4 ways to automate the dishwasher cleaning checklist

#1 - Simple checklist

Who it's for: Single-site venues where the chef or bar team cleans the machine themselves and wants the paper checklist on a phone.

What it is: A dishwasher cleaning checklist is the set of tasks done to clean the machine itself, not the crockery. This version is the tick-list of 14 tasks, plus a notes field. It covers draining the machine, clearing and scrubbing filters, removing and cleaning the wash and rinse arms, wiping seals and interior, and leaving the door open to air dry. It's the clean that lets the machine actually sanitise.

Available on: Basic.

In practice: A single-site kitchen cleans the dishwasher at close. The closer drains it, pulls the filters and arms, ticks each task, notes a rinse arm jet blocked and needing a soak, and the machine clean is logged.

Why it works: The list lives on the canvas, so the machine clean doesn't depend on memory at the end of a shift. The notes field flags faults, like a blocked jet, that stop the machine cleaning properly.

Steps included:

• 1 checklist (14 tasks: drain, filters, wash and rinse arms, seals, interior, air dry)
• 1 notes field

When to upgrade:

1. The clean is handed to rota staff who don't know the parts
2. You want the clean captured with a photo
3. You want photo proof and a signature for a multi-site standard

#2 - With guidance

Who it's for: Venues where the machine clean is delegated to whoever closes.

What it is: The simple checklist with a guidance note: clear and scrub the filters where food soil collects, remove and rinse the wash and rinse arms so the jets aren't blocked, wipe the seals where grime builds, and leave the door open to air dry so the machine doesn't sit damp and grow bacteria overnight.

Available on: Standard.

What it adds to the previous template:

1. The parts that matter for sanitising are called out
2. Staff know why air drying and clear jets matter
3. The clean is consistent whoever does it

Why it works: The guidance sits with the list, so a new closer reads what matters as they work.

Steps included:

• 1 guidance note (filters, wash arms, air drying)
• 1 checklist (14 tasks)
• 1 notes field

When to upgrade: When the clean would benefit from a photo record (Dishwasher Cleaning #3), or photo and signature evidence (#4).

#3 - With photo evidence

Who it's for: Teams that want proof the work was done to standard, not just a ticked list, whether for an EHO, head office, or their own peace of mind.

What it is: The guided checklist plus a photo, taken on completion, as a record of the finished work alongside the ticks.

Available on: Standard.

What it adds to the previous template:

1. A photo of the finished work, captured at the time
2. Proof that holds up to an inspector, not just a ticked box
3. A visual record kept alongside the checklist

Why it works: A photo taken on completion is far stronger than a tick. It shows the state things were actually left in, not just that someone said the work was done.

Steps included:

• 1 guidance note
• 1 checklist
• 1 notes field
• 1 photo of the finished work

When to upgrade: When the record needs a name against it, a signature, for a multi-site standard (#4 - With photo and signature).

#4 - With photo and signature

Who it's for: Multi-site groups where each venue's machine clean has to be checkable from head office.

What it is: The checklist plus a photo of the cleaned machine and a signature. The photo, ideally of the cleared filters and the door left open, is the proof the machine was actually cleaned.

Available on: Standard.

What it adds to the previous template:

1. A photo of the cleaned filters and open machine, captured at the time
2. A signature naming who did the clean
3. A complete record (checklist, photo, signature) a group auditor treats as best practice

Why it works: A machine clean is invisible once the door is shut. A photo of the cleared filters proves it was actually done, not just ticked.

Steps included:

• 1 guidance note (filters, wash arms, air drying)
• 1 checklist (14 tasks)
• 1 notes field
• 1 photo (the cleaned machine)
• 1 signature (sign-off)

When to upgrade: When you want Poppi to flag a missed machine clean to the manager, or pull every site's cleans into one report. Those versions are coming in the next post update.

How to pick the right version

You don't need to know our product to choose. Just answer three questions.

Is it always you cleaning the machine, or do other people do it too?

If you do it yourself and know the parts, a plain list is enough. The moment rota staff do it, the parts and method need to be on the screen. If only you clean, #1 is fine. If anyone else does, start at #2.

Do you need photo proof?

A ticked checklist says the work was done; a photo shows it. If a record is enough, stop at #2. If you want visual proof, #3 adds a photo.

Do you need proof, or is a record enough?

A record tells you the clean was logged. The machine clean is invisible once shut, so proof matters. If a record is enough, stop at #3. If you run more than one site, #4 adds a signature.

Related reading

• Dishwasher temperature check - checking the machine reaches a sanitising temperature
• Daily kitchen cleaning checklist - the wider kitchen clean the machine clean is part of
• Kitchen closing checklist - the close the machine clean sits within

Frequently asked questions

Why does a dishwasher need cleaning if it washes everything?

Because food soil, grease, and limescale collect in the filters, jets, and seals, and a dirty machine recirculates that onto your crockery instead of sanitising it. A dishwasher only sanitises if it is itself clean. Cleaning the machine is a different job from running it.

How often should the dishwasher be cleaned?

The filters and basic clean should be done daily, usually at close. Deeper descaling and a full strip-down sit on the weekly and monthly deep-clean lists. Leaving the daily clean undone lets soil build up fast in a busy machine.

Why leave the door open to air dry?

A dishwasher left shut sits warm and damp overnight, which lets bacteria and odours grow inside. Leaving the door open lets it dry out, so it starts clean the next day. The guidance note in versions #2 onward keeps this step in front of staff.

How is this different from the dishwasher temperature check?

The temperature check confirms the machine reaches a sanitising temperature when it runs. This cleaning checklist makes sure the machine itself is clean so it can sanitise at all. You need both: a clean machine that also reaches temperature.

Where to go next

A dishwasher is the one piece of cleaning equipment that has to be clean to do its job, and its clean is invisible once the door shuts. A recorded checklist, with a photo of the cleared filters, turns it into something you can verify. The versions above move from a simple list to a signed photo record.

Five more versions are coming in the next refresh that bring AI into the clean. Poppi can flag a missed machine clean to the manager, and pull every site's cleans into one report. Those need more review time and will land separately.

→ Build your own dishwasher cleaning checklist on Pilla. The Basic plan unlocks the simple checklist today.