wipe the equipment with a clean cloth and leave them to air dry. Damp environments create a conducive thriving space for harmful bacteria.
5. Worker Safety
The safety of your employees is vital when cleaning the commercial kitchen. Usually, the kitchen surfaces become contaminated and soiled over time. Exposure to these contaminated surfaces presents a huge health hazard.
Ensure that your workers have personal protective gear, including gloves, non-vented goggles, disposable gowns, and aprons. Protective clothing will also prevent chemical solutions from damaging the skin.
6. Color Coded Cleaning
Color-coded cleaning entails all types of cleaning equipment. Color-coded cleaning aims at preventing cross-contamination across your kitchen. For instance, raw foods and meat could contain pathogenic juices and fluids. Thus, you must store raw and cooked foods separately to prevent the spread of germs.
Make sure to develop a color-coding system for your chemical solutions. The colors should be visible on the storage shelves to avoid confusion and mix-up.
7. Implement Daily Cleaning Tasks
Daily cleaning tasks are particularly for areas that are touched frequently within your kitchen. Common touch points include light switches, towel dispensers, faucets, and toilet flushes. Additional touch points include the kitchen countertop and door handles.
Eliminate all trip hazards within your commercial kitchen space. Common trip hazards include portable fryers, brooms, and cooking pans. Sanitize and dry the kitchen surfaces and floor during shifts daily to prevent the growth of bacteria. Most importantly, take out the trash daily to create a healthy environment in compliance with FDA regulations.
8. Proper Storage of Cleaning Equipment
The cleaning equipment and chemicals pose potential health risks if not properly stored. Store your cleaning tools off the ground for better air drying. Ensure that the equipment isn’t in contact with floor moisture to avoid breeding of bacteria. Moreover, store your cleaning detergents away from food storage and preparation areas. have safe closets with doors for storing your detergents and chemicals. Wire rack shelves come in handy to prevent chemicals from falling and splashing. Keeping chemicals in closed containers will prevent accidental spills and airborne contamination.
9. Use Clean Rags
Kitchen towels and rags are usually in consistent use and could easily become contaminated. Change them regularly and disinfect them after use. Establish a system for daily, bi-weekly, or weekly cleaning of the towels and rags. You could also have a washing schedule for the employees’ aprons and gowns. For your commercial kitchen, do not use sponges since they are prone to quick contamination.
10. Assess Your Cleaning Procedures
As your commercial kitchen grows, reevaluating your cleaning practices is of fundamental importance. Hold frequent meetings with your staff to ensure everyone remains accountable in terms of cleanliness. Carry out extensive research on ways to achieve top-notch hygiene for your kitchen.
At JC Eco Blasting, we provide professional commercial kitchen cleaning services. Contact us today for all your commercial kitchen cleaning needs.Â
