Deep Clean
As autumn gets underway, one job that will set you up for the busy season ahead is a deep clean of your kitchen. To do it well will take a day at least, so if you don’t have a closed day, you may have to create one or work overnight.
Cleaning experts recommend that you always use good quality, job-specific chemicals. Although more expensive to buy, commercial cleaning products save both time and money in the long run since you use less and they work better and faster. They are also less risky to use because they comply with health and safety regulations for commercial kitchen use. To use these chemicals safely, you and your staff must wear protective gloves and clothing – even safety glasses – and make sure areas are well ventilated during use. Good quality cleaning products will provide protective clothing and safety advice – so go through them with your staff. Products for different purposes will have their own recommendations so to be safe make sure your staff understand the differences. You will also need good quality clean cloths, brushes and mops so stock up on the right tools before you start.
Nightmare ovens
Cleaning ovens is the dirtiest job in every kitchen. It’s best to get this done first and then the rest will seem easy. There are oven-cleaning services out there but if you choose to do it yourself, buy the best commercial oven cleaner you can – that way you’ll get it done well in one go.
Look for a thixotropic oven cleaning gel for painting on with a high caustic content designed to remove stubborn stains on professional grade ovens, griddles, grills and brat pans, fryer exteriors, hoses and gaskets. Wearing protective clothing is a must here as is good ventilation.
Degrease
Grease builds up in a kitchen no matter how scrupulous your daily wipe-down routines are. Grease also gets everywhere from the tops of cabinets to pipe work, walls and appliances.
There are industrial strength multi-purpose degreasers available and the best ones need to be diluted with water for use. These allow you to create more concentrated formulas for heavy grease areas such as around cookers, ovens and extraction fan units and cooking utensils, and weaker solutions for general cleaning of walls, doors, cabinets and surfaces. Scouring pads are useful on areas where grease is harder to remove.
Most degreasers need to be rinsed off with plain water and left to dry. However, you can also finish up with an anti-bacterial solution to kill any remaining germs.
Floor to ceiling
It is vital for deep cleaning walls and floors in kitchens that the cleaning products chosen include a bactericide to kill off the nasty germs that can lurk in kitchens. It must also be odour-free. Chemicals with odours are not allowed in kitchens for a variety of reasons, but mainly because perfumes can taint food and also mask tiny particles of rotting food that are a health risk.
Again, buy concentrated industrial strength cleaner – which is both better value and more useful. For floors, a strong solution is needed, and make sure the mops you use are just for kitchen use. For cleaning walls, cabinets, shelves and drawers, a weaker solution will do the job – just clean as normal with a fresh cloth.
Steel Care
To keep stainless steel looking good for longer, use a special protection spray every couple of months. First degrease your appliances or cabinets, or clean using a sanitising cleanser to kill germs. Once dry, spray on the stainless steel clean and protect spray and leave to dry. You can leave as is or buff up to a high shine if you prefer. As well as protecting the steel and looking good, these products also make your steel-ware easier to clean in the future.
Top Tips:
- Invest in commercial strength cleaners
- Use the right product for the right job
- Wear protective clothing
- Train staff in deep cleaning methods
- Clean on your closed day
- Hire in an overnight crew
- Ensure cleaning products are perfume-free
- Do dirtiest jobs first – ovens!
