Spring Cleaning

It’s that gorgeous time of the year.  Flowers are blooming everywhere – well, except if you are in a tropical country where flowers are seemingly in bloom all year long –but for countries, with four seasons, it is spring time!  And spring time means spring cleaning even for restaurant owners and stewards.  No time to sneeze now.  We have a lot of spring cleaning to do.  So, here’s our spring cleaning checklist for restaurants.
1.  Start with your hood system.  This can be a fairly messy job.  We have written several articles on how to clean your hood system like How to Steam Clean a Kitchen Hood.  If you feel that you are not equipped with the skills and materials to do this job, you should look into hiring an outside contractor to help you clean the restaurant hood system.  It might cost you more than usual, but you can be assured that the job will be done right.  This is why it is a good idea to train your stewards how to clean the hood properly.  It is also a good idea to equip your restaurant with the proper cleaning tools.
2.  Clean out shelves and storage areas.  Spring is the perfect time to clean out your shelves.  Check out items that are way past their expiration dates and throw them out.  You probably cannot do this without coordinating with the chef first.  But take the time to clean and organize shelves for a better storage system.
3.  Remove dirty and grime from the fryer and grill areas.  Because of how they are constantly used, these areas are the prime spots for grease build-up.  A build-up like this can be very dangerous because they pose as fire hazards.  Get a couple of stewards to move these equipments and then completely scrub the area, under and above.
4.  Give your ice machine and your freezer that good loving.  Most restaurants use its ice machine and because it is used often, it needs to be well taken care of.  Empty the machine and sanitize it properly.  You also need to empty your freezer, defrost it and give it a good cleaning.
5.  Move kitchen equipments and clean hidden or hard-to-reach areas.  Most restaurant kitchens have areas that are hidden or are not easily reached.  Grab a ladder and clean and sanitize these areas or move kitchen equipments to get to these areas.  When you are doing spring cleaning, take the time to give these areas the special attention they need.
6.  Clean the dumpster and wash down the recycle area.  Ironically, you also need to clean your dumpster or recycle area; otherwise, they’d become homes to pests and animals.  A warmer weather will allow pests and animals to come out and look for food.  They can be easily attracted to garbage in your dumpster and recycle area.  So, take the time to hose down, sanitize, empty and clean these areas.
7.  Clean the dining room area.  Don’t ignore the dining room area.  This is where your customers actually sit down to eat.  Deep clean the carpets.  You can even hire a professional if you feel you cannot do it and get rid of dirt that may have accumulated during the winter months.  Clean the windows to let the spring sunshine in.  Don’t forget to clean the restrooms as well.  Take extra time to completely clean this area.  Restaurant cleanliness is often judged by how room your restrooms are.