If you’re looking ahead to spring, and that has brought to mind cleaning and hygiene in your community kitchen, here are some common cleaning challenges, and how you can overcome them.

Sealant harbouring bacteria

When kitchen sealant wears and leaves gaps, such as around the sink or at splashbacks, that leaves perfect nooks for bacteria to gather, thrive, and grow, and creates conditions that habour germs. However thoroughly you clean, those areas are more or less impossible to reach.

Prevention is better than cure, and the only way to be sure that that doesn’t happen is to eliminate the need for sealant. Since in a semi-commercial kitchen, like those Steelplan install, sinks are recessed, welded, and polished into the worktops, so that there is no need for sealing. Where surfaces meet the wall, we fold the worktop with a rear upstand so there is no gap that calls for sealant at food level.

Infestations and pests

Insects and other unwanted visitors range from annoying but relatively harmless (like ants) to serious hygiene risks (like rodents and flies).

Obviously they are attracted to food and drink and associated waste, so a reasonable cleaning rota can do a lot of the work required to prevent them. However, as above, if your surfaces are absorbent, they may absorb liquids that are appealing to insects and mite infestation, which makes them very hard to remove.

Steelplan’s kitchens are hygienic by design. They are made with mild steel powder-coated carcasses and stainless steel worktops, eliminating materials like MDF which are not durable and which readily absorb liquid.

How the wrong layout can make your kitchen unhygienic

It will be harder work to maintain the necessary levels of cleanliness if the design of your kitchen does not follow basic best practice.

The kitchen triangle places your stove, refrigerator, and sink at three points of a triangle, so that the washing and disposal area doesn’t risk contacting the food preparation or the servery area. Without that layout it is very easy for mess to build up as well as to contaminate other areas.

If you are concerned about the ability to incorporate the kitchen tringle into your kitchen space, then speak to the design experts at Steelplan. We often create smart design solutions for small or irregular kitchen areas, so we may be able to find the perfect layout solution for you.

If you are looking for a new kitchen in your church or community centre, get in touch today. We create hygienic, safe and friendly kitchen environments for communities across the country, so call us on 0844 809 9186 or email [email protected] to tell us about your project.