When it comes to cleaning a commercial kitchen, there are distinct differences between cleaning, sanitizing, and disinfecting the space and the equipment it contains. With COVID-19 introducing new cleaning challenges to commercial kitchens, it has never been more important to understand the differences between these cleaning measures.
What Does Deep Cleaning Do?
Deep cleaning a commercial kitchen removes the germs, grease, grime, and other impurities from surfaces and equipment. This process involves using soap (or detergent) and water to physically remove the built-up grime and germs from surfaces, but it does not necessarily kill all the germs. However, by removing them, it greatly lowers their numbers and reduces the risk of spreading infection. Removing the built-up grease on appliances and kitchen exhausts helps reduce the risk of fire.
What Does Sanitizing Do?
Sanitizing the kitchen reduces the number of germs on surfaces and equipment even further, to a safe level as directed by public health standards or requirements. Sanitizing reduces the number of bacteria present by 99.9 percent, but it does not kill viruses and fungi.
What Does Disinfecting Do?
Disinfecting the kitchen effectively kills all the germs on surfaces and equipment. This process involves using stronger chemicals to kill bacteria, viruses, and fungi. It is important to understand that disinfecting alone does not necessarily clean dirty surfaces or remove the germs, it just kills the germs on the surfaces.
Clean, Sanitize, and Disinfect for a Truly Clean Kitchen
To ensure your kitchen is safe for your staff and customers, it is essential to clean, sanitize, and disinfect all surfaces and equipment on a regular basis, especially with how COVID-19 is shaping our new normal. Deep cleaning is more important than ever, but to be effective it needs to be done right.
Let the professionals handle your deep cleaning, so you don’t have to worry about it. At SDI, we believe Quality is Job #1. Call us today at 800-794-2345 to schedule a free kitchen inspection and keep your kitchen compliant with today’s strict safety guidelines.
