Cleaning, sanitizing, or disinfecting?
All three of these terms describe various degrees of removing harmful substances from a surface within foodservice operations. Every restaurant owner should be aware of the difference between cleaning, sanitizing, and disinfecting as well as the appropriate times and places to use each technique. Proper cleaning and sanitizing protects your staff and customers from potential contamination, allergens, infections, and mold. In addition to being a good idea, maintaining a safe environment is required by law for anyone trying to operate a foodservice business. Today we are going to take a look at the differences between these techniques.
What is cleaning?
The most beneficial method of removing unwanted particles from a surface is cleaning. Cleaning a restaurant involves removing dirt and debris from all surfaces. Cleaning includes sweeping, mopping, dusting, and even washing dishes in a dishwasher. Sanitizing and disinfecting also start with cleaning. You can't sanitize without first cleaning. This is because you can't be sure that sanitizing agents will fully contact surfaces until all the debris on a surface have been removed. In order to properly clean something, you will need water and a cleaning solution, typically soap helps the water remove any dirt or debris from the surface by acting as a surfactant.
What is sanitizing?
Sanitizing eliminates 99.9% of the germs present on a given object or surface. This goes far beyond what a typical cleaning accomplishes and is an essential process to follow in the foodservice industry. Some of the most popular sanitizers are ammonia solutions, however manufacturers also produce hundreds of unique sanitizing blends, each with its own set of guidelines and target surfaces. Operators must take extra safety precautions when using sanitizers because they are much more potent than soap. Gloves, and other safety equipment can prevent workers from injuries while using sanitizers. Every surface that comes into contact with food needs to be cleaned and sanitized. However, these are not the only areas that need to be covered. To ensure that staff and guests are not exposed to harmful germs, it is important to regularly sanitize counters, tables, and all other surfaces that are commonly touched.
What is Disinfecting?
Disinfecting is a more thorough variation of sanitizing. Disinfection kills 99.999% of germs as opposed to killing 99.99% of germs with sanitation. Sanitizing agents are used more frequently in foodservice operations because the chemicals used are weaker than disinfecting agents. You will want to make sure you always disinfect bathrooms to prevent the spread of harmful microbes.
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