Cleaning a restaurant kitchen can be one of the most demanding and time-consuming tasks. But with these awesome kitchen cleaning hacks, you can make your kitchen shine and sparkle very easily.
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| Cleaning a Restaurant Kitchen |
How to Clean a Restaurant Kitchen Properly: The Best Kitchen Cleaning Hacks
Cleaning a restaurant kitchen can be one of the most demanding, time-consuming tasks. The high turnover in restaurants means that there is always an accumulation of dirt and grime on the floors and walls that needs to be scrubbed away by hand. It's hard work! But with these helpful tips for clean kitchens, you'll have your space whipped into shape in no time.
Clean your hands with soap and water
First, start by washing your hands with soap and water. Not only will this get rid of any bacteria you picked up on the job, but it will also make sure that all traces of dirt are removed from your skin before you handle a surface or utensil.
Washing your hands regularly will help prevent the spread of germs.
If you're lucky enough to have a dishwasher, it's always best to start by loading up all dirty dishes and utensils for easy scrubbing later on down the line. If not, put away any clean dishes then move onto kitchen cleanup.
Clean your vegetables (or veggies)
Next, clean out all the vegetable bins in the kitchen area as well as peel any fresh produce for use in food preparation. This is an important step because those items can harbor harmful contaminants like listeria and salmonella which could end up contaminating other foods prepared at the restaurant. When cleaning fruits and vegetables, be sure to scrub both sides using a brush if possible and discard anything beyond its expiration date-and remember to wash your hands thoroughly afterward.
Clean the floor, and then mop it with a strong sanitizing solution
When cleaning a restaurant kitchen, make sure to sweep up anything on the floor. Afterward, it is important to use an effective degreaser and disinfect any surfaces that may be dirty or greasy. It's not enough to simply wet down the floors in restaurants; they need more than water alone to get rid of bacteria like E. coli which can cling stubbornly onto certain types of surfaces even after being washed off. If you want to be extra safe about restaurant kitchen cleanliness, consider using an EPA-registered surface cleaner specially designed for food service areas (like Clorox Cleanup) as well as high-quality microfiber cloths and aprons.
If you're using a mop, make sure to use a clean one every time you go back to the kitchen. Dirty ones can spread bacteria from the kitchen to other areas of your restaurant.
The mop head should be sprayed with a cleaning solution and then wrung out before you use it on any surface. You want to always make sure that there is enough clean water running down the mop for proper rinsing too, so remember to refill as necessary.
When mopping tile floors in kitchens, do not scrub them harshly or allow food particles in your grout lines by using a towel or cloth after wiping up spills instead of just spraying chemical cleaners on the surfaces with no follow-through; this will help prevent scratches in these materials over time and also keep dirt contained within its designated area rather than spreading onto the adjoining floor where it might get tracked back into the kitchen.
Get rid of any residue build-up
For stainless steel countertops, you want to use a putty knife or scraper after using soapy water and cloths in order to get rid of any residue build-up that might be present before polishing with polish and then buffing with a dry rag. This is also true for glass surfaces such as tabletops where it's important not only to remove dirt but also grease from fingerprints while maintaining clarity.
Wiping down walls should always take place before mopping them too; this will help prevent dried food particles from getting ground into these materials when scrubbing on contact rather than just trapping them in certain areas which can lead to bacteria building up over time.
When cleaning floors, make sure they are dry before moving on to the next step. You can use a squeegee for this purpose, but it's important not to just leave any excess water lying around in the kitchen too as that will lead to mold and bacteria growth over time.
For surfaces such as stainless steel appliances or countertops where you don't want them appearing wet after being cleaned, make sure they are thoroughly dried first with a cloth before spritzing them with polish (or using another spray type cleaner).
This helps prevent streaks from forming when polishing these materials which are especially noticeable during the restaurant opening hours - remember how much of an impression your customers get when seeing their food prepared on plates made dirty by dishwasher detergent residue instead of clean ones?
Restaurant staff should also have a designated place to put all their dirty dishes and utensils, so they can easily be washed again at the end of each day.
Also remember those kitchen injuries are inevitable in any restaurant environment, for both customers and employees alike. So make sure there is always an adequate first aid kit nearby where everyone knows it's stored - you don't want your food to suffer from being served on dirty plates every time someone cuts themselves with broken glass cutting up tomatoes or something like that!
Never leave any food unattended in the kitchen - this includes bread, fruit, or anything else that can spoil quickly.
Just like with cooking any other food, you have to make sure that nothing is left sitting out on the counter for too long - this means no raw meat or anything else that can spoil quickly. And if you're going to be gone from your kitchen area for a few minutes, just keep in mind how fast things deteriorate and go ahead and put everything away before leaving so there's less of an issue when it comes time to clean up.
Do not leave any food unattended in the kitchen. We all know what happens when we don't pay attention! If someone has been handling something fresh such as preparing salads behind one station while someone handles meats at another station, it is very important to communicate with one another and make sure all food goes into the fridge when done.
If you are going to be gone from your kitchen for a few minutes, put everything away so there's less of an issue when it comes time to clean up!
Keep all equipment like pots and pans clean by washing them after each use
To keep your kitchen clean, be sure to wash all pots and pans after each use as well as doing the dishes at the end of every meal. This will help avoid any bacteria from building up on the surface of your cooking equipment-plus it is less likely to leave a mess in your sink.
If you do have any equipment that needs to be cleaned, make sure it goes through a deep clean with soap and hot water. If the equipment is rusty or if there's caked-on food, use steel wool pads or scrub brushes to get off stuck-on grime.
When your kitchen isn't being used for long periods of time (typically overnight), cover all fresh foods such as vegetables in plastic wrap so they stay fresher longer. This will also help keep bugs out too!
This might seem like a lot of work but these tips should come easy after some trial and error - when everything comes together smoothly this can save your restaurant money by eliminating waste from spoiled produce/meat/etc., plus it keeps everyone happy.
Make sure there is enough space for people to walk through without having to step over things on the floor at all times.
The kitchen should be clean and organized. Make sure there is enough space for people to walk through without having to step over things on the floor at all times. This will make it easier when going back in with a new load of supplies, or dropping off dirty dishes from tables upstairs. If equipment is rusty or if there's caked-on food, use steel wool pads or scrub brushes to get off stuck-on grime. When your kitchen isn't being used for long periods of time (typically overnight), cover all fresh foods such as vegetables in plastic wrap so they stay fresher longer. This will also help keep bugs out too!
This might seem like a lot of work but these tips should come easy after some practice.