It is important to properly clean and sanitize food contact surfaces such as tables. Clean tables lead to higher marks from guests and also help to reduce contamination risks.
Here are four steps and several important tips to keep in mind when cleaning up and sanitizing tables:
Steps To Clean & Sanitize Surfaces
- Clean the surface with an appropriate cleaner.
- After cleaning, thoroughly rinse the surface with clean water.
- Apply a sanitizing solution to the surface. There are many sanitizer options available, such as quat-based, chlorine-based and alcohol-based. Make sure you choose one that is compatible with the surfaces you are cleaning. (Chlorine-based products, for example, can be quite corrosive to some surfaces).
- Allow the sanitizer to remain wet on the surface for the recommended time per the manufacturer. Most sanitizers are fine to just let air dry and not rinse afterwards.
Important Tips
- You should use three different cloths: one for cleaning, one for rinsing and one for applying sanitizer.
- Use different colored pails for steps 1, 2 and 3 so it is easy to identify the cleaner versus the clean rinse water versus the sanitizer. Spray bottles of cleaner and sanitizer may be used instead of pails.
- Always read manufacturer labels to achieve proper dilution.
- Have the appropriate test strips available to test for proper parts per million (ppm). Check often since ppm will drop throughout the day.
- It is very important to rinse surfaces with clean water after cleaning and before sanitizing to maximize the effectiveness of the sanitizer.
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