Commercial Kitchen Equipment Cleaning: Daily Cleaning Tasks

Commercial kitchens and the industrial pieces of equipment that are commonly found in every commercial kitchen are more difficult to clean than most commercial areas. This should make sense, though, as commercial kitchens are places where extreme heat, food, heavy oils, and many other food-prep materials are combined, tossed around, cooked, fried, baked and grilled. Naturally, the heat, grease, and grime that builds up will make commercial kitchen equipment cleaning very difficult.

Make no mistake, many commercial kitchen owners and managers opt to hire professional help. Such difficult cleaning jobs require equipment and expertise of their own. However, whether you’re curious about what can be done by yourself or want to take a stab at it, here are some daily cleaning tasks and tips to help you with cleaning your commercial kitchen equipment:

Commercial Kitchen Equipment Cleaning: For Stainless Steel

Most commercial kitchen equipment will be made of or lined by stainless steel. It’s the most durable and functional material for commercial kitchen equipment, and is commonly found in the hood, and outer surfaces of the oven, grill, fryer, dishwasher, sink, refrigerator, freezer, and more.

Cleaning stainless steel is fairly straightforward, though the process and materials used may differ based on levels of contamination, especially concerning grease. Follow this guide as to how and when you should clean your stainless steel surfaces.

Commercial Kitchen Equipment Cleaning: Grease Traps

Whether indoor or outdoor, grease traps are a critical part of your commercial kitchen equipment and need to be properly cleaned weekly, according to experts. In your kitchen, they’re often located underneath or right next to your sink or dishwasher.

To properly clean your grease traps, follow these steps:

• Remove the lid
• Measure the depth of the grease in inches and report on the EPA’s FOG form
• Remove the water
• Scoop out all of the grease, making sure to wear the proper PPE
• Scrape the bottom of the trap
• Scrub and rinse/flush
• Reinstall the lid

Commercial Kitchen Equipment Cleaning: Exhaust Systems

Every commercial kitchen will have a commercial exhaust system – one (or more) of those big, steel hoods that sit above the ovens and grills – or at least they should. Commercial kitchen exhaust systems are required by almost every municipal code, and unless your commercial kitchen is operating illegally, let’s assume it’s there and a major part of your equipment cleaning requirements.

The regular maintenance of your kitchen exhaust systems is best left to specific professionals, as the effectiveness of the maintenance that you or another non-expert may provide can be costly to you and potentially dangerous. Non-professional maintenance efforts may result in code violations, voiding the equipment’s manufacturer’s warranty, or even cause the system to malfunction, which can bring harm to employees and/or patrons.

This should help cover the points and tips to cleaning your commercial kitchen’s major equipment. Of course, there is so much more to clean. Here is another guide with some helpful schedules and checklists.