When you’re running a busy restaurant kitchen, one of the most important challenges is keeping it clean. And I mean completely spotless, shining, squeaky clean. After all, you don’t want to your business shut down because of sanitary violations. And with so much going around, from grease accumulating on the counters and the floor, to parsley getting stuck into the cutting boards, to mysterious stains around the stoves, it can be overwhelming unless you have a proper cleaning system in place. To help you maintain hygiene in check, here are a few tips on keeping your commercial kitchen spic and span.
Gather an Arsenal of Cleaning Products
Unlike your home kitchen which might only need a dish soap and some general purpose cleaning solution, sanitizing a commercial kitchen is a whole different thing. For that reason it’s important that you know all the different industrial kitchen cleaning chemicals and the their applications. Generally, there are several types of industrial kitchen cleaning chemicals a commercial kitchen should always use:
- Heavy Duty Detergent – this is actually an alkaline detergent that can be used as an all purpose cleaner for sanitising food preparation counters, reach-in coolers and other kitchen equipment, deliming sinks and faucets, mopping the floor and more.
- Heavy Duty Degreaser – Grease will get everywhere from floors, walls, equipment, cookers and work surfaces. Not only is this a health risk, it could be a fire hazard too – especially if it gets built up around the oven. For that purpose, make it a task to clean all surfaces with a powerful, concentrated degreaser at least once a week. Just cover the affected area with the solution, leave it on for around 10 minutes and wipe it up good with a disposable cloth. Make sure that the degreaser you pick also contains corrosion inhibitors that prevent damage to all metal surfaces, as well as mild steal cast, aluminium and galvanised materials.
- Oven and Grill Cleaner – a heavy duty concentrated cleaner specifically designed to remove carbonized food deposits and fat grease stains from ovens, grills and hot pots. It can bust all kinds of stains effortlessly, reducing the need for excessive scrubbing and prolonging the lifespan of the equipment.
Clean Things Daily
The key to keeping a commercial kitchen clean is consistency. That means creating a list of routine cleaning tasks your staff will be responsible for throughout the day. This can include things like: always cleaning the grill between cooking, thoroughly wiping down the prep areas in between tasks, changing cutting boards, changing the foil linings of grill and flattops, mop floors, wash beverage dispensers every morning, disinfect the waste disposal to prevent pests and spread of bacteria, and other tasks you particular kitchen requires to stay clean. Also, don’t forget to properly wash the dent vents. Since this is only required every month or two, it can be easy to forget until the dreadful smell spreading around the kitchen reminds you.