How to Record a Clean As You Go Video for Your Food Safety Management System

Clean as you go is the foundation of kitchen hygiene. This video will train your team to understand why immediate cleaning matters and how to handle every type of cleaning situation they'll encounter during service.

Step 1: Set the scene and context

Start your video by explaining why clean as you go is the standard method in catering. Your team needs to understand the reasoning, not just follow instructions blindly.

Cover the core principle: food soiling and debris is potential food for micro-organisms and pests. This isn't just about appearances—it's about removing growing mediums for bacteria before they can multiply. Explain that cleaning immediately after soiling is always easier than cleaning later. A build-up of food residues becomes progressively harder to remove, requiring harsher chemicals and more effort.

Film in your actual kitchen during or just after a service period when you can show real examples of the types of soiling that occur. This context makes the video immediately relevant—staff can see these aren't hypothetical scenarios but exactly what happens in their workplace every day.

Step 2: Plan what to record versus what to write down

Clean as you go works best when demonstrated visually. Most of this training should be video content because staff need to see the techniques, the speed of response expected, and the actual procedures in action.

Record on video:

• Spillage response for both work surfaces and floors
• The technique for using single-use disposable centrefeed roll
• Work surface cleaning and disinfection sequence
• Wiping down bulk equipment after use
• The dishwasher area and how dirty pots should be stored
• Waste bin emptying and cleaning procedures
• The correct urgency and pace for cleaning tasks

Document in written procedures:

• Your specific cleaning chemical dilution rates
• Contact times for your sanitiser products
• Your cleaning schedule with frequencies
• The corrective action process for cleaning failures
• Training records and retraining requirements

The video shows HOW to clean as you go. The written documents specify WHAT chemicals to use at WHAT dilutions. Keep these separate so you can update chemical specifications without re-filming.

Step 3: Core rules and requirements

Structure your video around the five key cleaning scenarios. Each requires a specific approach that staff must understand and follow consistently.

Food spillages

This is the most time-critical area. Food spillages on both work surfaces and floors must be cleaned up immediately—not when convenient, not after the current task, but straight away. Use single-use disposable centrefeed roll to remove the spillage. After removing the bulk of the spillage, clean work surfaces and disinfect them. For floors, mop afterwards with a hard surface cleaner and hot water.

Emphasise the slip hazard element: wet and slippery floors present serious safety risks in a kitchen. This gives staff a personal safety reason to act immediately, not just a food safety reason.

Work surfaces

Any surface that may come into contact with food—whether raw or cooked/ready-to-eat—must be cleaned and disinfected effectively. This ensures surfaces are safe for food to be placed on them.

Pay particular attention to allergen spillages. When dealing with major allergens, wet cleaning with a detergent is always the safest method, followed by disinfection. Emphasise this point because alcohol-based sanitisers alone won't remove allergen proteins.

For cloths, single-use disposable centrefeed rolls should be used wherever possible. If using single-use cloths instead, they must be used for a single task only and then discarded. No exceptions, no reuse.

Bulk equipment

Large equipment such as grills, ovens, microwaves, and other large items should be cleaned of spills and food debris as soon as temperature permits, or as a minimum at the end of food service.

Explain why timing matters: food residues on hot equipment will be harder to clean the longer they're left on the surface. Waiting requires harsher chemicals and more scrubbing. Cleaning promptly when temperature allows means easier cleaning with standard chemicals.

Washing up

Equipment, utensils, and pots must be cleaned as soon as possible and should not be allowed to build up. A backlog creates chaos, slows service, and increases contamination risks.

Show your dirty pot storage area. Dirty pots waiting to be washed must be stored off the floor on dishwasher tabling or racking/shelves provided for the purpose. Never on the floor, ever. Make sure this point is absolutely clear in your video.

Waste removal

Food waste must be removed from the kitchen area regularly and whenever waste bins are full. Don't wait for bins to overflow—remove waste proactively throughout service.

The non-negotiable rule: waste bins must be emptied every time at the end of a shift. After emptying, the waste bin itself must be cleaned and disinfected. This prevents overnight bacterial growth and pest attraction.

Step 4: Demonstrate or walk through

This is the practical heart of your video. Walk through each scenario showing exactly what you expect from staff. Use quoted speech throughout so staff can hear exactly what they should be thinking and saying as they work.

Spillage response demonstration

Stage a realistic spillage scenario. Show the immediate response with narration:

"I've just knocked this container and there's sauce on the work surface. Watch what I do—I stop what I'm doing immediately. I don't finish portioning this dish first, I don't call someone else to deal with it. I'm grabbing the centrefeed roll right now."

"I'm pulling off enough paper to absorb the spill. I'm not dabbing at it—I'm containing it and lifting it in one motion. The used paper goes straight in the bin. Now the bulk is removed, but this surface has had raw food contact, so I need to clean and disinfect."

"I'm spraying the degreaser, wiping clean, then applying sanitiser. I'm leaving it for the contact time—30 seconds with our product—before the final wipe. That's the complete response to a spillage on a work surface."

For floor spillages, demonstrate the different approach:

"This spillage is on the floor. Same immediate response—I stop what I'm doing. I'm grabbing the centrefeed roll first to pick up the bulk of the spill. Now I need to mop this area with hot water and hard surface cleaner."

"The floor is now wet, which creates a slip hazard. I'm putting the wet floor sign here while it dries. This protects my colleagues from slipping."

Time yourself responding to a spillage. Show staff what "immediate" actually looks like—it should be seconds, not minutes. Say out loud: "From noticing the spill to starting the cleanup was about four seconds. That's the standard."

Work surface cleaning sequence

Film a complete surface cleaning sequence from start to finish with clear narration:

"I've finished preparing raw chicken on this surface. Before I can use it for anything else—especially ready-to-eat food—I need to clean and disinfect it completely."

"Step one: I'm using centrefeed roll to remove any visible food debris. I'm not leaving bits of chicken or skin on the surface."

"Step two: I'm applying our hard surface cleaner. I'm spraying across the whole surface, not missing the edges or corners. Watch how I spray in overlapping passes to get complete coverage."

"Step three: I'm wiping with fresh centrefeed paper. I'm working in one direction, not back and forth—that just moves contamination around. I'm folding the paper and wiping again to get any remaining residue."

"Step four: Now I'm applying sanitiser. Again, complete coverage across the whole surface."

"Step five: This is the bit people forget—contact time. Our sanitiser needs 30 seconds to work. I'm going to use this time to take these dirty utensils to the pot wash area rather than standing here waiting. The sanitiser is working while I'm being productive."

"Step six: Back to the surface. The contact time has passed, so I'm doing a final wipe with fresh centrefeed paper. This surface is now clean and safe for ready-to-eat food preparation."

Show the transition between raw food preparation and ready-to-eat food preparation. Say: "This transition is where cleaning quality really matters. If I cut corners here, I'm creating cross-contamination risk. Every single time I switch from raw to ready-to-eat, I complete this full sequence."

Equipment cleaning

Demonstrate cleaning a piece of bulk equipment with practical narration:

"This grill has been off for about ten minutes. I'm checking—yes, it's cool enough to touch safely, but still warm. This is the perfect time to clean it. The food residue hasn't baked on yet, so it will come off easily."

"I'm using a scraper first to remove the bulk of the burnt-on residue. Then degreaser and a scouring pad for the surface. Watch how much easier this comes off now compared to when we leave it until close."

"If I'd left this until the end of service—another three hours—this residue would have carbonised onto the surface. I'd need harsher chemicals and much more scrubbing. Cleaning now takes two minutes. Cleaning later takes ten minutes and doesn't get it as clean."

For ovens and microwaves, demonstrate the assessment:

"This microwave has splatter inside from the last use. I'm wiping it out now while it's fresh. If I leave this, it dries on, then the next person heats something and it cooks onto the surface even harder. Thirty seconds now saves five minutes later."

Washing up management

Show your pot wash area working well and explain the system with clear commentary:

"This is our pot wash area. Notice how it's organised—dirty items come in on the left, they get washed in the machine or the sink, and clean items go to the right for storage."

"These dirty pots are waiting to be washed. They're on the racking—not on the floor. Never on the floor. If a pot goes on the floor, the base gets contaminated, and then that contamination transfers to whatever surface you put the pot on next."

"Watch the workflow: this pan comes in, I'm scraping out the food waste into the bin, then it goes on the dirty racking. When there's a batch ready, they go through the machine together. Clean items come out, I check them—yes, this is clean—and they go to the clean storage area."

If you have a dishwasher, explain the cycle:

"Our dishwasher runs at 55°c wash and 82°c rinse. Those temperatures are important—the high rinse temperature sanitises the items. If the machine isn't reaching temperature, items coming out aren't safe. We check the display shows the correct temperatures before we trust the machine."

If you use a double-sink system, demonstrate the manual process:

"In our double-sink system, the left sink is for washing with hot water and detergent. The right sink is for rinsing in clean hot water. Items go wash, rinse, then to the draining rack. We change the water when it becomes cloudy or greasy—usually every 20-30 items depending on how dirty they are."

End-of-shift waste procedure

Film the complete end-of-shift waste bin procedure with full narration:

"It's the end of service, and this bin needs to be emptied and cleaned. I'm showing you the full procedure that happens every single shift without exception."

"Step one: I'm lifting out the bin bag. I'm supporting the bottom so it doesn't tear."

"Step two: I'm tying it securely—a proper knot, not just twisting the top. An untied bag will spill in the external storage area."

"Step three: I'm taking this to external waste storage. Notice I've removed my apron—I don't wear it to the waste area because it will pick up contamination that I'll bring back into the kitchen."

"Step four: I'm back, and I'm going to wash my hands before I do anything else. Waste handling always requires hand washing afterwards."

"Step five: Now I'm cleaning the inside of the bin. I'm spraying degreaser, then wiping out any residue or liquid that's accumulated at the bottom."

"Step six: I'm cleaning the outside of the bin too—the pedal, the rim where hands might touch, any splashes on the exterior."

"Step seven: I'm applying sanitiser to the inside and outside surfaces. This kills any bacteria that cleaning alone didn't remove."

"Step eight: Finally, I'm fitting a fresh heavy-duty liner. I'm folding the edges over the rim so it stays in place during the next shift."

"This whole process takes about three minutes. Every shift, without exception. Bins that aren't cleaned properly become breeding grounds for bacteria and attract pests overnight."

The pace of clean as you go

One final demonstration that ties everything together:

"Let me show you what clean as you go looks like during actual service. I'm plating this dish—notice as I'm working, I'm wiping the edge of the plate with a clean cloth. That's clean as you go. I'm not waiting until later."

"I've finished with this chopping board. While the next order comes in, I'm cleaning this board and putting it for washing. Ten seconds of cleaning now."

"There's a drip of sauce on the pass. I'm wiping it immediately—not after this ticket, not after this section is done. Now."

"Clean as you go isn't a separate task. It's integrated into every other task you do. You cook, you clean. You plate, you wipe. You use equipment, you maintain it. That's the rhythm of a professional kitchen."

Allergen spillage—special procedures

Why allergen spills are different:

"I've just spilled some peanut butter on this work surface. This isn't just any spillage—this is an allergen spillage. Let me show you why the procedure is different."

"Allergen proteins can't be removed by sanitiser alone. If I just sprayed sanitiser on this peanut butter residue, the peanut proteins would still be there. Someone with a nut allergy could have a serious reaction from contact with this surface."

"Watch my procedure: First, I'm removing the bulk with centrefeed paper—same as any spillage. That goes straight in the bin."

"But now, instead of going straight to sanitiser, I'm using detergent first. Wet cleaning with a detergent is always the safest method for allergens. I'm spraying, letting it work for a moment, then wiping thoroughly with fresh paper."

"Only after the detergent clean do I apply sanitiser. This kills any bacteria present. Then the surface is safe—both microbiologically clean and allergen-free."

"This two-step process applies any time you're dealing with major allergens. The 14 major allergens include things that might surprise you: celery, mustard, sesame. If any of these spill, detergent first, then sanitiser."

Integration with service flow

During prep:

"Let me show you clean as you go during prep service when there's more time."

"I'm prepping vegetables for service. I've finished the onions—before I move to the carrots, I'm clearing away the onion peelings and wiping the board. Five seconds of cleaning."

"Now I'm doing carrots. Same process: peel, chop, clear, wipe. The debris doesn't accumulate; the surface stays clean; I can see what I'm doing."

"By the time I've finished prep, my station is nearly clean. I don't have an hour of cleaning to do at the end because I've been cleaning throughout."

During service:

"During service, the pace is faster but the principle is the same. Watch how cleaning integrates into the cooking rhythm."

"I've plated that dish. While it goes to the pass, I wipe the edge of the pan. Three seconds."

"The sauce splashed when I poured it. I wipe the hob immediately. Two seconds."

"A ticket comes in and I'm reaching for the next pan. But I notice debris on my section—I clear it before I start the next dish. Five seconds."

"None of these individual actions takes long. But multiplied across a four-hour service, they keep the station clean, reduce cross-contamination risk, and mean close-down takes 20 minutes instead of an hour."

Team coordination

When others aren't cleaning:

"Clean as you go only works when everyone does it. Let me talk about what to do when someone on your section isn't pulling their weight."

"If you notice spillages that aren't being cleaned, debris accumulating, equipment that's been left dirty—address it directly. 'Hey, can you clean that up?' Most of the time it's oversight, not laziness."

"If it's a pattern—if someone consistently leaves their section in a state—escalate it. Talk to your supervisor. Clean as you go is a team standard, and one person not doing it affects everyone."

"Never just work around it. If you're cleaning up someone else's mess every shift without saying anything, you're enabling bad practice. Speak up."

Handover between shifts:

"When you hand over your section to the next person, the standard is: clean enough that you'd be happy to receive it."

""That means: surfaces wiped, equipment clean, floor cleared, waste bins not overflowing. The next person shouldn't have to start their shift by cleaning up after you."

"If you receive a section that's not clean, flag it immediately. 'This section wasn't left clean—there's debris here, the floor hasn't been done.' Document it if necessary. Standards slip when people don't enforce them."

Chemical safety and storage

Knowing your cleaning products:

"Clean as you go requires having the right chemicals accessible. Let me show you where our cleaning supplies are and how to use them safely."

"Degreaser for heavy soiling—this breaks down grease and food debris. Sanitiser for disinfection after cleaning. These are different products for different purposes; you can't substitute one for the other."

"Notice where these are stored: away from food, below food preparation surfaces if on the same shelf unit, clearly labelled. Cleaning chemicals must never be stored above food or near food preparation areas."

"When using any cleaning chemical, check the label for dilution instructions and safety warnings. Concentrated chemicals can damage surfaces or cause skin irritation if used incorrectly."

Recognising when deeper cleaning is needed

Clean as you go has limits:

"Clean as you go handles routine contamination throughout service. But some situations need deeper cleaning that goes beyond what you can do during service."

"Heavy grease buildup on extraction canopy filters—that's a scheduled deep clean, not clean as you go."

"Equipment interiors like inside ovens—those need end-of-shift or weekly cleaning depending on use."

"Behind and under equipment—debris accumulates in places you can't reach during normal cleaning. Scheduled deep cleans address these areas."

"If you notice areas that are getting dirtier despite clean as you go efforts, flag them for the cleaning schedule. Don't just work around accumulated dirt.""

"If you receive a section that's not clean, flag it immediately. 'This section wasn't left clean—there's debris here, the floor hasn't been done.' Document it if necessary. Standards slip when people don't enforce them."

Step 5: Common mistakes to avoid

Use your video to explicitly address the mistakes you see most often. Being direct about errors helps staff self-correct.

Mistake 1: Delayed spillage response. "I'll get to it in a minute" turns into forgotten spillages. The bacteria don't wait, and neither should your team.

Mistake 2: Reusing cloths. Single-use means single-use. Using a cloth for one surface then moving to another spreads contamination rather than controlling it.

Mistake 3: Skipping the detergent stage for allergens. Sanitiser alone won't remove allergen proteins. Staff must use detergent first, then sanitise. This is especially important after working with major allergens.

Mistake 4: Storing dirty pots on the floor. Floor storage contaminates the items and creates trip hazards. Every dirty pot goes on the racking, no matter how busy the kitchen is.

Mistake 5: Letting equipment "soak" in residue. The idea that leaving food residue to "soften" makes cleaning easier is wrong. The residue bakes on, burns, and requires harsher chemicals to remove.

Mistake 6: Only emptying bins when full. Bins should be emptied when they reach capacity or at shift end—whichever comes first. Full bins overflow, attract pests, and create odours.

Mistake 7: Cleaning the bin but not disinfecting. Removing the bag and wiping inside isn't enough. The bin itself must be disinfected to prevent bacterial growth overnight.

Mistake 8: Cleaning floors without addressing the slip hazard. A freshly mopped floor is a slip hazard until dry. Staff must be aware of this and warn colleagues or use wet floor signs.

Mistake 9: Leaving work surfaces "clean enough." If food will contact a surface, "clean enough" isn't a standard. The surface must be cleaned AND disinfected.

Mistake 10: Forgetting to clean in busy periods. Clean as you go applies especially during service, not just at the beginning and end. Maintaining standards during pressure is what separates good kitchens from average ones.

Step 6: Key takeaways

End your video by reinforcing the core messages staff should remember.

Clean as you go is the standard for a reason: it's the safest method and actually the easiest when done consistently. Cleaning immediately is always easier than cleaning later.

Food soiling is food for bacteria and pests. Removing it quickly removes their food source and growing medium.

Spillages are cleaned immediately—both for food safety and slip hazard reasons.

Use single-use disposable centrefeed roll wherever possible. Single-use cloths are acceptable but must be discarded after one task.

Allergen spillages require wet cleaning with detergent first, then disinfection. Sanitiser alone isn't enough.

Dirty pots are stored off the floor, always.

Waste bins are emptied every shift without exception, and the bin itself is cleaned and disinfected.

Corrective actions for cleaning failures include recleaning, reviewing procedures, and retraining staff if required. If someone consistently fails to meet standards, they need extra supervision until they demonstrate competency.

The chemical storage rule is simple: cleaning chemicals must be stored securely, away from food and food preparation areas. Never decant chemicals into food containers.

Equipment maintenance supports clean as you go. Broken equipment—a mop bucket with cracks, a worn scrubbing brush, a blocked drain—makes cleaning harder. Report maintenance issues immediately.

Temperature during cleaning matters for sanitisers. Most sanitisers work best at certain temperatures. If you're cleaning in a cold room or with very hot water, check your chemical specifications.

Training records demonstrate competency. When you're trained on clean as you go procedures, it gets documented. If retraining is needed, that gets documented too. This protects both you and the business.

This isn't about following rules—it's about maintaining the standards that keep food safe and kitchens running smoothly. A kitchen that cleans as it goes is safer, more efficient, and more pleasant to work in.