What are the two ways that surfaces can be sanitized?

Cleaning and sanitizing are necessary steps in ensuring food is safe for consumers. If equipment, utensils, and dishes aren’t cleaned or sanitized correctly, pathogens can spread to everything they touch. Protect both your customers and your job by learning how to properly clean and sanitize.

Why clean and sanitize?

Pathogens can be found on almost every surface—counters, cutting boards, knives, pots and pans, and even your hands! Without proper safety practices like cleaning and sanitizing, handwashing, and wearing gloves, these pathogens can spread and grow, potentially causing foodborne illness. Cross-contamination can also contribute to the spreading of pathogens.

Cleaning vs sanitizing

First, let’s talk about the difference between cleaning and sanitizing. Cleaning is the removal of grime and dirt from utensils, equipment, and other food-contact surfaces. Sanitizing involves using a sanitizing solution or high heat to kill remaining bacteria.

Always clean and sanitize your equipment and food-contact surface in the following situations:

• After working with raw meat
• If you are changing what food is being prepared
• After four hours of constant use
• After taking a break

Acceptable sanitizers for food-contact surfaces

Pathogens can be killed using heat, radiation, or chemicals. In the food industry, the most popular way to sanitize is with chemical sanitizers. The FDA Food Code identifies a few chemical sanitizers that are approved for use on food-contact surfaces, including chlorine, iodine, and quaternary ammonium.

To get the most out of your sanitizers, keep three factors in mind: temperature, concentration, and time.

1. Use sanitizer at the right temperature

If a sanitizer is not prepared and used with water of the correct temperature, the effectiveness of the sanitizer may be decreased. The ideal temperature depends on your type of sanitizer.

Source: 2017 FDA Food Code

2. Mix sanitizer at the correct concentration

If the concentration of the sanitizer is incorrect, it could be ineffective or even dangerous to use. Always follow the manufacturer’s instructions when preparing your sanitizing solution.

3. Give the sanitizer time

For a sanitizer to be effective, it must be in contact with the item you are cleaning for the recommended amount of time. Follow the manufacturer’s instructions for your sanitizer.

How to test sanitizer concentration

For a sanitizer, concentration is everything. If the concentration is too high, you could risk dangerous levels of chemicals left on food-contact surfaces, potentially causing chemical contamination.

Ensure your sanitizer has been mixed properly by using sanitizer test strips to check its concentration.

Storing chemicals and sanitizers properly

Labeling chemicals and sanitizers correctly is an important step in keeping food-contact surfaces safe. If a chemical is labeled incorrectly, or you are not sure what chemical it is, dispose of it.

Always store chemicals away from food and food-contact surfaces. Your chemical storage area should be separate from the food storage area to avoid contamination. If chemicals are stored close to food preparation areas, it is very easy for them to be spilled into food.

Finally, avoid using chemicals around where food is being prepared. Droplets of chemicals may become airborne and taint nearby food.

Day-to-day uses of sanitizer

You should use sanitizer whenever you’re washing dishes or cleaning equipment.

Related article: Maintaining a Cleaning Schedule

Washing dishes in a three-compartment sink

Three-compartment sinks make cleaning and sanitizing dishes easy and efficient. Here are the five steps for cleaning and sanitizing using a three-compartment sink:

1. Scrape away leftover food on the dishes and utensils.
2. Clean the dishes and utensils in the first sink with soap and warm water.
3. Rinse the dishes and utensils in the second sink with clear, clean water.
4. Sanitize the dishes and utensils in a chemical solution or very hot water (at least 171°F) in the third sink.
5. Allow the dishes and utensils to air-dry.

Cleaning equipment in place

You should clean your equipment in three instances: before using it, throughout the day as needed to prevent recontamination, and at least every 24 hours. Follow the proper process for cleaning in place.

For more information on how cleaning and sanitizing help keep you and your customers safe, get your food handlers card through our online training course.

— Juli Shelley

Cleaners must be stable, noncorrosive and safe to use. When using them: follow the manufacturers' instructions; do not use one type of detergent in place of another unless the intended use is the same.

Surfaces can be sanitized using: Heat (the water must be at least 171℉ and immerse the item for 30 seconds); or Chemicals (Chlorine, Iodine, or Quaternary Ammonia (Quats)).

Chemical sanitizing: food-contact surfaces can be sanitized by soaking them in a sanitizing solution or rinsing, swabbing, or spraying them with a sanitizing solution. In some cased a detergent-sanitizer blend can be used (use it once to clean and a second time to sanitize.)

Sanitizer Effectiveness Concentration: Sanitizers should be mixed with water to the correct concentration: not enough sanitizer may make the solution weak and useless. Too much sanitizer may make the solution too strong, unsafe, toxic, and may corrode metal. Check concentration with a test kit; make sure it is designed for the sanitizer used; check the concentration often. Change the solution when: it is dirty; or with the concentration is too low. Follow manufacturer's recommendations for the correct temperature. The sanitizer must make contact with the object for a specific amount of time. Minimum times differ for each sanitizer. Find out what your water hardness and pH is from your municipality. Work with your supplier to identify the correct amount of sanitizer to use.

General Guidelines for the Effective Use of Chlorine, Iodine, and Quats

All food contact surfaces need to be cleaned and sanitized at these times:
• After they are used
• Before foodhandlers start working with different type of food
• Any time an interruption takes place during a task and the items being used may become contaminated
• After four hours of continual use

When Cleaning and Sanitizing Stationary Equipment: Unplug the equipment; take the removable parts off the equipment; wash, rinse, and sanitize them by hand or run the parts through a dishwasher if allowed; scrape or remove food from the equipment surfaces; wash the equipment surfaces; rinse the equipment surfaces with clean water; sanitize the equipment surfaces; make sure the sanitizer comes in contact with each surface; allow all surfaces to airdry; put the unit back together.

Dishwashing Operation Guidelines: Clean the machine as often as needed: scrape, rinse, or soak items before washing; use the correct dish racks; NEVER overload dish racks; air-dry all items; check the machine's water temperature and pressure.

Setting up a three-compartment sink: Clean and sanitize each sink and drain board; fill the first sink with detergent and water at least 110℉ ; fill the second sink with clean water; fill the third sink with water and sanitizer to the correct concentration; provide a clock with a second hand to let food handlers know how long items have been in the sanitizer.

Steps for cleaning and sanitizing in a three compartment sink: rinse, scrape, or soak items before washing them; wash items in the first sink; rinse items in the second sink; sanitize items in the third sink; air-dry items on a clean and sanitized surface.

When storing clean and sanitized tableware and equipment; store them at least six inches (15 centimeters) off the floor; clean and sanitize drawers and shelves before items are stored; store glasses and cups upside down on a clean and sanitized shelf or rack; store flatware and utensils with handle up; cover the food-contact surfaces of stationary equipment until ready for use; and clean and sanitize trays and carts used to carry clean tableware and utensils.

Clean nonfood-contact surfaces regularly (includes floors, ceilings, walls, equipment exteriors, etc.): Prevent dust, dirt, food residue and other debris from building up. Develop a plan for cleaning up diarrhea and vomit in the operation. It can carry Norovirus, which is highly contagious. Correct cleanup can prevent food from becoming contaminated and others from getting sick. Consider the following when developing a plan for cleaning up of vomit and diarrhea: How you will contain liquid and airborne substances, and remove them from the operation; how you will clean, sanitize, and disinfect surfaces; when to throw out food that may have been contaminated; what equipment needed to clean up these substances, and how it will be cleaned and disinfected after use; when a food handler must wear personal protective equipment; how staff will be notified of the correct procedures for containing, cleaning, and disinfecting these substances; how to segregate contaminated areas from other areas; when staff must be restricted from working with or around food, or excluded from working in the operation; how sick customers will be quickly removed from the operation; and, how the cleaning plan will be implemented.

Store cleaning tools and chemicals in a separate area away from food and prep areas. NEVER dump mop water or other liquid waste into toilets or urinals; NEVER clean tools in sinks used for handwashing, food prep, dish washing. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has requirements for using chemicals in foodservice operations. OSHA requires chemical manufacturers and suppliers to provide Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) for every hazardous chemical they sell. The sheets contain information about the chemical; safe use and handling; physical, health, fire, and reactivity hazards; precautions; protective equipment to wear; manufacturer's name, address, and phone number; preparation date of MSDS; and hazardous ingredients and identity information. MSDS are usually sent with chemicals delivered. MSDS must be kept visible and available to employees of the operation at all times. Foodservice Chemicals: Only purchase those approved for use in foodservice operations; store them in their original containers away from food and food-prep areas. If transferring them to a new container, label it with the common name of the chemical; keep MSDS for each chemical. When throwing chemicals out, follow instructions on the label and local regulatory requirements.

Cleaning Program To develop an effective cleaning program, create a master cleaning schedule; train your staff to follow it; and monitor the program to make sure it works. To create a master cleaning schedule, identify: what should be cleaned; who should clean it; when it should be cleaned; and how it should be cleaned. When monitoring the cleaning program: supervise the daily cleaning routines; check the cleaning tasks against the master schedule every day; change the master schedule as needed; and ask the staff for input on the program. When developing a cleaning program for a food operation, training employees to follow the program is the key to its success.

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