Understanding Cleaning, Sanitising, and Disinfecting for Food Safety

You Owe it to Your Staff & Clients to Know the Difference

Many of the measures designed to prevent food contamination and the spread of infectious diseases rely on cleaning, sanitising and disinfecting. However, many people fail to understand that each of these tasks is vastly different. Mistake one for another or fail to perform one or more of these tasks properly and consequences could be deadly.

Cleaning 

A process that removes grease, food, dust, stains, dirt, grime, soil and most germs from surfaces. Soap/detergents are the primary products used and ideal for the task followed by rinsing with clean water. Cleaning (even with detergents) does not kill bacteria or viruses (micro-organisms) - it simply removes them.

Sanitising

An addition step that follows cleaning designed to kill bacteria and reduce pathogenic agents to an acceptable safe level. While it’s effective for killing 99.9% of bacteria it is not so effective for killing viruses. Sanitising will not work unless the surface has been cleaned beforehand.

Disinfecting

Highly concentrate chemicals are used to kill harmful bacteria and viruses on surfaces. It should only be used in hot spots like bathrooms, toilets, washing basins and door handles. These products must not be used on food related surfaces unless the label indicated it is safe to do so.

 

THE ‘HOW TO’ - FOR CLEANING

• Use Soap or detergent together with warm/hot water to remove grime, grease and residue.
  
• Rinse with clean water.
• Dry safely to avoid contaminating a clean surface.

1. Use the appropriate cleaning products and follow the instructions.
2. Cleaning regularly saves time and effort - the longer you wait, the worse it will become.
3. Keep a supply of refill hand washing supplies (e.g., paper towels and liquid soap) so they are available when needed.
4. Check that cleaning detergents/chemicals are labelled properly and ensure they are food safe.
5. Keep the floor free of objects and clean spills immediately (to prevent falls).
6. Keep cleaning chemicals away from food storage areas and out of reach for children.
7. When cleaning, be alert for chipped or cracked crockery, glassware, utensils and damage to equipment. These should be disposed of and not cleaned as they are a food safety hazard.
8. Do not combine different detergents/chemicals or use more than directed. Using more does not mean that it will work better. In may leave a chemical residue, which could cause chemical poisoning.
9. Do not store bowls, pans and other utensils under work benches where water, cleaning chemicals or food scraps can fall when cleaning.

 

THE ‘HOW TO’ - FOR SANITISING

Detergents alone do not kill bacteria. Most bacteria are killed by exposure to chemical sanitisers, heat, or a combination of the two. 

The most common methods for sanitising (killing bacteria) are:

• Soaking items in boiling water.
• Soaking items in diluted bleach, or 70% isopropyl alcohol or ethanol.
• Applying a commercial food grade sanitiser (leaving it on for the time specified on the instructions).
• A dishwasher that can sanitise (usually the longest hottest setting).

1. Prepare it daily/check when the sanitiser batch was made up as it has a short shelf-life.
2. Follow the instructions - too little sanitiser will fail to reduce harmful micro-organisms to a safe level and too much will leave a harmful residue.
3. Pay special attention to blenders, stab mixers, meat slicers and can openers – these may need to be dismantle to properly clean and sanitise them.
4. Where possible allow items to thoroughly air dry (bacteria can be transferred with liquid/water particles).
5. Ideally use single-use dry paper towels.
6. If using tea towels/cloths – have a large supply available to avoid them becoming damp and risking transfer of harmful micro-organisms between items.

 

DISHWASHER Vs HAND WASHING

When considering food safety, the greatest benefit and the No. 1 reason why dishwashing machines are superior to washing by hand - is water temperature. Dishwashers operate with water temperatures of 60° and above which is much higher than human hands can tolerate.

Here are some recommendations for dishwashers:

• Follow the manufacturer's instructions and use the right detergent or sanitising chemical.
• Scrape or rinse excess food off before placing in the dishwasher.
• Place items in a way so that water can reach all surfaces.
• Use the longest, hottest cycle (or the program designed for sanitation).
• Check that items are clean and dry when the cycle ends.
• Use clean hands to unpack the dishwasher.
• Clean the filters after every use.
• Service the dishwasher regularly.