Cleaning and sanitising
A surface can look spotless and still be covered in bacteria. Cleaning removes the grease and dirt you can see; sanitising kills what you cannot. Kitchens that stay safe do both, in the right order, all shift long.
Clean as you go
Do not save cleaning for close-down. Spills, boards between tasks, and surfaces after raw prep are dealt with immediately — a busy service is exactly when contamination spreads fastest. Keep your section clear enough that you always have clean space to work on.
The two-stage clean
- Stage 1 — clean: hot soapy water to remove grease and food debris. Sanitiser cannot kill through a layer of grease.
- Stage 2 — sanitise: apply sanitiser and leave it for the contact time on the label (often 30 seconds to 5 minutes) before wiping. Spraying and instantly wiping does almost nothing — the contact time is where the killing happens.
Two-stage cleaning matters most on food-contact surfaces and hand-contact points: boards, work surfaces, probes, fridge handles, taps and door push-plates.
Cloths and equipment
- Disposable cloths where possible; reusable ones changed frequently and washed hot.
- Separate cloths for raw areas — a cloth carries bacteria wherever it goes next.
- Chemicals stored away from food, in labelled containers, never decanted into drink bottles.
Follow the schedule
Your kitchen's cleaning schedule says what is cleaned, how often, and by whom — including the weekly jobs everyone forgets: extraction filters, behind equipment, fridge seals and shelving. Initial each task when done; it is the evidence the cleaning really happens.
Check your understanding
You spray sanitiser on the counter and wipe it straight off. What is wrong?
The sanitiser never got its contact time, so most bacteria survive. Clean first, spray, wait the label's contact time, then wipe.
A greasy grill-side surface gets sanitiser only. Effective?
No — sanitiser cannot penetrate grease. Stage 1 (hot soapy water) first, then sanitise.
Why do fridge handles and taps matter more than the middle of the floor?
They are hand-contact points — everyone touches them between tasks, so they move bacteria from hand to hand all shift. High-touch beats low-risk on the priority list.
Doing this as part of your job?
If your workplace uses Localyn, ask your manager for your personal training link — completing modules through it records the training in the store's food safety evidence automatically. Managers: issue links from the Training page in your dashboard.
See it working before you sign up
Walk through a sample store with realistic demo data — no login required — or start a 1-month free trial and set up your first site with Localyn.