Cleaning floors, walls and ceilings

Floors

Floors should be scrubbed by machine or by hand. When scrubbing manually, use two buckets – one with detergent and one to rinse the mop or scrubbing brush in. Rinse the floor with clean hot water after scrubbing.

Clean all areas of the floor, paying particular attention to parts where residues of food particles may have collected.

Hazards

• wet floors can be a hazard to staff, so in a commercial kitchen you should display a wet floor notice
• dirty floors attract pests, so keep it clean!

Walls and ceilings

Most walls and ceilings can be satisfactorily cleaned by using hot water and a detergent or sanitiser. Areas where splashes occur, such as behind sinks, should be cleaned at least once a day.

Dusting and sweeping

Dry dusting and sweeping can fill the air with dust particles which may carry bacteria. Use a damp cloth for dusting and a moist cloth over the brush head.

Clean and disinfect the cleaning materials themselves regularly.

Waste bins

These can become breeding grounds for pests. Their contents provide food and shelter for the beasties. Any waste bins within the food preparation area should be washed and disinfected regularly. Outside bins should be sited as far away from the food prep area as is practical and should have lids or covers to restrict access by pests.

This is Chapter Seven, Part Four in a series of articles broadly similar to the course offered by the Royal Society for the Promotion of Health for its Food Hygiene Certificate.
Return to the start of Chapter Seven