Perfect recipe for a clean kitchen
August 1st 2005

Dave Rogers, General Manager, Unger UK looks at kitchen hygiene standards in restaurants and discusses the technology behind new cleaning fabrics – essential for maintaining high standards of cleanliness.

When was the last time you asked to see the kitchen of your favourite – or not so favourite - restaurant? Would you know what too look for if the management invited you through the swinging doors? Unlike us, health inspectors scrutinise kitchens and know exactly what needs to be observed. As microscopic threats like Salmonella, E.Coli 0157:117 and Listeria become familiar terms, the problem of controlling these potentially deadly bugs becomes increasingly paramount.

Even when consumers have confidence in a restaurant - even when they trust their restaurant is serving clean, safe food - they need to question the establishment’s level of hygiene competence. Therefore, restaurateurs need to be increasingly aware of the undetected hygiene hazards that lurk in kitchens as they have the potential to cause severe health problems for workers as well as customers and can severely damage a restaurant’s reputation.

Many restaurant staff work hard to maintain strict hygiene policies and although establishments may look clean, they may not have enough knowledge of high-level cleaning practices to keep the floors, walls and other vulnerable surfaces safe. For example, the grooves in floor tiles are a breeding ground for various bacteria, yet can be very difficult to clean effectively. Often, a standard mop is not a sufficient tool to maintain the high standards required to ensure an establishment keeps its well-earned reputation for excellent food and hygiene practices.

Fortunately, the design and technology behind cleaning fabrics is constantly evolving. Microfibre is a revolutionary new fabric which can be used wet or dry and is effective on aggressive cleaning edges and hard to reach spots, such as floor and wall tile groves, with less water, less streaking and less effort.

Microfibre has transformed cleaning processes, it easily and effortlessly lifts dirt from tile groves, making jobs easier.

Microfibre is available in various levels of pile thickness. Heavy duty pile is ideal for kitchen restaurants’ tiled floors with grout lines, whereas medium duty pile is perfect for vinyl or sealed floors without grout lines. Microfibre is made of masses of miniscule fibres that penetrate small irregular surfaces to lift out dirt. It is an ideal cleaning solution for the restaurant kitchen environment as it reduces bacteria by up to 96 per cent and absorbs up to six times its own weight, resulting in improved levels of liquid pick up, retention and easy rinsing.

A system such as Unger’s SmartColor System provides the ideal solution for food preparation areas, by helping prevent cross-contamination through the use of colour coded enhancements on its cleaning tools.

An easy to use, distinctive colour coding system, SmartColor makes it easy for cleaners to organise their tools, reducing the risk of bacteria which can be caused by misuse of tools in the wrong areas. This means that washroom tools are kept separately from kitchen tools, reducing the spread of dangerous bacteria and protecting public health and safety.

The SmartColor Microwipe cloth is highly effective on aggressive cleaning edges and hard to reach areas as it features tiny fibres which can penetrate irregular surfaces such as grouting between tiles.

Combine with Unger’s Sprayer on the Belt, which makes wet cleaning strain-free, faster and easier by hooking on to a belt to transfer weight away from back and arms. In addition the SmartColor MicroMop, a long lasting, durable mop, is the ideal solution for reducing bacteria on floor surfaces. This is especially important in areas where food is prepared.

A further advantage of the SmartColor System is its ability to enhance the professional appearance of employees and to increase efficiency by making it easy to organise the cleaning process. Unger’s lightweight, ergonomic tools also reduce fatigue and injury to boost productivity.