Cleaning Your Commercial/Restaurant Kitchen Equipment

When you’re running a restaurant or other type of commercial kitchen, the safety and health of your patrons depends on cleanliness. To that end, it’s important to eliminate as much bacteria and dirt as possible.

Commercial cleaning best practices include establishing guidelines for cleaning your restaurant and restaurant equipment, as well as for training employees on the cleaning and sanitizing of kitchen tools and equipment. Management should also engage in best practices by outlining a daily, weekly and monthly commercial kitchen cleaning schedule.

Wondering where to begin when it comes to the question of how to clean a restaurant kitchen? Say good-bye to your dirty restaurant kitchen and hello to a sparkling clean operation with these restaurant cleaning procedures and commercial kitchen maintenance tips.

Under-sink grease traps and inceptors should be cleaned at least every week in order to keep things running smoothly. Routine cleaning will prevent plugging of the sewer line. If grease machines are more than 50 percent full when cleaned weekly, the cleaning frequency should be increased for safety and sanitation. If the sewer line backs up into the commercial establishment, it can cause a substantial health hazard. Regular cleaning with grease trap cleaning equipment not only prevents grease blockages, but also trims expenses in other ways, including minimizing repair costs and conserving water.

The kitchen’s exhaust system filters should also be routinely cleaned. This prevents grease and oil from escaping and entering the storm drain system while simultaneously being an important precautionary step against kitchen fires.

Stainless steel is the preferred material in most commercial kitchen equipment. This isn’t just for aesthetics: some grades of stainless steel are bacteria- resistant.

In order to keep your stainless steel commercial kitchen tools and equipment in top condition, use a wet cloth and mild detergent to clean and wipe in the direction of the finish.

If detergent and water aren’t enough, such as in the case of baked-on grease, use baking soda or a commercial cream cleaner. Rinse the surface and dry immediately following cleaning to prevent contamination.

Given the busyness of the typical commercial kitchen, dirty floors are common in restaurants. Dropped food can cause germs in the air as small droplets and adversely affect the food’s quality. Employee shoes can track dirt into walk-in freezers, walk-in refrigerators and food-prep areas, causing cross-contamination. The takeaway? Dirty commercial kitchen floors aren’t just a trip-and-fall hazard, they’re also a threat to public health, as they can harbor organisms that cause food-borne illnesses. Unfortunately, mopping may be insufficient.

So what does work when it comes to the question of how to clean a greasy restaurant kitchen floor? We recommend a floor cleaning system that scrubs the floor and sucks up all the dirty liquid into a holding tank. While this may seem like an unnecessary expense compared to a mop, it’s an investment in the overall well-being of your restaurant kitchen. An industrial kitchen degreaser is one of the commercial kitchen cleaning supplies that can help remove grease from kitchen floors.

One additional tip? Save cleaning the floors for last to avoid having to do the work again due to debris falling from other surfaces as you clean them.

Why wait until your oven is smoking to clean it? Cleaning a commercial oven may not be at the top of anyone’s list of favorite things to do, but the truth is that regular cleaning makes the task significantly more manageable. Your oven’s manufacturer manual should provide information on best practices for cleaning your oven. These may include opening a window or switching on the extractor fan; covering the floor area underneath and around the oven door; removing oven shelves for separate soaking/cleaning; and using a blunt instrument, such as a spoon, to loosen food residue without harming the surface of the oven.

Having the right cleaning supplies — be sure they are manufacturer-approved — also matters. Baked-on stains are no match for professional kitchen cleaning products, while gloves will protect your skin from exposure to harsh, potentially toxic chemicals. Microfiber cloths are also effective oven cleaning tools because they don’t leave behind any flammable fibers.

Dealing with a particularly messy oven and short on time? Leaving the oven cleaning product on overnight can take some of the scrubbing out of the equation.

In addition to daily cleaning tasks, weekly, monthly and yearly commercial kitchen cleaning procedures are also imperative.

Weekly cleaning of restaurant equipment should include washing and sanitizing reach-in coolers; de-liming sinks and faucets; cleaning coffee machines and cleaning ovens.

On a monthly basis, the dry storage area, freezers, ice machines and walls should be cleaned.

Yearly restaurant cooking equipment cleaning tasks include cleaning the pilot lights and hoods. There are many kitchen equipment suppliers who specialize in hood cleaning. It’s a time-consuming task that is best left to the pros.

And remember: it’s the little details that keep a restaurant clean, safe and sanitary. From preventing food-borne illnesses to meeting local health and safety regulations, implementing the best practices in commercial kitchen cleaning will ensure that your establishment not only keeps the public safe but operates smoothly.

Want to see how to apply these cleaning procedures for commercial kitchens to Vulcan Equipment-specific products? Check out the following videos: Charbroiler Cleaning Demo Video and our Griddle Cleaning Demo Video.