No matter what sort of F&B business you’re running, the safety and health of your customers should always take precedence over making a fat profit.

And with the Covid-19 coronavirus epidemic taking over the world, it’s better to be safe than sorry. This means it’s really time to up your kitchen cleanliness game to eliminate as much dirt and germs as possible.

Make a list

Cleaning a commercial kitchen should always begin with a detailed, written plan for your employees to follow. The guidelines should include cleaning your restaurant and the equipment, as well as for training employees on the cleaning and sanitizing processes for all the kitchen tools.

These best practices should be listed in a daily, weekly and monthly commercial kitchen cleaning schedule.

Wash and sanitize reach-in coolers; de-lime your sinks and faucets; clean the coffee machines, ovens, and other cooking equipment weekly.

Ventilate

The coronavirus is an airborne virus that spreads through droplets caused by coughing and sneezing. So, it would be a good idea to keep your kitchen and restaurant as well as ventilated as possible.

Your kitchen’s exhaust system filters should also be routinely cleaned. Not only will it ensure that the air in your establishment is “fresh”, but it also trims expenses in other ways, including minimizing repair costs due to blocked pipes.

Wipe it clean

Work surfaces need to be wiped down after use, every day, without fail. If your work surfaces are made of stainless steel, good for you because some grades of stainless steel are bacteria- resistant. It’s best to use a wet cloth and mild detergent to clean and wipe in the direction of the finish on the stainless steel surfaces to protect it from scratches.

Stubborn dirt, like solidified grease, messing up your surfaces cannot be easily removed with detergent and water. In this case, it’s time to bring out the big guns ie. use baking soda or a commercial cream cleaner then rinse the surface and dry immediately to prevent contamination.

Mop it up

Dirty floors are common in F&B outlets. Dropped foods is a problem by itself when the bacteria from them float into the air and land on your food.

The other problem is when employees trek dirt (and their live-in germs) in from the outside into your kitchen, causing cross-contamination from the work area right into your walk-in freezers.

Unfortunately, mopping alone may be insufficient to keep things clean. Have your employees clean their shoes before entering the kitchen. Or better yet, have them change into designated, rubber closed-toe shoes that are exclusively meant to be used in the kitchen.

Here’s a bonus idea: Clean the floors last to avoid having to do the work again due to debris falling from other surfaces as you clean them.

These may seem like small steps but small steps do add up. In this case, they’ll add up pretty quickly as you’ll have a clean business premise that will keep your patrons healthy and happy.