Disposable Cleaning Cloths versus Reusable Ones

Despite the emphasis on using disposable cleaning cloths in restaurants, many restaurant owners or managers choose to use non-disposable ones. It is difficult to blame them if they choose to do this because with the state the global economy is in, we all need to tighten our belts and save money as much as we can. Sometimes, it is those little things that help a restaurant survive. Unfortunately, however, some of these measures may have adverse effects. For instance, research has shown that non-disposable cleaning cloths contain high bacteria like E coli, enterobacteriacea, Staphylococcus aureus and listeria. In the research conducted and reported in an annual conference in the University of Warwick, it was discovered that 56% of the sampled cleaning cloths contained high levels of bacteria which pose health risk to customers. Out of 120 sample restaurants, only 40 of these restaurants were using disposable cloths. 80 restaurants were using reusable cloths. This figure may not be the same everywhere. In fact, you are probably using disposable cloths. However, it is a good idea to be informed of the health risks that reusable cloths have on your customers’ health. You have to make sure that you have clear policies when it comes to these things. Your staff should also know how to ensure customers’ health. Exposure to harmful bacteria poses significant health risks particularly to children, old customers and pregnant women. Stewards should be vigilant when it comes to monitoring hygiene standards in the establishment they are working in. The Stewarding Department should remember to reusable dishcloths and opt for disposable ones. Additionally, here are some things that you have to remember when using restaurant cleaning cloths:

1. Use disposable ones. This is actually the most important thing that you have to remember. Of course, if you would rather use reusable ones, you should make sure at least that it is thoroughly clean before you use it in kitchen surfaces. You also need to change it regularly. It doesn’t even matter if you actually wipe something with it. Bacteria can transfer from the hands of the person who used or handled it on to kitchen work surfaces. So, you have to make sure that the cloth is clean before using or handling it.
2. There should be different cleaning cloths for various work areas. For instance, do not use the same cleaning cloth for both raw food work area and finished food work area. There should be separate cloths for each.
3. Clean your reusable cleaning cloths properly. Ideally, you need to disinfect your cleaning cloth. However, this may not completely remove all the bacteria. In fact, the effect of disinfecting wears off over time if you use the same cloth over and over again. You need to replace it. You should also avoid dumping cleaning cloths in one bucket and cleaning them altogether. You inadvertently dump all the bacteria together as well.

These are just few of the things that you have to remember when it comes to maintaining proper kitchen cleanliness. If you would like to avoid all the hassles, however, you should just opt to use disposable cleaning cloths.