How To Deep Clean a Commercial Kitchen

Although operating a restaurant requires a lot of effort, there are commercial kitchen cleaning tricks that help ease the burden. Maintaining your food service kitchen is an obvious priority. After all, an overtly filthy restaurant will rapidly lose customers, but a disorganized, poorly cleaned one will have the same result.

By adhering to some basic commercial kitchen cleaning procedures, you can keep your clients satisfied and your staff members healthy.

Cleaning Countertops and Hard Surfaces

Bacteria thrive on hard surfaces like countertops. Since you use them regularly for meal preparation, you should clean them twice a day. Items and storage containers should be taken off the surface and cleaned with a disinfectant spray and a soft cloth. Spray from 8 to 12 inches away from the surface, and place your items back on the countertop after the area has dried naturally. 

In some cases, you’ll need to take some extra steps. To remove dried food or beverage spills, use a soft brush and warm soapy water and scrub your countertop. Also, use specialized tile-based disinfectants that can clean grout of bacteria and filth while cleaning tile surfaces.

Cleaning Commercial Grills & Griddles

Flat top commercial griddles and grills are incredible pieces of commercial kitchen equipment. Whether you have a stainless steel or chrome surface, some proper care and routine maintenance can keep this kitchen workhorse in great shape for years to come.

One of the most crucial steps in equipment maintenance is cleaning. Remember to clean all of your appliances, including little ones like microwaves, toasters, and coffee makers. To keep your units in top shape, you should also perform deep cleanings each week and month. Make a cleaning checklist for the following appliances in a commercial kitchen: Fryers: Once or twice a week, boil out your fryer.

• Fryers: Once or twice a week, boil out your fryer.
• Ovens and ranges: As part of your weekly oven maintenance, wipe down the rack, the walls, and the door.
• Cooktops, burners, and flattops should all be cleaned with warm, soapy water or a disinfectant spray.
• Grills: After using one, clean the ash and grime off the grates. To remove grease, you might occasionally need to immerse them in warm, soapy water. Also, clean the regions beneath your burner or grates, including drip trays.
• Refrigeration units: Use a sharp bristle brush and a vacuum to remove dust and grime from the condenser coils every few months. Regularly empty and clean the drain pans and tubs to prevent sludge buildup.
• Ovens and ranges: As part of your weekly oven maintenance, wipe down the rack, the walls, and the door.
• Cooktops, burners, and flattops should all be cleaned with warm, soapy water or a disinfectant spray.
• Grills: After using one, clean the ash and grime off the grates. To remove grease, you might occasionally need to immerse them in warm, soapy water. Also, clean the regions beneath your burner or grates, including drip trays.
• Refrigeration units: Use a sharp bristle brush and a vacuum to remove dust and grime from the condenser coils every few months. Regularly empty and clean the drain pans and tubs to prevent sludge buildup.

Cleaning Commercial Kitchen Ovens

Commercial ovens are the workhorses of any restaurant kitchen. But since they are used frequently, they are more likely to gather detritus like grease and food scraps. This can lead to issues with flavor to performance and the risk of smoke and fire. Conducting proper cleaning and maintenance is one way to prevent these issues before they start.

Explore your oven’s cleaning program

Depending on your oven type, it can have a self-cleaning setting that speeds up a thorough clean. The interior of auto-clean ovens is heated to exceptionally high temperatures of about 500°F. This burns off any food remnants and grease; all you need to do is swipe away the ash that remains. Since no hazardous chemicals are used in the process, it is a wise long-term investment. However, not everyone can afford the most modern appliances for commercial kitchens, so follow the steps below to manually deep clean your oven.

Prepare your oven

Make sure a commercial oven is turned off and cooled before cleaning it by hand. You'll need:

• Oven sanitizer
• Rubber gloves
• Toothbrush sponge or another tiny brush

Remove racks

Prepare a bath of hot, soapy water in your commercial sink. Remove the metal racks from the oven and add them to the water bath. Let them soak to help break down sticky and greasy food residues. Use a sponge to scrub off any persistent burnt bits.

Food debris also accumulates on oven racks. To clean these separately, remove them from the oven and dunk them in soapy hot water. Use a scouring pad or wire brush for particularly stubborn grime or baked-on foods.

Clean the inside of the oven

To remove the grease and encrusted food, use a coarse sponge. Keep your hands away from the fans and interior heating elements to minimize damage. Use oven cleaning for spots that won't come out. The oven's surface and walls should both be treated with the product. Remainings typically take a few hours to lift. For your company, it's crucial to pick a reliable high-strength cleaning solution.

Cleaning Hoods & Exhaust Systems

An exhaust hood helps to draw smoke, fumes, and other particles in the air out of your kitchen. Over time, these particles can build up in your hood system, resulting in a need to have it cleaned. Use the following instructions to learn how to clean an exhaust hood:

• Remove any additional components: To best clean your kitchen hood, be sure to remove any grease traps, filters, and fans to ensure each component is cleaned separately.
• Mix cleaning solution: Prepare a solution of warm water and liquid degreaser in a bucket.
• Scrub interior: Using the solution, scrub the interior of the hood using a non-abrasive scrub pad, soft-bristle brush, or cloth. Be sure to remove any grease or additional debris.
• Wipe interior: After scrubbing, wipe the interior using a damp cloth to remove any soapy residue. Afterward, use a separate towel to dry the interior.
• Scrub exterior: Using the cleaning solution, scrub the exterior of the hood to remove any excess grease.
• Wipe exterior: Remove any additional soap residue with a damp cloth. Dry the exterior using a separate towel.
• Dry: Give your kitchen hood additional time to air dry.

Too much grease and grime in the exhaust systems and hoods can restrict airflow in your kitchen space. Wash out the systems every few months or sooner if you use a deep fryer on a daily basis. Remember to clean the filters, as well, using the instructions found in your unit’s service manual. If you notice damage on the filters, such as rips and tears, replace them immediately. 

Since it’s not easy to deep clean a system, you may need to call professionals for commercial kitchen hood cleaning services. 

Related: https://officehelps.com/5-benefits-of-hiring-a-professional-cleaning-services

Cleaning Commercial Deep Fryers

If fryers are not cleaned regularly, tasty crunch could be compromised. Properly cleaning and maintaining your fryers will help ensure customers enjoy a delicious and safe dining experience at every visit.

Turn Off the Power and Cool the Oil

First things first, you need to turn off the deep fryer’s power by closing the gas supply inlet or unplugging the power source. This lets the oil cool down inside. Make sure to bring the oil temperature down to no more than 150 degrees Fahrenheit.

Remove the Oil and Scrape Out the Interior

Drain the remaining oil into a container for proper recycling or disposal once it has cooled enough. Remove any holders or baskets after that. Use a cleaning rod or scraper to remove accumulated debris from the inside walls, corners, and base. Remove any debris by brushing, wiping, and rinsing.

Cover Soiled Areas With Water and Cleaner

Next, add cool water until the level line in your deep fryer tank. Add a suitable cleaning solution to the water after that. Your preferred cleaning agent aids in dislodging any firmly baked-on grease or oil.

Start the heater and bring the water to a boil

To bring the water to a boil, you must now turn the deep fryer back on. Boil the water and cleaning agent for at least 10 minutes; for extremely soiled equipment, 15 to 20 minutes is best.

Rinse well, let water drain, and then cool down

After boiling time, turn off the fryer and let the water cool down. After using a brush to thoroughly clean the fryer's sides and heating elements, slowly drain the cleaning solution. To eliminate any last bits of residue or cleaning agents, give everything a good rinse in hot water. Before using new oil, make sure the basin, baskets, and frying implements have had time to air dry.

Cleaning Touchpoints & Other Crucial Areas

‘Touch points’ are areas that are touched frequently and are considered to be under-emphasized cleaning areas in restrooms and toilets. There is always a chance of transferring germs and disease anywhere a client uses a latch, turns on a light, or opens a door. These regions may contain more bacteria than a toilet bowl in certain situations. The most frequent touch points in the catering industry are faucets, light switches, hand dryer buttons, toilet flushes, and soap or towel dispensers. 

Sinks and other heavy touchpoints in a commercial kitchen need cleaning every day after service has stopped. Use sponges or brushes, warm water, and a non-toxic cleaning agent to clean and scrub sink basins. Along with any nearby counter space or floors adjacent to the sink, faucets and knobs should also be thoroughly cleaned. Floors and rubber mats must also be taken care of; clean floors with a mop and non-toxic cleaning solution mixed with water, and take rubber mats outside to wash them. To avoid accidents and the spread of water inside the industrial kitchen, mats should also be given time to dry before being reinserted. Also, commercial walk-in freezers are another area that requires specific care.

To clean these areas effectively:

• Spray surfaces with disinfectant
• Leave the chemicals to get to work for a few minutes.
• After a few minutes, wipe the surface with a clean, dry cloth.

It’s all good in the hood

Now you have all the tips and tricks for commercial kitchen cleaning. Your restaurant's equipment will be running at its best, and your kitchen will be at its safest. 

Bear in mind this quote by Dave Thomas: “It all comes back to the basics. Serve customers the best-tasting food at a good value  in a clean, comfortable restaurant, and they’ll keep coming back.” 

Even though this brief tutorial is a great point to start when deep cleaning a commercial kitchen, there is still much to learn. Contact us for commercial kitchen cleaning services and to know how we can maintain a spotless commercial kitchen that preserves the health of your devoted diners and staff.