The obvious such as floors, walls, ceilings, windows, fixtures and restrooms are always clean, but just remember that even though something looks clean it can be contaminated. Equipment and areas that are likely to be contaminated by bacteria, such as cutting boards, must be cleaned and sanitized frequently throughout the work period. It involves cleaning up immediately after every task, with some allowance for busy periods. Cleaning is the process of making something free from visible dirt and invisible contamination. Sanitizing is the reduction of bacteria to a low, safe level.
Most restaurants use chemical sanitizers such as chlorine or quaternaries for equipment sanitizing.
They destroy enough bacteria to safeguard health, even though they cannot kill all pathogenic bacteria and their spores. Sanitizers must be used after cleaning and rinsing, because they cannot remove grease and dirt. So on the slicer, for example, you cannot just wipe it with sanitizing solution and expect that the slicer is now clean and safe. Follow the manufacturers instructions for concentration level and exposure time of the sanitizer solution. All Rights Reserved.