Cleaning a Restaurant

One of your most important jobs as a restaurant owner or manger is to make sure you have a clean restaurant. It's not only key to drawing customers and keeping them returning as loyal patrons but, also it's one of the requirements of the Board of Health in your city. Two of the most important areas we'll discuss are cleaning your restrooms and cleaning all your kitchen equipment. We've had perfect health inspections for the last 17 years and one of those reasons is that we keep a sparkling clean restaurant that the Health Department loves to see, so do we and so do our customers!!

Here are our tips for cleaning a restaurant whether you have a cleaning company come in and do it, hire a cleaning person or two for the job or assign it to one of your currently staffed employees for extra money. The most cost effective cleaning, we've found,
is to buy your own supplies and hire someone to clean the main entry and bathrooms (around $10 a day if it takes a hour) or offer one of your staff extra money for coming in early to do it - such as the dishwasher.



Tools you'll want for cleaning a restaurant's restrooms:
 (all images courtesy of amazon.com)
     Disposable Gloves - Powder Free pack of 100 large for $9 Free Shipping and use them for all your food handling and cleaning jobs.

     Rags or paper towels: rags can be saved and rewashed/sterilized and paper towels can be thrown away. Decide if you want a cleaning company to wash the towels or do it yourself to save money. Buy rags or paper towels in large bulk quantities to save the most money. Handi Wipes Reusable Cloths offer a good deal for reusable, washable wipes. They're 144 cloths for $41. We also like these Detailer's Choice Shop Towels  25 for $10, buy two sets and we find them a real bargain for cleaning the walls, woodwork, counter tops of your restaurant. Use them over and over, hang to dry, wash when needed. Plus, they're red so there's less chance of them getting thrown away, which Yes will happen!

      Always start at the highest areas and cleanest areas first using gloved hands ie. sinks, counters, walls, mirrors - we love microfiber cloths for all glass and mirrors. Use a concentrated bathroom cleaner such as Misty Bolex for 12 - 32oz bottles at $33. Always clean the Toilets last and add a disinfecting urinal cake to the urinals and, then floors.

     Mop Bucket Wringer Combo less than $39 is a STEAL and a must for your restaurant to keep all your floors clean and gleaming for your customers. Most of your entry areas, kitchen floors and restrooms need cleaned daily so get this mop bucket that is commercial grade, sturdy, on casters, metal wringer arm, bright yellow for easy location and will last for years. Use a cotton mop head like this one we use and love that isn't too heavy or bulky that clips into your #20 mop handle, no need to keep buying mop handles. Simply get a few mop heads and wash them over and over, hang to dry.
     These cotton mop heads fit into this #20 mop handle. We like to color code our mop heads such as this blue mop head to use in the bathrooms only. It helps everyone know which is for all floor types.


Cleaning the Restaurant Kitchen:
     Many of the cleaning supplies you buy to clean your bathrooms can be used to clean the kitchen such as the rags, Misty Bolex, mop and bucket and reusable cleaning cloths. All kitchen surfaces should be cleaned after each use, several times a day and always at the end of the night. We use stainless work table stations that are swiftly and easily cleaned with non toxic BioKleen All Purpose Concentrated Cleaner 6 pack for $55. It's safe for your business, staff and the environment, made in USA and can be used in your wait staff area, kitchen, bar, dining area and entry.
     Cleaning kitchen saute pans and pots - you've spent good money on the best kitchen pans you can afford and now you leave it up to your hired dishwasher to maintain them in good working order. We buy everything in bulk to save money, you should too. Try the Scotch-Brite Stainless Steel Scrubber in bulk for 72 at $69 and Free Shipping. These babies clean stainless amazingly to keep them new looking and you can use them until they just about disappear! Use your stainless scrubber along with Bar Keepers Friend for all your stainless, copper, counters, marble, brass, tile and commercial equipment without hurting the surfaces. Find it in your local store at the link provided. We also love, use and go through a lot of Greased Lightening Degreaser sold in 1 gallon bottle for only $9 and can't be beat for an economical, hard working, degreaser and cleaner for floors, walls and stains or grease in the restaurant.

 Happy Cleaning! Know what you want cleaned and show your staff how to do it right with the right supplies we've provided and you'll get perfect health inspections in your restaurant too. Leave your comments in the box below, we love to hear from you.
 Cheers!