CLEANING AND SANITIZING KITCHEN TOOLS

For cleaning kitchen tools and equipment, you will need the following:

1.Soap and Detergents – commercially available cleaning

agent that primarily contains surfactants. These can come
in powdered, liquid and bar forms.

2.Cleaning pads, sponges, brushes and scourers – these

will provide the cleaning action with the soap/detergents
in removing dirts, grease and other impurities.

3. Cleaning PPEs for your protection such as rubber

gloves and masks.
 4.Cleaning chemicals such as bleach, glass cleaner,
grease remover, acids and other substances such as
bicarbonates.

5. You will need to follow the cleaning instructions and

handling of these chemicals based on the provided
Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) as well as the
procedures to be followed when preparing cleaning
solutions/formula.

6.First aid kit in cases of accidents. Cleaning sometimes

involves accident, therefore, it is better safe than sorry
 In identifying chemicals and tools to be utilized in cleaning and sanitizing
kitchen tools and equipment, it is also important to consider the appropriateness
of its nature so as it will not cause any damage to the tools and equipment it is
intended to clean (@ASEAN, 2012). For example:
a. you cannot use abrasives and scourers to equipment such as refrigerators,
freezers, microwave oven and gas ranges and among others. This will scratch
and damage the surface of the said equipment.

b. you cannot also use acids and water on electric appliances for a very
obvious safety reasons!

c. You cannot just use any chemicals for cleaning without the basic safety
knowledge and by consulting the material safety data sheet (MSDS).

d. It is important to know which chemicals are for cleaning and which

chemicals are for sanitizing.
 When prepare cleaning agents, it is usually in accordance to with manufacturer’s
instructions. Always refer to the attached material safety data sheet (MSDS) for every
chemicals bought/acquired. The following tips are suggested to guide novice cleaners in
preparing and utilizing cleaning agents (@ASEAN, 2012):

1. Soap and detergents, being the most common and commercially available cleansers are
simple to use by just adding water. It is also common knowledge to rinse with running
water after washing;
2. To effectively remove grease, fats and oils, use hot water first in order to render the
grease, fats and oil easy to handle with soap, detergent and other grease cutter;
3. Bleaching agents (sodium hypochlorite, zonrox, etc.) are affective in removing stains in
fabrics, tiles and walls. It is also an effective disinfectant for floors and contact surfaces not
used for food preparation;
4. When cleaning the refrigerators, freezers and other surfaces, bicarbonates (baking
soda) is effective and safe;
5. Acids like vinegar and calamansi are effective in removing odors and some light stains.
Industrial acids like muriatic acid is used in toilets and other areas.
 HABAS (2019) suggested that cleaning involves removing the visible debris
on kitchen equipment, dishes and utensils. If you can see or feel something on
your equipment, it’s not clean. Fortunately, a general grease-fighting liquid dish
soap, plus a clean and scrubby sponge can get the job done in no time;
1. Start by scraping any large chunks of food into the trash can.
2. Dirty dishes can soak in warm, soapy water to loosen the debris, as long
as they are made of a material that's appropriate for soaking. For example, you
should never immerse electrical kitchen equipment, and wooden utensils or
cutting boards can warp if they are left to soak for too long.
3. Next, you can put dishwasher-safe dishes into the dishwasher or hand
wash them with a soapy dishcloth and rinse with clean water. Spray a solution of
water and dish soap onto tough stains or stuck-on food on countertop
appliances and let it sit for a few minutes. Scrub the stain or food away with your
soapy dishcloth, then clean it with a wet dishcloth. Finally, wipe it dry.
 When sanitizing kitchen tools, there are acceptable and
economical means:

a. Sunlight – the ultraviolet rays is the cheapest and the most effective
sanitizing agent;
b. Hot water – effective but with economic issues (electricity and fuel
cost);
c. Electric sterilizer – effective but expensive due to electric cost;
d. Heating – effective but expensive due to electric and fuel cost;
e. Bleach – effective for non-food contact surfaces but is not suitable
for kitchen tools.