Deep Cleaning the Kitchen Within Your Commercial Property Including Your Ductwork Cleaning

Within a commercial kitchen there are many health and safety issues to take into account, including an increased legal requirement for ductwork cleaning.  But within a non-commercial kitchen, in an office or other commercial premises, which is used as a kitchenette for staff use, deep cleaning is still vitally important.

So what is the difference between a commercial kitchen and a non-commercial one in a business premises? And how does the requirement for deep cleaning and ductwork cleaning differ between the two?

A non-commercial kitchen is a provision within a business premises, offering your workforce the facilities to prepare food and drink for their personal consumption. It will typically be a kitchenette, with a sink, kettle or boiler, and possibly a microwave, we well as some type of worktop for preparing food and drinks, and very often a refrigerator for storing milk, lunchboxes and so on. A commercial kitchen is one in which food or drink is prepared for sale to the public.

Commercial kitchen hygiene is rigorously enforced by Local Authority Environmental Health Officers using the Food Safety Act 1990 as their principal item of legislation. And the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 requires food outlets to demonstrate not just that their premises are adequately clean at the time that the officer visits, but that it has a planned cleaning schedule in place that is followed by staff.

While these obligations don’t apply to a non-commercial kitchen, employers owe their employees a duty of care, and as such, kitchens within commercial premises should be considered a part of the health and safety risk assessment.

While day to day, your non-commercial kitchen may be kept clean, dirt and bacteria may be building up in the harder to reach places, and can be especially harmful in areas that offer breeding grounds. These can include the corners and crevices in your worktops, your fridge seals, microwave, and other cooking equipment.  In addition, the users of a non-commercial kitchen typically won’t be working to the same standards of hygiene expected of commercial kitchen staff, in terms of handwashing and proper food management (think of multiple people using the same door, fridge and kettle handles, not to mention milk and food left in the fridge over the weekend). So in some ways a non-commercial kitchen can be even more prone to the buildup of germs than a commercial kitchen.

Choosing to have a deep clean within your non-commercial kitchen will help to maintain the safety of your workforce, and reduce health risks from harmful bacteria. It will also demonstrate the high standards offered within your workplace, improving morale and staff motivation.  Moreover, kitchen areas which seem unhygienic will encourage your staff to take their breaks elsewhere, possibly resulting in longer breaks from work, as well as bringing food and drink into office areas.
 
Adding Ductwork Cleaning to Your Deep Cleaning Schedule

When it comes to any ductwork that may be running through or past your kitchen, grease and grime could be building additional breeding grounds, meaning ductwork cleaning should be considered every time you schedule a kitchen deep clean. Even more so as ductwork cleaning is a legal requirement in all business environments.

Ingot Services is a professional kitchen deep cleaning and ductwork cleaning company. We are fully HVCA registered, giving you the assurance that our ductwork cleaning work will meet your legal obligations, and we are also members of the Contractors Health and Safety Assessment Scheme and we are a Safe Contractor Registered firm.

As well as commercial kitchen clients, we carry out ductwork cleaning work for a full range of industries throughout the UK, including offices, retailers, local authorities, schools and care homes.

Find out more about kitchen deep cleaning and ductwork cleaning from Ingot Services on 0800 731 7892.