Author: Tracey Donegan

Commercial kitchens get a lot of wear and tear, and grime can build up in the blink of an eye. Whilst all commercial kitchens have their own daily cleaning regimes for obvious health and safety reasons, hard-to-reach and out-of-sight areas can easily get less than their fair share of proper care. In any commercial kitchen grime builds up naturally over time. This presents health risks and fire safety risks. That’s why deep cleans are essential in the commercial kitchen.

Poor cleaning methods will inevitably lead to a failure in meeting health and safety standards, and that could hurt your business more than you think. Here are some tips to help you keep your commercial kitchen gleaming all year round. With our deep-clean insights you’ll have those easy-to-miss places in tip top condition in a flash.

Common areas often forgotten in daily and weekly cleaning routines

It’s easy to forget areas that are out of reach and out of sight. Be sure to include these areas in weekly or monthly routines.

• High shelves
• Walls
• Drains and gulleys
• Underneath appliances (fridges, freezers, cookers)
• Seals, shelves and doors of fridges and other appliances
• The spaces between walls and equipment
• Ventilation systems and fans
• Lighting fixtures
• Outdoor rubbish bins

Sink cleaning tips

Without regular cleaning, sinks can become clogged with kitchen waste, and grime can build up very quickly. Regular cleaning with a dual purpose cleaner and disinfectant should be employed, as sinks are a hotbed for dirt and germs that aren’t visible to the naked eye.

Heavy grease and oil are common in the commercial kitchen and catering companies are required by law to keep these under control, with an effective means of grease removal on site. Keeping your drains and piping hygienically clean and smelling neutral is an important aspect of commercial kitchen cleaning. Ensure your grease trap is correctly installed, serviced and maintained.

Dishwasher cleaning tips

It may seem like an irony, but dishwashers also need regular cleaning and care. Another irony is that it is always a good idea to pre-rinse items going into the dishwasher to remove baked on food deposits. Leftover food can clog your filter and will affect your dishwasher’s performance. To keep your dishwasher clean and in good condition, follow these tips:

• For hard water areas, use water softening salts. This will help your dishwasher to run more effectively for longer.
• Regularly clean the inside of your dishwasher and the seals with a non-abrasive cloth and a multipurpose cleaner.
• When your dishwasher finishes its load, leave the door open for 15 minutes to reduce humidity. This will help keep the inside clean.

Hard surface cleaning tips

Hard surfaces in the kitchen are common areas for bacteria to accumulate and so require regular cleaning. Cracks, crumbs and excess water provide the perfect environment for bacteria. All surfaces should be cleaned and properly dried off before use.

• Clear surfaces of all debris and kitchen items before cleaning.
• Wear gloves and wash hands prior to and after cleaning.
• Don’t overuse cleaning spray – hold at least 8 inches above the surface and spray lightly.
• Allow the spray to work on the surface for 5-10 minutes for a deeper clean.
• Use non-abrasive cleaning cloths to prevent surface damage.
• Always clean spills and food stains at the time to prevent staining.
• Place cleaning cloths in warm water and disinfectant between uses, and always launder cloths at appropriate high temperatures.

Colour coded cleaning

Colour coded cleaning ensures there is no cross-contamination in your kitchen area. Just as raw and cooked food should be separated, cleaning materials for different areas of the kitchen should also be kept separate to minimise the likelihood of cross-contamination of germs. The idea is to designate a particular colour to a particular area or specific surface. Colour coding should be in recognisable colours that you can easily buy equipment for and should include:

• Mops
• Mop Buckets
• Cleaning buckets
• Cloths
• Dustpans and brushes
• Rubber gloves

Using a colour system in your workplace can make cleaning easy, efficient and increase general hygiene and cleanliness.

A deep clean in your commercial kitchen will ensure floors, walls, ceilings, lights and all kitchen fittings and equipment are thoroughly cleaned. If you need a helping hand, our specialist cleaning team are just a phone call away.

Hardwood floors look beautiful when new. The glossy finish of a new hardwood floor shines and sparkles, and really lifts any room in the home, or in the office. But, without regular cleaning and proper care, any hardwood floor can easily become marked and scratched and will naturally begin to fade.

In a lot of cases faded hardwood floors are in the state they are, purely because of a build-up of dust and debris. The wood hasn’t actually lost its colour. The shine is simply being inhibited by a build-up of dirt. Introduce a proper cleaning regime for your wood floors and you’ll keep them in tip-top condition for much longer.

Basic care regime for hardwood floors

Regularly use a floor duster to pick up dust, dirt and pet hair. Hoover weekly with a floor brush attachment. Don’t use a beater bar attachment as this can scratch the wood floor. Damp mop the floor regularly too.

How to deep clean your hardwood floor

Regular deep cleaning of your hardwood floor should help to preserve its colour and shine. Use a wood-cleaning product diluted according to instructions. Lightly mop the floor using the diluted wood floor cleaner. Make sure you wring the mop thoroughly to avoid swishing too much water on the floor. Mop again with clear water if instructed to do so on wood-cleaning products. Then dry the floor immediately after washing it with a microfibre cloth.

Regular cleaning should keep your floor in good condition, free from a build-up of dust and grime. If your floor has gone beyond this stage, then it may require a bit more work. It’s quite a DIY job to sand and refinish hardwood floors, so unless you are confident that you know what you are doing, we’d recommend you hire an expert to do the job for you.

Tips for preventing wear and tear

There are quite a few things you can do to prevent general wear and tear on your hardwood floors.

• Position mats both inside and outside of exterior doors to lessen the amount of dirt that is tracked into the home.
• Use floor protectors or rugs under furniture.
• Use gliders for furniture that gets moved around a lot. The thick, peel-and-stick, glides work best. Avoid using plastic glides and casters as they can scratch wooden floor surfaces.
• Use rugs in children’s play areas to prevent toys from scratching the floor.
• Wipe up spills as soon as possible.
• Keep high heel shoes in good repair. Damaged heels can easily mark wood floors.
• Do not use wax, abrasive cleaners or oil-based cleaners on hardwood floors.

When to get your hardwood floor refinished

When your floor begins to look lacklustre and cleaning no longer restores the shine, it could be time you considered having your wood floor sanded, resealed and polished. In areas where there’s a lot of footfall, you’ll likely need to consider doing this every 2-3 years. For those areas where footfall isn’t so high, adopt a care and cleaning regime and you could have a beautifully kept hardwood floor for many years.

The annual spring clean shouldn’t just be confined to the home. There’s no reason why spring can’t also signal the perfect time to get your office in order and brush away the cobwebs in all of those hard-to-reach places. It may not be high on the business list of priorities, but ignore the deep clean and you could be hurting your business more than you think. An orderly, clean and tidy workspace has been proven to increase productivity, boost morale and reduce absenteeism. In fact, there are many hidden advantages to having a clean and tidy office. Here are some of them:

Reduces stress

A clean office increases happiness and satisfaction. Clutter creates stress. Stress leads to a number of health problems including depression and fatigue. It’s draining working in an untidy and dirty working environment.

Improves health

Cleanliness impacts on employees’ health, and it should be no surprise to learn that a clean environment promotes better health. Dirt and dust can be a trigger for allergies and dirty desks and keyboards harbour germs. The average office keyboard has around 7,500 bacteria on it! Keeping the office clean has a beneficial effect on staff absenteeism.

Increases focus

Dirt and mess is a continual distraction. A clean office increases employee focus and hence productivity. Research shows that a lot of work time is lost when employees search for things not in reach. Organisation is key and that’s much more achievable in a clean environment. With a clean and organised office space employees can focus on business matters.

Boosts office morale

A clean and tidy environment boosts office morale and has a positive impact on productivity. A clean office makes you feel good about where you work and that rubs off.

Protects building assets

Taking care of the office environment with regular cleaning and an annual or 6-monthly deep clean is a great way to prevent excessive wear and tear.

Impresses clients

A sparkling office creates a great first impression when clients are visiting, and is imperative if you are thinking of selling or part-leasing your building. A welcoming environment that looks clean and organised will definitely impress.

The office spring clean may not be the most pressing issue for business owners, but keeping staff focused and productive, and happy about where they work, will ultimately be good for business. Don’t overlook the annual spring clean. It’s a chance to get maintenance jobs up to date, carpets cleaned and all those hard-to-reach places properly taken care of.