ServSafe Manager Cleanliness and Sanitation Summary

Cleaning removes food and other dirt from a surface. Sanitizing reduces the number of germs on a clean surface to safe levels. A surface must be cleaned and rinsed before it can be sanitized.

Wrong choices

• Cleaning kills germs; sanitizing removes dirt: This is reversed.
• They mean the same thing: They are two different steps.
• Sanitizing is done before cleaning: Sanitizing is done after cleaning and rinsing.

To clean and sanitize a surface:

1. Scrape or remove food from the surface.
2. Wash the surface.
3. Rinse the surface.
4. Sanitize the surface.
5. Allow the surface to air-dry.

Wrong choices

• Sanitize, wash, rinse, dry with a towel: Sanitizing comes after washing and rinsing, and towels should not be used to dry.
• Wash, sanitize, rinse, air-dry: The rinse comes before sanitizing.
• Rinse, sanitize, scrape, air-dry: Scraping comes first.

Food-contact surfaces must be cleaned and sanitized after each use, before working with a different type of food, after interruptions, and at least every 4 hours if they are in constant use.

Wrong choices

• Once a day: Once a day is not enough for surfaces in constant use.
• Every 8 hours: 8 hours is too long.
• Only when it looks dirty: Germs can be present even when a surface looks clean.

In a three-compartment sink, scrape items first, then: sink 1 wash (detergent and water at least 110°F [43°C]), sink 2 rinse, sink 3 sanitize. Then air-dry the items.

Wrong choices

• Rinse, wash, sanitize: Washing comes first.
• Sanitize, wash, rinse: Sanitizing comes last.
• Wash, sanitize, rinse: The rinse removes soap before sanitizing.

Wet wiping cloths should be stored in a sanitizer solution between uses. Change the solution as needed and keep cloths for raw meat separate.

Wrong choices

• On the counter: Leaving them on the counter can spread germs.
• In an apron pocket: Pockets are not a clean place for cloths.
• Over the shoulder: Cloths on the shoulder touch clothes and hair.

A Safety Data Sheet (SDS) describes a chemical's hazards, how to use and store it safely, and what to do in an emergency. Employees have a right to see SDS for the chemicals they use.

Wrong choices

• The food's nutrition label: A nutrition label is for food, not chemicals.
• The delivery invoice: An invoice shows what was bought, not how to use a chemical safely.
• The restaurant menu: A menu is for guests.

Factors that affect a chemical sanitizer include concentration, temperature, contact time, water hardness, and pH. Check concentration with a test kit.

Wrong choices

• The color of the sanitizer bucket: Bucket color does not affect how the sanitizer works.
• The brand of the cleaning cloth: The cloth brand is not a factor.
• The time of day it is used: Time of day is not a factor.

Use a test kit designed for the sanitizer to check its concentration. Change the solution when it is dirty or when the concentration drops below the required level.

Wrong choices

• Smell the solution: Smell does not show concentration.
• Look at the color of the water: Color does not show concentration.
• Add more sanitizer each hour to be safe: Too much sanitizer can be unsafe and can damage surfaces.

The Food Code requires a written plan for cleaning up vomit and diarrhea. The plan covers how to contain and remove the material, protect staff with personal protective equipment (like gloves and masks), and disinfect the area, because germs such as Norovirus spread easily.

Wrong choices

• Wipe it with a dry paper towel and continue service: This does not remove germs such as Norovirus.
• Cover it with a tablecloth until closing: Covering it does not clean it and exposes guests.
• Ask a guest to help clean it: Trained staff must clean it.

For hot-water sanitizing in a sink, items must be soaked in water at least 171°F (77°C) for 30 seconds.

Wrong choices

• 135°F (57°C), with items soaked for 10 seconds: 135°F is too low for hot-water sanitizing.
• 110°F (43°C), with items soaked for 30 seconds: 110°F is the minimum for the wash water, not for sanitizing.
• 212°F (100°C), with items soaked for 5 minutes: Boiling is not required.