Essential Cleaning Products for Your Restaurant Kitchen

But it’s not just about avoiding a telling-off. Proper kitchen cleaning prevents harmful bacteria from spreading onto food, which stops your customers from getting ill. Beyond food safety, good cleaning routines ensure regulatory compliance, protect staff safety and maintain that all-important customer confidence.

Cleaning products for restaurant kitchens are your culinary knights in shining armour. These cleaning supplies are the tools that keep your commercial kitchen running like a dream, ensuring your food and drink operation meets those tough UK food safety standards.

This guide covers the essential cleaning materials for restaurant kitchens that’ll keep your back-of-house prep areas and front-of-house pass stations gleaming. Because when it comes to hygiene needs in restaurant kitchens, cutting corners is about as wise as serving chicken tartare.

Understanding the Arsenal: General Categories of Cleaning Products

Effective cleaning requires specific types of cleaners designed for different purposes – think of them as your kitchen’s ‘clean team’.

The Big Four

1. Detergents

These are your basic cleaning workhorses. They shift dirt, grime and food debris from surfaces. While they don’t kill bacteria, they’re the essential general cleaning and degreasing products. Use them for that initial washing step to get surfaces visibly clean.

2. Disinfectants

Once surfaces are clean, you need something to disinfect and kill bacteria. These disinfecting products are crucial for food safety, eliminating those nasty germs lurking on your surfaces. Look for products meeting British Standards (BS EN 1276 or BS EN 13697 are the standards for disinfectant efficacy) for peace of mind.

3. Sanitisers

Think of these as your two-in-one heroes. A good sanitiser can combine cleaning and disinfecting and is often used in a two-stage process: clean first, then re-apply to sanitise. Chemical sanitisers come in various forms, including chlorine-based sanitisers, quaternary ammonium compounds, and iodine-based sanitisers.

4. Degreasers

If your kitchen were a crime drama, grease would be the villain that keeps coming back. Degreasers are specially formulated to break down fats, oils and that stubborn kitchen grease that builds up fast. Alkaline-based degreasers and all-purpose degreasers are particularly effective for heavy-duty jobs.

Don’t forget about hand sanitisers for staff – because clean hands are just as important as clean surfaces when it comes to preventing organic matter and unpleasant odours from becoming a problem.

These main categories and types of cleaning products for restaurant kitchens form the backbone of your cleaning arsenal. Getting the right balance means understanding each product’s purpose and when to use it.

Targeting Specific Areas: Products for Every Nook and Cranny

Just like you wouldn’t use the same knife to chop raw chicken and slice a wedding cake, you shouldn’t use the same cleaners for every job in your kitchen. Here’s a room-by-room rundown of what you need where:

Surfaces and Equipment

Your work surfaces, prep tables and chopping boards need special attention. Multi-purpose surface cleaners are great for daily use, but remember that food-contact surfaces require non-toxic options.

For those stainless steel surfaces and worktops that make most commercial kitchens shine, avoid abrasive cleaners that can scratch. Instead, opt for dedicated stainless steel cleaners that remove water marks, smudges and grease while leaving a fingerprint-free protective finish. 

Don’t forget those all-important contact points like door handles – they can be major bacteria highways.

Floors

A quality floor cleaner is non-negotiable in a busy kitchen where oil spills and wet floors are part of daily life. Look for anti-slip formulations to reduce the risk of those slips, trips and HSE nightmares we all dread.

For deep cleaning, enzymatic floor cleaners can break down stubborn grime that regular mopping misses. A good disinfecting floor solution will ensure your floor isn’t harbouring enough bacteria to start its own colony.

Ovens, Grills and Fryers

Your cooking equipment faces the toughest cleaning challenges, with burnt-on food and carbon deposits that stick like superglue. Oven cleaners, grill cleaners and deep-fat fryer cleaners need to be tough enough to cut through the worst messes but safe enough for food-adjacent use.

Foaming or gel-based formulas tend to work well here, clinging to vertical surfaces long enough to break down that stubborn gunk. 

Warewashing: Glass, Crockery and Cutlery

For dishwashing and sanitising chemicals, the choice depends on whether you’re hand washing or using machines. If you’re lucky enough to have a dishwasher that can hit disinfection temperatures, that’s a bonus – heat is a brilliant bacteria-killer for utensils and crockery.

Remember that putting knives and other utensils through proper washing cycles is crucial for food safety. Cross-contamination doesn’t just happen on chopping boards, you know.

The Often-Forgotten Zones

Don’t overlook these specialised cleaning needs:

• Ice machine and refrigeration cleaners (because cold doesn’t kill bacteria)
• Delimers and descalers for tackling that pesky limescale buildup
• Drain openers and maintainers (because blocked drains smell worse than year-old Stilton)
• Antibacterial soap at hand washing stations (your first line of defence)
• Cutting board and block whiteners to keep those surfaces hygienic
• Food-grade lubricants for machinery maintenance
• Vegetable wash for produce prep

Steam cleaning can also be brilliant for many surfaces – it’s like giving your kitchen a proper spa treatment. Steam cleaners are particularly effective for floors, glass, ovens, stoves and sinks – anywhere that needs heat to shift stubborn dirt.

Choosing and Using Products Safely

Selecting the right cleaning chemicals isn’t just about what cleans best – it’s about what cleans safely, too. After all, the goal is to remove health hazards, not create new ones.

Key Considerations When Purchasing

Always choose products suitable for food preparation areas and follow manufacturer instructions precisely, including dilution and rinsing instructions. Pay special attention to contact times – that “leave for 5 minutes” isn’t just a polite suggestion, it’s science.

Check product labels for relevant British Standards when choosing disinfectants and sanitisers. The product must meet specific standards for killing germs – pretty important in a kitchen!

When comparing options, think about:

• Cleaning vs sanitising needs
• Versatility (multi-purpose products save space and money)
• Packaging size (bulk buying can be economical but needs storage space)
• Chemical form (liquids, powders, concentrates, ready-to-use)
• Environmental impact (eco-friendly options and sustainability)

A note: Buying concentrated formulations can offer economy and versatility, but only if they’re diluted properly. Too weak and they won’t work; too strong and they’re wasteful and potentially dangerous.

Health and Safety First

Health and safety isn’t just paperwork – it’s about keeping your team safe while they keep your kitchen clean. Use personal protective equipment (PPE) such as gloves and eye protection when handling strong chemicals. Some products can irritate the skin, lungs or eyes, especially in smaller kitchens with poor ventilation.

Common culprits to watch out for include ammonia, chlorine, and 2-butoxyethanol. Ventilation is key – use extraction fans or open windows when cleaning with these. For a kinder approach, consider safer alternatives that are more eco-friendly. Non-toxic cleaners will be kinder on your team. 

Never, ever mix different cleaning chemicals – especially bleach (chlorine) with ammonia or acids. Unless your ambition is to create toxic gases and end up on the evening news, keep these products well apart.

Essential Cleaning Tools

Having the right cleaning equipment is like having the right kitchen knives – the job’s much easier when your tools are up to scratch.

The Cleaning Toolkit

Your essential tools should include:

• Microfibre cloths (brilliant for dusting and wiping down surfaces without chemicals)
• Cleaning gloves to protect your hands
• Mops and buckets (consider a three-bucket system for efficiency)
• Scrubbing products including non-scratch scourers
• Cleaning towels and cloths
• Squeegees and scrapers for quick clean-ups
• A Swiffer or a similar tool for quick floor cleaning
• A knife cleaner and bottle brush cleaner

Colour-Coded Cleaning Tools

One of the smartest moves you can make is implementing colour-coded cleaning tools as recommended by the Food Standards Agency. This prevents cross-contamination between different kitchen areas.

The standard system typically uses:

• Red for high-risk areas/raw meat
• Blue for general food preparation
• Green for produce
• Yellow for specific contamination risks

Equip the team with the right tools and they’ll clean more effectively and efficiently. Make sure everyone knows what each colour is for, and watch your hygiene standards soar.

What to Avoid: Hazardous Practices 

Even the best cleaning products can cause problems if used incorrectly. Here’s what to steer clear of:

Unsafe Practices That Could Land You in Hot Water

Improper cleaning can be as dangerous as none at all − and could even lead to prosecution. Avoid using unsafe or inappropriate cleaning products that aren’t food-safe or approved for use in food preparation areas. These can leave harmful residues and create chemical hazards that might make your spotless kitchen actually more dangerous than a dirty one.

Strict No-Nos 

Cross-contamination doesn’t just happen with food – it happens with cleaning too, so:

• Never clean food preparation surfaces without first removing food debris and waste
• Avoid washing hands in sinks used for cleaning equipment or food – use designated hand-washing basins
• Don’t use dirty cleaning cloths or mop heads that spread bacteria rather than remove it
• Never just wipe dirty surfaces without proper cleaning and disinfection

Other Things to Avoid

Don’t skimp on cleaning high-contact surfaces and equipment as these are bacteria hotspots. Proper waste disposal matters too; food waste, fats, oils and grease need correct handling to prevent pest problems.

If equipment or surfaces are damaged and can’t be cleaned properly, replace them. Don’t try to work around the problem as they’ll harbour bacteria in those cracks and chips.

In short, here’s what to avoid:

‍Recommended Products and Brands

Now for the fun part – shopping! Here’s our roundup of some of the best cleaning products available in the UK market:

General and Surface Cleaners

• Mr. Muscle Kitchen Cleaner – a reliable all-rounder
• Cif Cream Original Multi-Purpose Cleaner – great for grease-cutting
• Cif Power & Shine Kitchen Spray – leaves surfaces gleaming
• Method Anti-Bac All-Purpose Cleaner – eco-friendly option
• Ecover All-Purpose Cleaner – another planet-friendly choice
• Jantex Kitchen Cleaner & Sanitiser – professional grade
• Cif Oxy-Gel All-Purpose Cleaner – good for stubborn marks
• Clover URIKA – popular with professional cleaners

Sanitisers

• Dettol Antibacterial Disinfectant Surface Cleanser – a trusted name
• Cooksmill Antibacterial Surface Sanitiser – good value option
• APT Commercial Kitchen Cleaners – known for food-safe sanitisers
• Shield Cleaner Disinfectant – effective on most surfaces
• Suma Bac Cleaner & Sanitiser – professional grade

Degreasers

• Astonish Specialist Extra Strength Grease Lifter Spray – works a treat on tough grease
• Jantex Kitchen Degreaser – commercial strength
• Bryto Cleaner Degreaser – good for everyday use
• Suma Force Heavy Duty Degreaser – for those real problem areas

Oven and Grill Cleaners

• Easy-Off Heavy Duty Oven Cleaner – tackles burnt-on food
• Mr. Muscle Oven Cleaner – reliable and effective
• Jantex Oven & Grill Spray Cleaner – professional grade
• Grease Gone chemicals – specifically for deep cleaning ovens and extractor fans

Dishwashing and Warewashing

• Ecover Sensitive Washing Up Liquid – gentle on hands, tough on grease
• Jantex Washing Up Liquid – commercial grade
• Bryta Washing Up Liquid – good value
• Suma Star Washing Up Liquid – used by professionals
• Finish Powerball Dishwasher Detergent Tablets – excellent for machine washing

Specialist Products

• Suma Scale Limescale Remover – keeps equipment running smoothly
• Selden React Toilet Descaler & Renovator H018 – for bathrooms
• Zoflora Disinfectant – brilliant for odour control
• The Pink Stuff – a miracle paste for stubborn marks
• Bar Keepers Friend – excellent for stainless steel
• Scrub Daddy (Original) – versatile non-scratch sponge

Beyond Products: Building a Cleaning Culture

Having the right chemicals is just the starting point for effective kitchen cleaning. To really nail it, you need systems and people working together.

Cleaning Schedule

A comprehensive cleaning schedule is worth its weight in gold, tracking what needs cleaning, how often and how. A cleaning checklist helps adhere to standards and ensures nothing gets missed. Your schedule should cover:

• Daily tasks
• Weekly deeper cleans
• Monthly maintenance
• Quarterly deep cleaning

Clean As You Go

The “clean as you go” principle is the secret weapon of efficient kitchens. Cleaning spills straight away, wiping down stations and sweeping regularly stops mess from building up and makes end-of-night cleaning far less daunting.

Always clean and disinfect between different tasks, especially after handling raw meat or fish. Cross-contamination is a restaurant’s worst enemy, but this approach keeps it at bay.

Training Is Key

Ensure your staff are trained properly on cleaning procedures and safe handling of products. All the fancy cleaners in the world won’t help if your team doesn't know how to use them correctly. These practices are the foundation of keeping your kitchen consistently clean and safe.

To Wrap Up

While daily cleaning keeps things ticking over, sometimes you need expert help. Professional deep cleaning reaches areas that often get missed during regular cleaning routines.

At KDC Hygiene, we specialise in professional kitchen deep cleans that go beyond the surface. Our specialist services tackle tough jobs like extractor fan degreasing and back-of-house blitzes, ensuring your kitchen is truly clean and safe and spotless.

Need help keeping your restaurant kitchen spick and span? Give us a ring or book a quote and discover why so many UK restaurants trust us with their most important space.

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