A restaurant might serve the best food in town, but without maintaining a clean kitchen, it won't stay open for long. Standard household cleaning products aren't sufficient to keep a commercial kitchen up to code.
In this straightforward guide, we'll cover the essential cleaning chemicals needed for commercial kitchens.
1. Dishwashing Machine Detergent
How frequently do you run the dishwashing machines in your restaurant kitchen? At least once every evening. While commercial dishwashers are efficient, they can become dirty and grimy over time.
For food safety reasons, it's crucial to invest in a high-quality detergent for your machine. Additionally, it's vital to use a dishwashing machine sanitizing solution on a regular basis.
Sanitizing solutions not only clean the dishwasher itself but also eradicate bacteria and germs left behind on cookware, plates, utensils, and other dishes.
These cleaning solutions are typically chlorinated to ensure the highest level of sanitation possible.
2. Dishwashing Soap
Many restaurants lack commercial dishwashing machines and resort to washing dishes by hand. Even establishments with dishwashers often maintain manual washing stations.
For those instances when manual washing is necessary, a quality dishwashing soap is essential to achieve the sanitation and degreasing required by restaurant standards.
Opt for soaps that are gentle on the hands and have a concentrated formula to ensure each bottle lasts longer.
3. Oven Cleaner
Every restaurant needs effective cleaning chemicals for kitchen ovens. Grime, grease, and soot can not only impact the quality of the food but also hinder the oven's performance.
Reliable oven cleaners will eliminate baked-on grease and leftover food particles in ovens, broilers, and fryers.
Spray cleaners are the most convenient option and can be used on both cold and warm ovens. Heavy-duty and fume-free formulas are available to suit your restaurant's and staff's requirements.
4. Grill Cleaner
Grill cleaners are among the most crucial cleaning chemicals in kitchens, ensuring your cooktops remain spotless.
After a long day - particularly during peak hours - your grills and cooktops can become heavily soiled. To uphold standards, it's essential to eliminate the grime, grease, and baked-on food remnants from the day's cooking.
Commercial formulations are designed to dissolve grease, grime, soot, and food residue on broilers, grills, and fryers. Some products can also be used inside ovens.
Opt for a product with a concentrated formula to maximize the longevity of each bottle
5. Chlorine Test Strips
Many restaurants neglect to include chlorine test strips in their kitchen cleaning arsenal. If chlorine solutions are part of your sanitation routine, these test strips are crucial for verifying that the solution has the appropriate concentration to effectively sanitize your food processing equipment.
Simply immerse the strips in the solution and match the resulting color to the chart on the tube. A concentration of 200 ppm is potent enough to kill bacteria, while a concentration of 10 ppm is almost ineffective.
These strips enable you to swiftly and easily gauge the strength of your cleaning solution at a glance.
6. Ice Machine and Freezer Cleaners
Ice machines are vital for dispensing refreshing fountain drinks, coffees, and alcoholic beverages. However, akin to other equipment in your establishment, ice machines require regular upkeep.
Sanitizing solutions are crafted to eradicate 99.99% of harmful bacteria lurking within ice machines. Moreover, specialized products target the removal of mineral deposits, a critical task for eateries grappling with hard water issues.
In addition to ice machine cleansers, it's prudent to have a top-tier freezer cleaner. These chemical formulations enable you to clean the walls, floors, and storage compartments of freezers, even enduring temperatures as low as -5 degrees Fahrenheit.
7. Coffee Machine Cleaner
For restaurants serving coffee, incorporating a coffee machine cleaner into your array of cleaning products is indispensable.
With time, residues from coffee grounds can accumulate, imparting an unpleasant or charred flavor to your brew.
Various cleaners cater to espresso machines, drip coffee pots, and even milk frothers. They come in liquid, powder, and capsule formulations, allowing you to select the most convenient option for your establishment.
8. Bar Glass Washing Chemicals
After last call, it's time to clean up from the day. That means washing all of the bar glasses. Special cleaning solutions are available for your beer, wine and cocktail glasses.
You'll find cleaning chemicals in powder and liquid form.
Some restaurants prefer to use simple liquid dish soap, while others prefer to use specialized cleaners. This is more of a personal preference and will depend on how busy your bar is on a daily basis.
9. Beer and Wine Line Chemicals
Add this to your list of restaurant kitchen cleaning chemicals if you have beer, wine and/or cider on tap. Line cleaners will keep your beverages tasting great by removing any leftover residue or grime left behind.
These cleaning solutions are designed to dissolve bacteria, biofilm, tartrates, tannins, mold and yeast.
10. Deep Fryer Cleaners
From crispy French fries to golden fried shrimp, mozzarella sticks, and crunchy fried pickles, a deep fryer enhances your menu with a variety of delectable treats. However, proper care and cleaning are imperative for fryers.
Deep fryer cleaners are designed to eliminate rancidity-causing agents, ensuring your fried foods maintain their delicious taste. They effectively remove baked-on grease and carbon residue while being safe for use with most metals. Moreover, they prolong the lifespan of oils, reducing your long-term expenditure on oil.
Final Thoughts
Every restaurant kitchen should be equipped with specialized cleaners for its various appliances, including ovens, fryers, grills, beer and wine lines, coffee machines, glassware, and dishwashers. These cleaners are essential for maintaining the cleanliness standards mandated by food and safety regulations.
Unsure where to procure the finest kitchen cleaning products? Explore our catalog to discover a comprehensive range of cleaning solutions and more.