Eliminating Mops: Alternative Cleaning Methods to Avoid Cross-Contamination in Food Service

The food service industry needs to grasp the following basic facts about food soils.

• Soil is unwanted matter on a surface.
• Soil can be classified as visible or invisible. The latter, which includes contaminants and pathogens, is the troublemaker.
• Some food soils can be dissolved and removed with just plain water.
• Other food soils need the alkalis, acids, or surfactants* found in cleaning solutions to dissolve and help remove visible as well as invisible soiling.

One more type of soiling that may occur in a food service facility should be noted: the growth of biofilms. Biofilms are a collection of bacteria, all growing together under the protection of a polymeric substance matrix. In other words, they are covered with a protective shell, making them more difficult to kill or remove. But they still can spread contamination and contaminate stored foods, which means they must be eliminated from surfaces, including floors (see Biofilm sidebar).

Alternative Floor Cleaning Methods

The professional cleaning industry has read these reports and is aware of the need for more effective ways in cleaning floors without mops to keep floors healthier. As a result, over the past two decades, different types of tools and equipment have been introduced to address this problem. Here’s a few, along with some pros and cons of each system.

Dual-buckets. The goal of dual-buckets is to help keep cleaning solution clean longer. The mop is dipped in one bucket for cleaning solution and the other for rinsing. This helps slow contamination of the mop and cleaning solution but does not prevent it.

Steam vapor. These are commercial systems, which means the water is heated much higher than a home system, purchased at a mega-retailer. They essentially melt soils and kill pathogens and can be used on floors as well as counters and some equipment. While a bit slow, the process can be effective and very green; no chemicals are used.

Spray-and-vac. Using a wand, a spray-and-vac system applies cleaning solution to floors and all surfaces to be cleaned. The same areas are then pressure rinsed, removing soils from surfaces. These machines have built-in vacuum systems to vacuum up the moisture and soils, allowing the floor to dry very quickly.

Scrubbers. Different types of scrubbers are available for cleaning floors in a food service facility or commercial kitchen.

• A traditional, rotary pad, automatic scrubber applies cleaning solution to the floors, agitates, and loosens contaminants, which are then vacuumed up. These machines require some training and can prove effective, but they tend to be costly.
• Cylindrical floor machines use brushes, not rotary pads. This allows them to dig deeper into grout areas, removing soils. Some vacuum up moisture as they are used. Less training is needed, but cost can be an issue.
• Autovac systems dispense cleaning solution directly to floors. A pad at the back of the machine helps loosen soils for removal. Once again, a vacuum collects all moisture and soils. These systems are relatively easy to use, have found a place in restaurant kitchens, and tend to be cost-effective.

Except for the dual-bucket system, what these floor cleaning alternatives all have in common is that no mops are used. The goal is to eliminate mopping when cleaning floors in food service facilities.

Using these floor cleaning alternatives will help the industry move a step closer to keeping a commercial kitchen or food service facility as clean and healthy as possible.

Kravitz is a frequent writer for the professional cleaning industry. Reach him at [email protected].

*Surfactants help loosen soils, allowing them to be wiped away or washed away under pressure from water.