Tips for Keeping Your Commercial Kitchen Pest Free 

Get to know the most common pests to look out for in your commercial kitchen and find out some tips to keep your kitchen free from pests and the benefits of it.

The heart of all restaurant and catering businesses is the kitchen. All the magic happens in that kitchen, but the downside is it is also the place where health-related issues can occur if it is not cleaned and cared for properly.

This article discusses how to keep commercial kitchens clean and pest free, ensuring your restaurant or catering business is compliant with local health rules and regulations.

Benefits of a Clean Commercial Kitchen 

It takes commitment and a lot of effort to maintain a clean kitchen. But with all the hard work, your business will reap all the benefits.

1. Making Work Conditions Better

The chef and his assistants work better with a clean kitchen. Aside from a healthier work environment, a thorough and deep cleaning also helps maintain good hygiene.

2. Improved Hygiene

Keeping a commercial kitchen clean and tidy prevent cross-contamination and the spread of germs and bacteria. This will result in improved hygiene and avoid complaints from customers.

3. Prevention of Food Borne Diseases

For catering and restaurant businesses, food borne diseases must be avoided at all costs. Unsanitary equipment and surfaces allow germs to thrive. Only through proper deep cleaning of every inch of the kitchen will prevent the spread of germs and containing the food.

4. Pest Control

Cleaning the kitchen is also an effective pest control. Pests like cockroaches, ants, rats, mice, etc. will be attracted by leftover food or improperly stored food in the kitchen or pantry.

5. Maintaining food safety regulations

Making sure your commercial kitchen is always clean is just one of many local strict health safety regulations. Restaurants and other food service companies must adhere to these rules in order to operate legally.

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Common Commercial Kitchen Pests

If there is food, pests will surely find it. Here are the pests that can find their way in restaurant kitchens and commercial establishments.

Image of two rats

Mice and Rats

There are a number of ways they can gain access in food establishments. The most common is through drains and sewers, holes or cracks in the walls or the basement. Rats and mice can transmit diseases. They also cause property damage and food contamination and attract other vermin like fleas, ticks and mites.

Striped spearman potato bugs on green leaves

Beetles, Weevils, Moths and Mites

These insects fall under a common term – stored product insects. They are drawn to food in storage such as cereals, grains, flour, seeds, nuts, dried fruits, species, pasta, etc. Once these insects invade your stored food, all you can do is throw them away.

close-up image of a common bluebottle fly

Flies

A commercial kitchen looks unprofessional and dirty with the presence of flies, flying around and landing on people, food and cutlery. Some of the species of flies that are common in commercial kitchens are fruit flies, house flies and drain flies.

Like other pests, flies carry and transmit germs and bacteria that cause diseases such as E coli, Salmonella, Cryptosporidium, Campylobacter, parasitic worms, etc. In addition, a commercial kitchen is the perfect place where flies can breed rapidly.

Cockroach hanging on a wall

Cockroaches

One of the most common pests in the kitchen, cockroaches can transmit diseases in restaurants including E coli, Listeria, Salmonella, Staphylococcus, and more. They crawl on anything including kitchen surfaces, grills, kitchen utensils, diseases, which render them unsafe to use.

Since they are nocturnal, it takes a while to detect the presence of cockroaches. During daytime, they hide in the darkest and tiniest of spaces such as in the drains, under or behind appliances, etc.

Image of ants

Ants

Ants are more of a nuisance as they don’t pose any health risk to humans. However, ants are bad news to your business’s reputation. Ants will usually be seen foraging around food and waste storage areas. Some species of ants maybe eliminated by ant baits, but others may require full treatment by professional pest control technicians.

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How to prevent pests in your restaurant kitchen?

One of the most effective ways to keep your kitchen clean and safe is through pest control. Pests can be a huge problem for restaurants and catering businesses because once pests invade, you can practically kiss your business goodbye. You’ll be dealing with ruined food stock and it will be difficult to restore your business reputation in the eyes of customers.

1. Combating Pest Problems

Part of keeping a clean and safe restaurant is paying special attention to areas of the kitchen that are most vulnerable to pest attacks. Always makes sure to check your waste disposal areas, food storage areas, food preparation areas, outdoor areas and dining areas.

These areas need to be kept hygienic as much as possible through routine cleaning. Knowing which pests may be drawn to these areas will greatly help in maintaining a clean and hygienic environment.

2. Minimise the risk of pests

There are many simple ways to make sure your kitchen doesn’t attract pests:

  • Store food properly, not on the floor where pests can easily get to them.
  • Seal all holes and cracks to prevent pests from gaining entry.
  • Put in fly-screens on windows and doors.
  • Dispose of waste regularly.
  • Hire a licensed pest control technician to regularly inspect your premises for signs of pest infestation.

Follow these simple steps to prevent harmful pathogens and pests from finding their way into your kitchen and putting your employees, business and customers in jeopardy.

Kitchen Cleaning Tips

A commercial kitchen must maintain a high standard of cleanliness to make sure it maintains excellent hygiene standards and customer satisfaction.

Here are some tips for cleaning a commercial kitchen. These tips will help keep the kitchen hygienic from lunch to dinner.

  1. A working kitchen will have heavily used equipment that needs to be thoroughly cleaned daily. These prices of equipment include grills and griddles, ovens, hoods and exhaust systems, and deep fryers.
  2. Heavy touchpoints around the kitchen must also be deep cleaned. These areas include countertops, sink basins, faucets, knobs, as well as the walk-in freezer.
  3. Enlisting the cooperation of your employees is important. Encouraging them to wipe surfaces, such as the kitchen countertops as they work will not only ensure a clean workspace, but cleaning after hours will be a lot lighter.
  4. Another effective strategy to make the cleaning tasks easier is by assigning sections to different employees.
  5. Conduct monthly deep cleans. Some parts of the kitchen don’t need daily cleaning and maintenance. By scheduling a professional cleaning, those areas will remain spotless and sanitary.

Schedule a Pest Control Treatment

Restaurants and catering businesses close down for a few days each year to conduct commercial pest control treatment. The reality is that regardless of how diligent you are in maintaining the cleanliness in your kitchen, dirt and grease will accumulate. When this happens, pests may come visiting.

Pest control is also an effective preventive measure that ensures no pests will have no chance of taking up residence in your kitchen and spreading diseases-causing germs and bacteria.

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