Cleaning a restaurant sounds simple until somebody actually starts looking at everything that needs to be cleaned.
There are floors covered with grease, stainless-steel equipment, food-preparation counters, cutting surfaces, dining tables, glass, restrooms, drains, walls and occasionally something mysterious underneath the fryer that nobody wants to identify.
As the owner of Schneider Paper Products in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, I spend a lot of time around cleaning products and the different jobs they are designed to perform.
One thing worth understanding is that a cleaner isn’t automatically appropriate for every surface just because it comes in a bottle with the word “cleaner” on the label.
Food-service environments have particular requirements, and selecting the right product starts with understanding the job.
Cleaning, Sanitizing and Disinfecting Aren’t the Same Thing
These words sometimes get used interchangeably, but they describe different processes.
Cleaning generally means removing dirt, grease, food particles and other material from a surface.
Sanitizing involves reducing microorganisms to appropriate levels.
Disinfecting involves using a product designed to destroy or inactivate specified microorganisms according to its label directions.
That distinction matters in a commercial kitchen.
A product that does a great job cutting through grease may not be intended to sanitize a food-preparation surface.
Likewise, applying sanitizer over a counter still covered in yesterday’s lunch isn’t exactly a shortcut.
Cleaning usually comes first.
Start With the Label
I realize reading chemical labels isn’t anybody’s idea of exciting dinner conversation.
Read them anyway.
The label explains what the product is designed to do, where it can be used, how it should be diluted and what precautions may be necessary.
That becomes particularly important around food-contact surfaces.
Counters, preparation tables, cutting surfaces, utensils and certain pieces of equipment may come into direct contact with food.
Some products require a potable-water rinse after use on those surfaces. Others may be formulated differently.
The instructions matter.
Using a product correctly is just as important as selecting the product in the first place.
Grease Changes the Situation
Anybody who has spent time around a commercial kitchen knows that grease has an impressive ability to travel.
It starts near the fryer.
Then somehow it’s on the floor.
Then the wall.
Then the side of a refrigerator six feet away.
At some point, grease apparently develops transportation.
Degreasers are designed to break down oils, fats and other stubborn residues, making them useful in many food-service applications.
But stronger doesn’t automatically mean better.
The cleaner still needs to be appropriate for the surface.
Know What the Surface Can Handle
Commercial kitchens contain a surprising variety of materials.
Stainless steel may be sitting next to aluminum.
Tile meets grout.
Plastic components may be attached to painted equipment.
Floors may have specialized finishes or coatings.
A chemical that works appropriately on one surface may damage another.
Some products can discolor materials.
Others may cause corrosion, dull finishes or affect protective coatings.
That’s why surface compatibility deserves attention.
The goal is to remove the grease, not the finish underneath it.
More Chemical Isn’t More Clean
This is one of the biggest misconceptions involving concentrated cleaning products.
If one ounce works, four ounces must work four times better.
Not necessarily.
Concentrated products are generally designed to work within specified dilution ranges.
Using too little can affect performance.
Using too much can leave residue, increase chemical exposure, damage surfaces and waste product.
It can also make floors slippery or require additional rinsing.
There is a reason dilution instructions exist.
Cleaning chemicals aren’t gumbo seasoning. An extra splash doesn’t automatically improve the recipe.
Contact Time Matters
Sanitizers and disinfectants can require a specific amount of contact time.
That means the product may need to remain wet on the surface for a certain period before being wiped away or allowed to dry, depending on the label.
Spraying and immediately wiping may not provide the intended result.
This is one of those little details that can make a big difference.
- The bottle can contain the correct product.
- The concentration can be correct.
- The surface can be correct.
But if the application procedure is wrong, the process may still be ineffective.
Be Careful About Mixing Products
Sometimes two good things do not make one better thing.
Cleaning chemicals are an excellent example.
Certain products should never be mixed because combinations can create hazardous reactions or gases.
Bleach and ammonia-containing cleaners are the example most people recognize, but other chemical combinations can also cause problems.
Products should remain in properly labeled containers and be used according to their individual instructions.
The unlabeled spray bottle under the sink filled with mysterious blue liquid is not a cleaning strategy.
It’s a chemistry quiz.
Storage Matters Too
Cleaning chemicals don’t belong next to food ingredients.
That sounds obvious, but busy kitchens can become crowded quickly.
Chemical products should be stored appropriately and according to applicable requirements, away from food and food-contact items.
Original labels should remain readable.
If products are transferred into secondary containers, those containers need appropriate identification.
Nobody should have to smell a bottle to determine what’s inside.
That’s not quality control.
That’s gambling.
Don’t Forget Employee Safety
Commercial kitchens can already be challenging environments.
There is heat, steam, wet floors, sharp equipment and limited space.
Adding chemicals means considering ventilation and appropriate protective equipment as well.
Some products may require gloves.
Others may require eye protection or additional ventilation.
Safety Data Sheets contain information about hazards, handling, storage, protective equipment and emergency procedures.
That information should be accessible to the people using the products.
One Cleaner Usually Can’t Do Everything
There is always a temptation to find one bottle that handles the entire building.
Floors?
Sure.
Stainless steel?
Why not?
Food-preparation counters?
Absolutely.
Restrooms?
Throw that in too.
Unfortunately, cleaning products aren’t usually Swiss Army knives.
Different areas have different soils, surfaces and sanitation requirements.
A commercial kitchen may need a degreaser for certain areas, appropriate products for food-contact surfaces, glass cleaner, floor cleaner, restroom products and other specialized chemicals.
That’s normal.
Match the Cleaner to the Job
Selecting cleaning products for a food-service environment doesn’t have to be complicated.
- Start with the task.
- Identify the surface.
- Determine what needs to be removed.
- Understand whether cleaning, sanitizing or disinfecting is required.
- Read the label.
- Follow the dilution instructions.
- Allow the required contact time.
- Store the product properly.
And never assume that stronger automatically means cleaner.
A commercial kitchen has plenty of moving parts without turning the cleaning closet into a science experiment.
The right cleaner is simply the one designed for the surface, soil and sanitation requirement involved.
Everything else starts there.