When your commercial kitchen is an essential part of your business, you need to put measures into place in order to ensure it functions efficiently. You might think that skipping small tasks such as cleaning your appliances isn’t a big deal, but if these small preventative steps are actioned daily, you’re protecting your staff and customers as well as extending the longevity of your appliances.

In order to keep your commercial kitchen running smoothly and be prepared for any surprise health inspector visits, there are essential tasks you should be performing before, during and after your food services. In this blog, we’ll run through a typical commercial kitchen maintenance checklist that all commercial kitchens should be following.

The importance of keeping your commercial kitchen clean

As a business, it’s your responsibility to safeguard your staff and customers. This includes providing safe, functional equipment and clean, hygienic working environments. It also brings additional benefits such as:

  • Keeping your equipment operating efficiently
  • Minimising kitchen running costs
  • Preventing kitchen downtime and costly repairs
  • Extending the lifespan of your equipment
  • Opportunity to spot any potential issues
  • Saving time and money by addressing issues early

Daily commercial kitchen maintenance checklist

By keeping on top of your cleaning schedule it quickly becomes part of your staff’s routine rather than a daunting task. But it’s important to create a checklist that ensures you cover everything, including:

Door seals (gaskets)

These are found in refrigerators, dishwashers and ovens. They can often be forgotten but they’re prime spots for capturing crumbs. As well as keeping them clean, you need to check they’re intact to stop harmful gases or fumes from seeping out.

clean commercial kitchen fridge with food inside

Filters

Faulty or blocked filters due to a build-up of dust, dirt or grease will impact your appliances functioning proficiently and potentially result in breakdowns. Cleaning a filter is a lot easier and cheaper than replacing damaged equipment.

clean commercial kitchen air filters

Thermostats

These need to be working correctly to reflect the right temperature that your appliances are performing at for energy efficiency and food safety.

clean commercial kitchen thermostat

Ventilation

Keeping these clear from dust, dirt and grime will help appliances run at the correct temperature so they don’t overheat. It’ll also create a cleaner, working environment for your staff.

commercial kitchen ventilation system

Alerts and warnings

These are here for a reason and shouldn’t be ignored. Check that they’re working so you catch any issues early.

cleaned commercial kitchen equipment

Cleaning cloths and equipment

Every commercial kitchen should have the appropriate supplies to effectively clean your surfaces, appliances and floors. Disposable cloths should be used where possible or changed regularly to avoid the build-up of germs and bacteria. Remember to keep your sanitiser and soap topped up for staff too.

commercial kitchen cloth cleaning equipment

How to clean your commercial kitchen equipment

Commercial kitchen equipment is a costly investment so you want to ensure you’re doing all you can so all appliances are performing efficiently, for as long as possible. Each appliance will come with cleaning and maintenance guidance from the manufacturer which you should follow, but on a daily basis you should also be:

  • Brushing the grill and cleaning grease traps
  • Scrubbing hobs, griddles and stoves
  • Sanitising all food preparation stations
  • Mopping your floors
  • Cleaning and descaling sinks
  • Emptying bins
  • Laundering all tea towels, aprons and uniforms.

If you’re unsure or struggling for time, you can always look into hiring professional cleaners who can keep on top of this for you.

commercial kitchen equipment being cleaned

Creating your maintenance checklist

As you can see, putting preventive cleaning and maintenance measures into place will save you time and money as well as creating a safe working environment. To help avoid any kitchen downtime we recommend creating a daily, weekly and monthly checklist for your staff to follow. This’ll include what supplies to use and how to clean equipment safely. If you’d like to know more about commercial kitchen maintenance, please get in touch.