Edward Rabey, Director of Uniwipe, a leading provider of powerful, effective wipes, discusses how catering environments of all shapes and sizes can improve their standards of hygiene by introducing small changes to their operations.
Every catering environment is different, but the standards of hygiene remain the same. Cleaning and sanitisation is of paramount importance, and it’s essential that the food you make or sell is safe for consumption, and the environment you work in conforms to stringent health and safety regulations.
Cleaning training, processes and rotas
The Food Standards Agency state that “it is very important for you and your staff to understand good food hygiene”, and identifies cleaning as one of the key considerations.
By having your staff trained on the best cleaning and hygiene practices, you’ll ultimately create a cleaner, safer environment.
So how do you achieve this?
Ensure that your team is taught how to clean areas methodically. If they are precise and systematic in their approach, you’ll save on both products and time. By getting into a cleaning routine, your staff will clean from top to bottom, which will not only make the process more efficient, but will also reduce the amount of waste they create.
Another way to keep your staff engaged with their cleaning routine is to rotate staff areas. No matter how good their intentions, every member of your team will have a weakness when it comes to methodical cleaning. By rotating staff all dirt and germs will be picked up as it’s unlikely each team member will have the same blind spot.
You should also identify “hygiene hotspots” such as sink taps and door handles. These should be areas in your environment that need to be paid special cleaning attention.
To be fully prepared, catering teams should devise a cleaning rota for both front and back of house staff, so that everyone fully understands what is expected of them at certain times.
Choose the right products for the task
Before you begin to use any cleaning product, you need to ensure that your employees are using the right products for the right job.
From traditional buckets and mops, cloths and chemicals to impregnated wipes, the cleaning equipment we choose forms crucial roles in helping to stop the spread of bacteria, germs and infections.
Many areas are cleaned with chemical sprays that are then wiped off with paper. Not only does this create an unpleasant chemical mist, it also uses large volumes of paper, and increases the risk of “dry wiping”, where the surface is merely wiped and not actually cleaned.
In comparison, an impregnated wet wipe will eliminate dry wiping and chemical mist and give you the exact chemical concentration that’s required for each job, meaning you never use more than you need.
In addition, because no mixing or spraying action is required there is also no risk of accidental spillages.
A further benefit of impregnated wet wipes is that they get rid of all additional cleaning components, providing an all-in-one solution and reducing mess.
Important aspects to consider before procuring wet wipes is that they not only conform to EN1276 standards but are also colour coded. This will ensure that it’s straightforward to identify the right product for the job.
For example, the Uniwipe product range includes five key products:
- Uniwipe Washroom Sanitising Wipes in red packaging.
- Uniwipe Multipurpose Wipes in blue packaging that are suitable for any environment.
- Uniwipe Catering Wipes in green packaging.
- Uniwipe Clinical Sanitising Wipes in yellow packaging.
- Uniwipe Ultragrime Cleaning Wipes in black packaging that are suitable for use in industrial environments.
The Uniwipe Catering Wipe utilises ground-breaking technology to ensure the fluid used in the wet wipes is entirely food-contact safe and has excellent residual antimicrobial activity for up to 24 hours after the surface is dry.
They are completely free from Quat, alcohol and bleach, are hand safe, taint free and even safe for the environment.
Following extensive research and development, all Uniwipe products are made from low-lint fabrics that effectively pick up and trap dirt due to their strength and softness.
Although the word wet wipe is a universal term, not all wipes are the same. Due diligence is, therefore, essential.
Whilst single-use wet wipes help stop the spread of germs between different surfaces, there can still be some critical differences between products. Before selecting the right wipe for your needs, always research its exact cleaning properties. Check to see if the wipe is simply just a disinfection wipe, or if it has a unique formula that can clean even the most challenging catering environments and 100% eliminate cross-contamination.
If you’re using an impregnated wipe to clean your environment, you can get maximum use out of it by folding it. For example, Uniwipe products can be used to carry out the eight-fold British Institute of Cleaning Standards technique. They’re also dispensed one wipe at a time, meaning you get the one wipe you need while the others stay fresh in the pack.
The British Institute Of Cleaning Science offers various training services and qualifications for cleaning techniques such as The Cleaning Professionals Skills Suite (CPSS 2.0) and The Licence to Practice (PBICSc).
By gaining these qualifications your team will be recognised as trusted and reliable cleaning professionals. They’ll also gain key insight on the best ways to reduce the risks of illness and harm via cross contamination and how they can reduce costs of cleaning materials and equipment. This will not only have a positive impact on your cleaning and hygiene standards but also your company’s bottom line.
For more insight from Edward, connect with him on LinkedIn
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