Cleaning, Sanitizing, and Pest Control
Cleaning removes food and grease; sanitizing reduces micro-organisms to a level public health considers safe. Questions test the order of steps, sanitiser strength and practical pest control.
Cleaning and sanitizing
Three-compartment sink method: (1) scrape and rinse, (2) wash in hot water with detergent, (3) rinse in clean hot water, (4) sanitize by immersion in 77 °C water for 30 seconds or in chlorine solution, (5) air-dry on a rack – never towel-dry. Chlorine is normally about 100 ppm for food contact surfaces and about 200 ppm for wiping-cloth buckets; check with test strips and change the solution when it is dirty. Sanitisers only work on clean surfaces, so clean first.
Clean food contact surfaces before each use and after working with raw food, and clean as you go. Keep a written cleaning schedule naming what is cleaned, by whom, when and how.
Pest control
Pests need food, water and shelter – deny all three. Store food in sealed containers, clean spills, empty bins daily, fix leaks, seal gaps, fit screens of about 1.5 mm mesh and door sweeps. Use a licensed pest control operator, keep bait stations away from food, never use rodenticide or spray in food preparation or storage areas, and record every sighting and treatment. Signs to know: droppings, grease trails, gnaw marks, egg cases, webbing and live insects.
Worked example. After a busy service a stopper is found in the wash basin and the sanitising bucket reads 400 ppm chlorine. Reasoning: 400 ppm leaves a chemical residue on food contact surfaces that can make diners ill, and the sanitiser is being used as a washing-up solution. Correct action: mix to 100 ppm using test strips, wash with detergent, rinse, then sanitise, and replace the solution when visibly dirty.
Traps. Sanitizing without cleaning first. Assuming pest control is only the pest operator's job. Believing a hot rinse alone sanitizes greasy equipment.