Cleaning, Sanitizing, and Facility Equipment
Clean versus sanitize
Cleaning removes visible soil; sanitizing reduces microorganisms to safe levels. You cannot sanitize a dirty surface, so the sequence is scrape, wash, rinse, sanitize, air dry. Food-contact surfaces are cleaned and sanitized at least every 4 hours during continuous use, and after any interruption, contamination, or change of task. In a three-compartment sink: wash in water at least 110°F with detergent, rinse in clean water, then sanitize - 171°F water for 30 seconds of immersion, or a chemical sanitizer at label concentration with the required contact time, followed by air drying.
Sanitizer concentrations
Chlorine 50–100 ppm, quaternary ammonium 200–400 ppm, iodine 12.5–25 ppm. Always verify with the correct test strip, and never let a cloth sit in a bucket without checking strength. Wiping cloths stay in sanitizer between uses. Mechanical dish machines: hot-water sanitizing requires a final rinse of 180°F at the manifold and 160°F at the plate; chemical sanitizing relies on the same ppm targets as manual sanitizing.
Equipment and facility
Food-contact equipment must be smooth, durable, nonabsorbent, and easily cleanable; cutting boards and utensils must be replaced when cracked or scored. Store clean utensils and dishes protected from contamination, handle utensils by the handles, and keep cleaning chemicals in labeled containers away from food. Equipment that cannot be moved must be cleaned in place.
Traps
Questions swap ppm figures between sanitizer types, and some describe sanitizing without prior washing.
Rule of thumb
Every 4 hours for food-contact surfaces, and trust the test strip, not the smell.