Five Tips For Keeping Commercial Kitchen Floors Clean

While the kitchen floor is a useful feature of a commercial eating establishment, it is often susceptible to dirt and grease buildup. Ironically, many restaurant staffs consider kitchen floor cleaning task as arbitrary and give it little to no attention at all. Commercial kitchen floor cleaners equally lack knowledge of the steps to be followed to achieve a grease-free and shiny kitchen floor.

As a matter of fact, the law mandates any catering business to set a cleaning procedure as well as have a strict protocol that meets the Food Safety & Hygiene Regulations. Maintaining your commercial kitchen is imperative to achieve a safe environment wherein everyone can feel secure working or dining.

But the truth is; most restaurant staffs do not have hands-on training and experience in the field of kitchen floor maintenance. Highlighted below are the Five Tips for Keeping Commercial Kitchen Floors Clean. Before that, let’s look at some of the reasons why kitchen floors easily become dirty.

There are plenty of reasons why kitchen floors get dirty more often than not. The following are just a few of them:

A lot of commercial kitchen floors are cemented with quarry tiles featuring microscopic holes that allow grease to penetrate into it. Permeation of grease into these tiled floors results in constantly slippery floors. The slippery floor problem gradually worsens if the floor is superficially cleaned using ineffective products.

One of the most significant features of a commercial kitchen floor is water drains. Water drains are designed to empty cleaning water from the surface without building puddles. Drains allow floors to dry faster, making the cleaning task efficient because it takes less time to mop and wipe the floor.

Problems may, however, occur if these water drains get clogged. Blocked drains do not allow water to flow out as usual but instead makes it stand or settle into the tile. This problem may lead to the formation of mold on and between the tiles. And if this issue persists, bacterial infestation occurs, which leads to many distasteful elements in your eating establishment.

The use of diluted cleaning fluid over and over again is one of the substantial mistakes happening in food service environments. Using the same vessel of diluted cleaning fluid throughout the mopping session is a bad practice because the fluid will get dirty. Mopping the floor with such liquid is like spreading more dirt around. Change water as soon as it darkens.

Keeping commercial kitchen floors clean is without a doubt one of the most challenging tasks you have to accomplish. Getting on top of all the soiling is an uphill task. Thankfully, there is no need to panic because the information we provide here helps you brush up on your knowledge of how to keep commercial kitchen floors clean and in a pristine state.

#1. Set a Cleaning Schedule:

A commercial kitchen is a high-traffic zone where everyone – including the management, chefs, servers, etc. – constantly uses to pop in and out of the establishment. Thus, it’s one area that demands daily scheduled cleaning to keep the floor and cooking space hygienic.

Make a cleaning plan of how often you should tend to your premises. Understand that whereas some commercial kitchen elements such as ventilation systems, freezers and water cooler might not require regular cleaning, kitchen floors call for a more rigid maintenance schedule. Hard surface areas which get used frequently need cleaning at least twice a day to prevent germs from spreading.

As per the law, all commercial kitchens need professional deep cleaning after every six months to maintain the workplace hygiene. Make sure you stick to this rule. Also, keep your deep cleaning record as proof of allegiance to health and safety standards.

#2. Use Recommended Cleaning Formulas:

It is imperative to use proper cleaning formulas which are proven to work on all surfaces. Cleaning formulas that are advertised as effective on all surfaces are adequate products for cleaning kitchen floors in commercial food service establishments.

Unlike kitchen counters and other food service appliances, commercial kitchen floors are porous due to the use of quarry tiles. Hence, thick layers of grease can get attracted with the utmost ease.

Avoid using general cleaning products for commercial kitchen floors. Instead, go for high-grade cleaners formulated explicitly for cleaning kitchen floors. Most cleaning personnel at places of dining use old floor cleaning products, which is a huge mistake.

Do not utilize bleach or laundry dishwasher detergent for cleaning commercial kitchen tiles. The latter is even the most unfortunate choice for the purpose of cleaning tiles. Detergents comprise lard that acts as an emulsifier and makes tiles slippery.

#3. Clean Hard Surfaces Exhaustively:

Hard surfaces are susceptible to cracks and can attract large volumes of water, consequently becoming a breeding ground for germs and bacteria. Hazardous microorganisms commonly thrive in perfect environments comprising cracked surfaces and accumulated water. Hard surfaces are not as complicated to clean as you’d expect.

Remove any loose crumbs and first so that you can get the most profound cleaning. Make use of a sanitizing spray to eliminate harmful germs and bacteria. It also proves handy when it comes to preserving the appearance of your floors.

Apply the spray directly onto the surface and let it sit for about ten minutes to achieve a deeper clean. Afterwards, wear disposable latex gloves and wipe the surface with some blue roll. You should do this to prevent germs from spreading.

Now, this step involves using a weapon like a squeegee to remove caked-on grime and dirt as well as unhygienic elements on commercial kitchen floors. A squeegee peels off the harder bits of gunk and dirt that remained after initial mopping. This tool does more than what a mop cannot do.

Once you are through with floor cleaning task, use a squeegee to wipe out moisture alongside the leftover mop water off the surface and into the drains. It serves as a great complement to the mop. The reason is that the mop cleans the tile floor while the squeegee wipes it.

#5.Vacuum Commercial Kitchen Floors Regularly:

Kitchen floors need detailed vacuuming every couple of weeks. Vacuuming such floors helps in removing soil and food particles nested in cracks, crevices, and corners. Check this budget vacuum list.

After vacuuming and drying your floor, examine it to verify if there is any residual soil. Make sure that there aren’t any slippery areas. Some surfaces containing inclines and declines easily become greasy and may lead to a slip-and-fall accident.

Here is a quick bonus video tips to keep your commercial kitchen floor clean.

Final Thoughts:

One of the essential components of a clean restaurant is a clean kitchen floor. Sometimes the labor required to keep a floor in good condition is time-consuming and strenuous, especially in fast-paced eateries where food remnants constantly fall and make the floors dirty. Luckily, these tailored tips will help keep your commercial kitchen floors clean and in pristine condition.