How To Create a Commercial Kitchen Cleaning Schedule

A clean kitchen is essential to any restaurant kitchen, industrial-type kitchen or catering business. By creating a comprehensive cleaning checklist, you can ensure that everyone in your kitchen knows exactly what their duties are. This will make sure that cleaning is carried out consistently during every shift.

To maximise effectiveness, your schedule should be as specific as possible, leaving no room for error or misunderstandings. Remember to state which surfaces and appliances need to be cleaned, which chemicals or equipment to use and how frequently cleaning should take place.

While some cleaning tasks will need to be carried out more frequently, others will only need to be completed once a month, or even just once a year. It’s therefore a sensible idea to create checklists that reflect this. Below, HSEDocs will talk you through what a typical commercial kitchen cleaning schedule might look like:

Daily Cleaning Checklist

This daily cleaning checklist is for your day-to-day cleaning duties. These tasks focus on high-touch surfaces and high-traffic areas where dirt, grime and bacteria quickly build up if not cleaned thoroughly.

• Wipe down food preparation areas between tasks with anti-bacterial cleaner
• Empty bins once they are full
• Disinfect waste areas
• Wash and sanitise all chopping and cutting boards and surfaces
• Brush and clean the grill and griddle
• Clean the flattop
• Clean out fryers
• Wash the meat and cheese slicers after each use
• Sweep and mop the kitchen flooring
• Mop up any spillages immediately to prevent hazards
• Wash any floor mats Wash all aprons and chef hats
• Wash can openers
• Clean hood filters
• Clean knives and cutlery
• Clean plates
• Wipe walls that have been splashed
• Change grill linings
• Wash the heads of the beverage dispenser
• Wipe down equipment, including microwave, toaster and kettle
• Sweep storage areas and walk-in refrigerator
• Refill soap dispensers and paper towels
• Wash all utensils and glassware
• Wash cookware
• Clean out the sinks
• Wipe down dishwasher
• Disinfect door handles and light switches

To learn more about food hygiene, take a look at our article, ‘What Are The Basic Food Hygiene Rules?’

Weekly Cleaning Checklist

At the end of every week, you should take the time to deep clean appliances and equipment, and to go over any hard-to-reach or easily forgotten spots. If your restaurant is closed for a day or two, then this is a great time to see to the following tasks:

• Thorough cleaning of sink areas
• Clean ovens, including racks
• Sanitise walk-in areas
• Clean drains with drain cleaners
• Sanitise and clean out all refrigerators
• Clean out the deep fryer
• Clean coffee machines
• Clean any grease traps
• Dust and clean lights
• Wipe down doors

Top tip - It’s also a good idea to review your stock of cleaning products and equipment every week so that you can replace or reorder any essential items, like sponges or clothes.

Monthly Cleaning Checklist

Completing these tasks each month alongside your daily and monthly tasks will help you to maintain an excellent standard of hygiene. Monthly cleaning tasks include:

• Wash behind your ovens and fryers to eliminate grease
• Clean underneath any appliances and other surfaces
• Clean the freezers
• Sharpen the cheese and meat slicer
• Sanitise and clean out ice machines
• Wipe down dry storage areas
• Wash walls and ceilings
• Clean out coffee and drinks machines with professional cleaning products
• Wash vent hoods
• Clean fridge coils
• Check cleaning stock
• Change pest traps
• Clean inside dishwasher
• Clean inside your microwave
• Refill first aid box

On top of these, you should check fire extinguishers, gas pilot lights and clean out vents every 3 months to maintain safety standards.

To read more about fridge storage and maintenance, take a look at our article here.

Shifts

Certain cleaning procedures must be carried out before, during and after a shift. Here is everything you need to know:

Before a Shift Begins

Before any shift begins, kitchen staff should take a moment to prepare the kitchen and ensure that everything is sanitary before they start cooking. They’ll need to:

• Wipe down all surfaces with food-safe antibacterial cleaner and a clean cloth or sponge.
• Clean sinks, taps, and hand washing stations.
• Check ingredients and dispose of anything that has gone off.
• Ensure you have a supply of clean cloths and sponges on hand for quick wipe-downs between tasks.

During a Shift

While most kitchen staff and cooks will do these things as part of their routine, it’s still good practice to write a formal list. Staying on top of these tasks will reduce the amount of cleaning required once the shift has ended:

• Brush grills to remove any build-up of grease and food debris between cooking.
• Switch and clean cutting boards between tasks. Knives should also be cleaned between cutting tasks.
• Ensure rubbish is emptied as needed, rather than waiting until the end of the shift. Overflowing bins can easily lead to contamination.
• Spillages should be cleaned up as soon as possible, rather than leaving them until the end of the shift.

After a Shift

After a shift has finished, a more intensive cleaning is in order. Your staff will need to ensure that all of the following tasks are completed before finishing for the day:

• Change cleaning cloths and sponges.
• Throw away any that are no longer clean enough to use.
• Deep fryers should be emptied and cleaned.
• Hobs should be cleaned thoroughly using a specialist hob cleaning product.
• Remove dirty chef whites and aprons and place them in a separate area, ready for laundering.
• Ensure all ingredients are covered and sealed properly before replacing them in the fridge overnight.
• Sweep the floor of walk-in fridges and storage areas.
• Sweep and mop the kitchen floor using a disinfectant or floor cleaner.

By carrying out the cleaning tasks on your commercial cleaning schedule, you can ensure that your space is cleaned and disinfected often to maintain excellent health and safety. On top of this, there are many more benefits of creating a food hygiene cleaning schedule. These include:

• Increased accountability: Everyone knows exactly what their duties are, and can be held accountable for them if they don’t stick to them.
• It’s fairer for staff: Ensuring staff are performing the same tasks on every shift is more equitable.
• Tasks aren’t forgotten: There’s less risk of important cleaning tasks being forgotten, or easy-to-miss areas of the kitchen being neglected.
• Evidence of due diligence: You’ll have a record of your cleaning practice to show to inspectors. For more information, take a look at our article, ‘What Is Due Diligence In Food Safety?’
• Consistency: If you always follow your checklist to the letter, your kitchen should stay consistently clean, which makes the whole job easier.
• Improves food quality: A hygienic kitchen reduces the risk of food becoming contaminated. Keeping food storage areas clean can help to prevent food spoilage, too.
• Prevents infestations: A rigorously clean environment is less likely to suffer from infestations of vermin or flies, which can be dangerous, costly to deal with, and seriously bad for your reputation.

All commercial kitchens are required to meet regulations set out by The Food Standards Agency. These include:

• A good standard of hygiene based on the 4 C's – cooking, chilling, cross-contamination, cleaning. To read more about the 4 C’s of food hygiene, take a look at our article, ‘What Are The Basic Food Hygiene Rules?’
• Industrial kitchens should not serve anything in food, remove anything in food, or treat food in a way that could potentially damage the health of people.
• Food should be presented, advertised and labelled in a way that is not misleading or false.
• The Food Hygiene Rating delivers a number on a scale of 0 to 5 on how clean a commercial kitchen is. 5 is the highest standard of cleanliness while 0 means urgent improvement is needed. For more information, take a look at our article surrounding food hygiene ratings.
• All commercial kitchens need to be inspected, usually once per year to receive their rating.
• The food hygiene rating covers how food is stored, the handling of food, how it is prepared, the cleanliness of facilities and how food safety is managed.

One of the main reasons why many commercial kitchens fail to meet good health and safety standards is that they do not undertake regular cleaning. A consistent cleaning schedule is important, especially where the health of the public is concerned. On top of the checklist, staff should be washing their hands:

• After touching raw food
• After handling any rubbish
• Before and after preparing food
• During the preparation of different foods
• Before and following the treatment of a wound

To stick to your cleaning schedule and ensure your kitchen is completely hygienic, you’ll need to have a good selection of professional cleaning products and equipment. This will make your life much easier in the long run. Here are some of the most important industrial kitchen cleaning equipment must-haves:

• Cleaning cloths or cleaning rags – these can easily be used to wipe, polish and dry varying surfaces.
• Cleaning gloves – ensure these are disposable so that staff can throw them away after their daily cleaning duties.
• Scourers – these can be metal or non-metal and work best on hard to clean surfaces that require a little more effort, such as ovens.
• Sponges – these can be used on a number of surfaces. Throw them away after every shift or change them regularly for sanitation purposes.
• Blue roll – for preventing streaks and for drying anything that has been washed in the sink.
• Griddle brush – this is used to clean the griddle.
• Mops and buckets – those with interchangeable heads work best as they can be disposed of easily. Remember to mop thoroughly after every shift.
• Dustpan and brush set – to clean any dirt off the floor.
• Dusters – for any high-up shelving that requires cleaning.
• Anti-bacterial cleaner – kitchen surfaces require bacteria to be eliminated for food preparation and storage purposes.
• Grease cleaner – this is ideal for cleaning cooking areas.
• Oven cleaner – for the inside of your oven and cleaning racking.
• Floor cleaner – floors in kitchens can become dirty quickly, particularly with food spillages and stains. An antibacterial floor cleaner will keep your floors sparkling clean
• Handwash or hand soap – you must wash your hands regularly when handling and preparing food. Hand towels – make these disposable or install a hand dryer. Drinks machine cleaner – any coffee machines, cold drinks machines and beer taps need regular cleaning using specialist products.
• Drain cleaner – these can become blocked so regular cleaning is recommended.
• Washing up liquid – for cleaning anything in the sink.
• Dishwasher cleaner – this keeps the inside of your dishwasher clean so that your kitchen equipment and tools are cleaned effectively.
• Steam cleaner – for cleaning carpets or upholstery.
• Jet washer – these are effective for cleaning tough stains off splashbacks, tiling and flooring.
• Deep cleaning equipment – this can include professional cleaning equipment which is more powerful than regular cleaning tools and products. Your kitchen needs to be deep cleaned thoroughly, especially in post-COVID times.

Deep Cleaning

Every now and then, you’ll need to give your professional kitchen an intensive deep cleaning session to make sure that all areas and equipment are as hygienic as they can possibly be. Although a deep clean can be time consuming, it can also help prolong the lifespan of your equipment, resulting in less repairs and a more efficient kitchen. This makes it very worthwhile in the long run.

Colour Coding

When creating a commercial kitchen cleaning schedule, it is important to make sure that the equipment and products you are using to clean your kitchen are kept for that area only. For example, you should avoid using the same mop and cloths in your kitchen and the toilets as this can greatly increase the risk of spreading germs.

The best way to ensure that the right cleaning equipment is used in the correct area is to follow a colour-coded cleaning plan. This involves colour-coding your equipment according to the ‘zone’ in the restaurant where it is used. This way, it is completely clear to all staff which items should be used in which area.

To read more about colour coding, take a look at our article, ‘Chopping Board Colours: Your Complete Guide’.

On top of colour coding, it is important to store your cleaning products correctly. Keep them in a place where your customers cannot access them, even accidentally. An easy way to do this is to keep all of your supplies in a locked cupboard. You should also be careful to keep all cleaning chemicals in the bottles and containers they are supplied in, as this ensures that the manufacturer’s instructions are easily accessible.

When creating your commercial kitchen cleaning schedule, it's important to bear in mind that different cleaning procedures will be required for different parts of your kitchen. Generally, areas and appliances that are used more frequently during everyday cooking and food preparation should be cleaned the most often. Below, we’ll outline some rough guidelines of how often each area and appliance should be cleaned:

• Hobs & Ovens - Any spillages should be wiped up after each shift to prevent build-up of grease and grime and the interior of the oven should be cleaned using a specialist oven cleaning product once a week.
• Coffee Machines - Espresso machines should be cleaned and flushed with hot water once a week.
• Kettles - Water boilers should be cleaned and descaled once a month, or once a week if you serve a lot of hot drinks every day.
• Microwaves - The interior of your microwave should be cleaned at least once a week.
• Refrigeration - The interiors of your fridges should be wiped and sanitised between every shift and given a deep clean once a week.

To find out more about refrigerator hygiene, take a look at our article, ‘Food Safety: Fridge Storage & Maintenance’.

• Floors - Any major spillages must be cleaned up as soon as possible during a shift, as not only do they present a hygiene hazard, but they also put your staff at risk of slips and falls. The floor should also be swept or hoovered and then mopped and cleaned using a disinfectant antibacterial floor cleaner after every shift.

To find out more, take a look at our Slips, Trips and Falls Course.

• Countertops and work surfaces -Work surfaces that are used for food prep should be wiped clean between tasks, and then thoroughly cleaned and disinfected after the shift has ended.

After learning about how thorough a commercial kitchen cleaning schedule needs to be, you may find it beneficial to take a look at HSEDoc’s Level 2 Food Hygiene certificate course. This personal and kitchen hygiene program instructs in the importance of cleanliness and the possible consequences of neglecting the exacting standards required to keep food safeguarded from poor hygiene hazards.

Beginning at just £4.99, our comprehensive online food hygiene training covers key rules for your kitchen including the Four Cs, HACCP, temperature control, and personal hygiene, to name a few.

All successful candidates are entered on the national training register and certificates can be verified by employers by clicking Validate a Certificate and typing in the certificate number. If you have any questions, need advice, or you’d simply like to speak to a member of our team, don’t hesitate to contact us.