One of the biggest challenges of running a busy restaurant is keeping the kitchen clean. With a multitude of activities happening all the time, regular cleaning can seem overwhelming if you don’t have a system in place.
A clean and hygienic kitchen is mandatory to operate a restaurant in Sydney. Work health and safety laws in Australia require all business operators to manage health and safety in your workplace. To understand how you can provide a healthy and safe workplace for your employees, you must first understand the requirements of a hygienic commercial cleaning.
The list below is derived from the team of cleaning experts from DryTech Commercial Cleaning in Sydney. DryTech Commercial Cleaning is a professional cleaning company focusing on providing top quality commercial kitchen cleaning. The list outlines how you can keep your kitchen spic and span with a comprehensive list of things that you will need to do daily, weekly, monthly and annually. Some jobs should be done several times a day, while others need only be done weekly or monthly. Regular cleaning of your regular kitchen is essential for food safety and can help reduce food waste, lowering overall menu costs.
Items to Clean Each Cooking Shift
These actions are commonplace for cooks and other kitchen staff. Often, they will have already subconsciously worked them into their schedule and will be able to get them done in a timely manner.
- Brush grill between cooking red meat, poultry and fish
- Wipe down the line and prep areas
- Switch cutting boards
- Change sanitizing water and cleaning rags
- Clean and sanitise kitchen appliances
- Wash and dry all utensils and food containers
- Empty trash bins
After Each Shift
Breakfast, lunch, and dinner shifts should share responsibility in keeping the kitchen smart. Charting a specific time each day for these items to be dealt with ensures there is no gap in cleanliness.
- Clean the fryers
- Brush the grill
- Wipe all kitchen appliances (food processors, jugs, mixers, etc.)
- Empty sanitizing buckets
- Put all cleaning rags in dirty laundry
- Put all aprons and chefs coats in the laundry (not with cleaning rags)
- Wash and sanitize all surfaces (cutting boards, reach-in, line, prep tables)
- Empty steam table and clean
- Wash meat and cheese slicer after each use
- Cover all bins in a reach-in cooler with plastic wrap
- Wash floor mats
- Sweep and mop the kitchen floor
- Sweep walk-in refrigerator
- Empty trash cans
- Store perishables in fridge or freezer
- Wipe and sanitise cooking surfaces
- Wash hands regularly with anti-bacterial hand wash
Daily Tasks
To save money and time, some restaurants will hire a cleaner who comes at night; someone called a “night porter,” who makes sure the kitchen is up to cleaning standards for the next day of service.
- Clean out grease traps
- Change foil linings of grill, range, and flattops
- Wash the can opener
- Run hood filters through the dishwasher
- Weekly
- Each of these duties can be rotated throughout the week so that every shift gets an equitable amount of side work.
- Empty reach-in coolers and wash and sanitize them
- Delime sinks and faucets
- Clean coffee machine
- Clean the ovens. Be sure to follow the manufacturer’s instruction on this particular job.
- Sharpen knives (okay, not cleaning, per se, but needs to be done)
- Oil cast iron cookware
- Use drain cleaners on floor drains
Monthly
As with the weekly cleaning list, these monthly jobs should be scheduled throughout the month, on different shifts, so that staff shares the burden of side work.
- Wash behind the hotline (oven, stove, fryers) to cut down on grease build up, which is a major fire hazard
- Clean freezers
- Empty and sanitize the ice machine
- Calibrate ovens
- Calibrate thermometers
- Sharpen the meat and cheese slicer
- Wash walls and ceilings
- Wipe down the dry storage area
- Change any pest traps
- Restock your first aid kit
- Update your material safety data sheets, which outline how to safely use any chemicals in your restaurant.
Annually
There are also several important things to do each year to make sure your kitchen is clean and safe. Most require the help of a professional. It’s good to schedule them during slow seasons, or just before your busy season starts up. That way, if there are any issues or repairs needed, you won’t lose too much business, if any.
- Check fire suppression system
- Check the fire extinguishers (this may need to be done twice a year, depending on where you live)
- Clean the hoods twice a year. Use a professional company that specializes in hood cleaning rather than doing the job yourself (very messy and time-consuming).
- Clean the pilot lights on any gas kitchen equipment (Be sure to follow the manufacturer’s instruction).
Implementing each of these schedules will help your kitchen be safe for employees and customers. It will prevent possible food contamination and help reduce food spoilage and waste, keeping profits high and staff happy.
Commercial cleaning for kitchens
Commercial cleaning should be included in your business expenditures. Commercial cleaners like DryTech Commercial Cleaning have the right equipment and staff to complete a comprehensive deep cleaning that will help your business meet WHS standards.
Some of the cleaning tasks in your commercial kitchen that a commercial cleaning company can perform include:
- Washing and degreasing the floors
- Cleaning and sanitising cooking surfaces e.g. benchtops
- Steam cleaning hard surface floors to kill germs and bacteria
- Wiping, degreasing and sanitising walls
- Wiping and sanitising appliances
- Deep cleaning refrigeration units and cold rooms
- Deep cleaning store room (including steam cleaning floor surfaces, wiping shelves, removing cobwebs, and so forth)
- Emergency water damage cleaning and restoration
- Cleaning and sanitising sinks, basins and tubs
- Cleaning and sanitising rubbish areas
A commercial cleaning company is one of the most effective ways to keep your commercial kitchen clean and safe for employees and customers. A clean and hygienic commercial kitchen minimises the risk of workplace accidents (like slips and falls), reduces the spread of bacteria and germs (that can make your employees safe) and prevents food contamination (that can make customers unwell).
DryTech Commercial Cleaning is one of Sydney’s best commercial cleaning companies. For more information about our wide range of services or a free quote call: 02 9161 1621 or email: [email protected]