Cleaning, Sanitizing, and Equipment Care
What you must understand
Cleaning removes visible soil; sanitizing reduces pathogens to safe levels. You must clean before you sanitize, because soil prevents sanitizer from working. The four-step manual method is: scrape and rinse, wash with detergent in hot water, rinse, then sanitize and air-dry. Do not towel-dry sanitized items.
Sanitizer concentration matters. A common chlorine solution is about 50 to 100 ppm, mixed with cool water and tested with test strips. Too strong is toxic; too weak does not sanitize. Follow the label. Heat sanitizing uses water at 171°F or above for at least 30 seconds, depending on the method.
Clean and sanitize food-contact surfaces after each use, between raw and ready-to-eat food, after a task change, and at least every four hours during continuous use. Wash dishware in the order: glasses, flatware, plates, then pots and pans. Store clean equipment inverted and off the floor. Maintain equipment: calibrate thermometers (ice-point method: 32°F in ice water), keep coolers at temperature, and replace worn cutting boards and cracked utensils. Clean ice machines and beverage equipment regularly.
Traps to watch
Questions often ask whether sanitizing alone is enough after raw meat; it is not, because visible soil must be removed first. Do not store sanitized utensils on a cloth towel. Do not mix chlorine with other chemicals. Do not assume a sanitizer works without a test strip check.
Rule of thumb
If a question asks the order of operations, answer clean, rinse, sanitize, air-dry. If it asks how to know sanitizer strength, answer test strips, not color or smell.