What wiping cloths are for

  • Wiping up spills and wiping down counters and equipment during service.
  • They are not how food-contact surfaces get sanitized. Cutting boards, prep tables where food sits, slicers, utensils and pans still get washed, rinsed, sanitized for the full contact time, and air-dried.
  • A swipe with a bucket cloth doesn't replace that.

Sources: Food Code 3-304.14 · Source protocols: what wiping cloths are for, and what they're not for

Keep the bucket strong

  • Wet cloths sit in sanitizer between uses: chlorine 50–99 ppm, or quat at label strength.
  • Test with the cloths in the bucket when you mix it and every 2 hours.
  • Remake it at once if it tests low or has food or dirt in it. Never just add more sanitizer to a dirty bucket.
  • Food bits, grease, soap, too many cloths, heat and sun all weaken sanitizer. Cotton cloths soak up quat, so use microfiber or quat-safe cloths.
  • Rinse a dirty cloth in clean water before it goes back in.
  • Keep buckets off the floor and away from food and clean dishes.

Sources: Food Code 3-304.14 · Food Code 4-501.114 · R392-102-9(14) · Source protocols: keep the cloth bucket strong enough to work

Keep cloths apart

  • Dry cloths for wiping spills from plates stay dry and are used for nothing else.
  • Cloths used on surfaces that touched raw meat, poultry, fish or eggs are kept apart (use a different color).
  • Restroom and floor cloths are a separate, labeled set that never comes into the kitchen.

Sources: Food Code 3-304.14 · Source protocols: separate labeled sets for food-contact surfaces and for floors and the bathroom

Laundry

  • Wet wiping cloths: every day.
  • Dry cloths: as often as needed to stay clean.
  • Linens that touch food (bread-basket liners): after every use.
  • Aprons: after each shift, or sooner if dirty.
  • Store dirty linens in a closed container away from food. Store clean linens covered.
  • Home kitchens: shop linens are stored and washed apart from household laundry.

Sources: Food Code 4-802.11 · Food Code 4-903.11 · Utah Code 26B-7-416(9)(m)

The rules behind it

  • Cleaning and sanitizing. Wash, rinse, sanitize, air-dry. Chlorine 50–99 ppm 10 s; quat per label 30 s; hot water 171°F 30 s. Test kit on site. Food Code 4-301.12, 4-302.14, 4-501.114, 4-703.11, 4-901.11; R392-102-8(17), R392-102-10
  • Mops, rags and cleaning tools kept apart. Restroom and floor tools never touch food areas: a separate, labeled set of cloths, sponges and mops for floors and restrooms; mop buckets filled and emptied only at the mop (service) sink; mops hung to air-dry; no food stored in restrooms or janitor closets; wiping cloths kept in sanitizer between uses and laundered. Food Code 2-301.15, 5-203.13, 6-501.16, 3-305.11, 3-305.12, 3-304.14, 4-802.11; source protocols (separate labeled sets for food-contact surfaces and for floors and the bathroom)