How to use 'clean as you go' in your hospitality business.

Clean as you go is a cleaning technique. It helps to improve hygiene, health, and safety. Clean as you go is the safest and easiest method to use in cleaning, especially in hospitality businesses or retail businesses where food in present and food hygiene standards need to be monitored. Food soiling and debris is potential food and a growing medium for micro-organisms, as well as being a potential food supply for pests, so it must be removed as quickly as possible. It is easier to clean if this is undertaken immediately after soiling because a build-up of food residues and soiling will make it more difficult to remove later.

So, the clean as you go method involves cleaning continuously throughout the working day. It means cleaning will become a part of your daily routine. Clean as you go method ensures that all surfaces, equipment, premises etc., are clean, sterile, and clutter-free all the time.

The clean as you go method

This is the recommended way of keeping your kitchen clean. Not only does it help to ensure food hygiene it can also help to improve health and safety. It is the safest and easiest method to keep your kitchen clean and safe as you work. This is especially important in hospitality businesses or retail businesses where high standards of food hygiene are not only a legal requirement but are expected by customers. Unfortunately, I have inspected many businesses that do not follow this method, kitchens are messy and disorganised. This makes it much harder to ensure food hygiene and the Environmental Health Officer may not have confidence in how you are managing food safety.

It is worth noting that food soiling and debris can provide a potential growing medium for micro-organisms, as well as being a potential food supply for pests, so it must be removed as quickly as possible. It is easier to clean if undertaken immediately after soiling because a build-up of food residues and soiling will make it more difficult to remove later. A cleaning kit, standard cleaning equipment, disposable gloves, paper towels and cleaning chemicals are all necessary for an effective cleaning strategy.

I can't tell you how many times I've seen filthy mops and brooms in use. Make sure your cleaning equipment is kept clean.I have inspected food businesses where huge amounts of food debris, grease and dirt have been left to accumulate under equipment and in the corners of floor edges. The cleaning in such businesses does not meet the food hygiene standards required. It also means that they have a much bigger task on their hands when they receive a low food hygiene rating and are given a very short time frame to undergo a deep clean.

There are also situations where a food business may get closed down if standards of cleaning are so poor that they pose an 'imminent risk' to the health of the public. In my experience, poor cleaning goes hand in hand with a pest infestation.Environmental Health Officers will check the standard of cleaning under equipment and around floor edges and they know the difference between dirt and debris that has appeared during service and that which has been there for weeks or months!

Cleaning as you go can also remove physical contaminants and remove the risk of foreign objects falling into food. For example, you should remove outer packaging from food products in a designated area and clear up straight after to prevent dirt and physical contaminants such as pieces of string contaminating food. So, the clean as you go method involves cleaning continuously throughout the working day. It means cleaning will become a part of your daily routine. The method ensures that all surfaces, equipment, premises, sinks etc., are clean, disinfected, and clutter-free all the time.It also reduces the risk of cross-contamination i.e. from the preparation of raw meat. For example; I have seen raw meat removed from the packaging for cooking, but the packaging is left on a food preparation surface. In this situation, staff should follow reliable methods such as to promptly throw away packaging, wash surfaces and then disinfect them.

Urgent cleaning as part of a clean as you go method

This is required if something breaks urgent food hygiene standards or poses an immediate food safety or health and safety risk. Spill kits may be necessary for these situations. Suppose a box of glasses has been dropped and have broken on the floor. This needs immediate cleaning because a colleague could step on the glass and injure themselves. Additionally, the shards of glass could have contaminated surfaces and could find their way into food. This may pose a serious food safety risk.

This is why, often in the food industry, no glass policies in kitchens or food preparation areas exist. In many kitchens, glasses are confined to front of house only.

Non-urgent cleaning as as part as clean as you go

Non-urgent cleaning refers to day-to-day housekeeping by staff members. It includes:

• •washing of dirty plates, dirty dishes etc.
• •keeping the kitchen free from clutter and rubbish.
• •keeping equipment clean.
• •effective waste management and correct disposal of waste.
• •wiping surfaces to remove spills and debris.
• •cleaning and disinfecting work surfaces.

These are all essential cleaning tasks but they don't pose immediate harm. They should be carried out regularly using the correct equipment and the correct cleaning materials. They should be documented on a cleaning schedule.

Spillages as part as clean as you go

Ensure food spillages are cleaned up immediately from surfaces and floors. Wet and slippery floors can present serious slip hazards in a kitchen which is why staff should always clean spillages immediately. It's advisable to have spill kits on site. Floors should be mopped afterwards with a hard surface cleaner and hot water.

For surfaces, clean spillages with single use disposable blue roll (disposable cloths). Clean and disinfect them afterwards.

Wash work surfaces as part as clean as you go

Food preparation surfaces, food preparation areas and any other surfaces that may come into contact with food directly (both raw and cooked/ready-to-eat food) must be cleaned and disinfected effectively to ensure they are safe for food to be placed on them. Single use disposable cloths such as blue roll should be used wherever possible. They must be discarded after use. Never let staff use a dirty cloth for wiping surfaces as this can be a source of bacteria.

Bulk equipment as part as clean as you go

Large equipment such as grills, ovens, microwaves and other large equipment should be cleaned of spills and food debris as soon as temperature permits and as a minimum at the end of food service. Food residues on hot equipment will be harder to clean, requiring harsher chemicals the longer it is left on the surface. If food debris is left to accumulate on equipment it can attract pests which in turn spread bacteria. I inspected a food business that had a rodent infestation. The business had allowed large quantities of old food to build up on the cooking range. This provided an ideal food source for the rodents!

Washing dishes and utensils as part as clean as you go

Equipment, utensils, pots etc. should be cleaned as soon as possible and should not be allowed to build up. These certainly should not be left unwashed overnight as they can provide an ideal food source for pests. Dirty pots and other items for washing should be stored off the floor. For example; on the dishwasher tabling or racking/shelves provided for this purpose.

Waste management as part as clean as you go

Staff members should be trained to remove food waste from the kitchen area regularly and whenever waste bins are full. This should be standard working practice. If bins are overflowing in kitchens during service they can attract flies and there is also an increased risk of slips, trips and falls. Waste bins must be emptied at the end of a shift and waste should never be left in the premises overnight as it could attract pests to the kitchen. The waste bin and lid should cleaned and disinfected regularly as standard working practice.

It is also important to keep waste storage areas clean and tidy. In an external refuse area, rubbish must not be left on the floor. Instead, it must be replaced into bins with tight-fitting lids.

Corrective actions if things go wrong

• •Re-clean and disinfect items or surfaces that have not been cleaned properly.
• •Review cleaning methods and procedures if found to be not effective.
• •Retrain staff if required and give extra supervision until competency is shown.