Cleaning & Staff

Buying cleaning & staff

Cleaning and staff kit is the unglamorous half of a kitchen that keeps you open: it is what passes your hygiene inspection and keeps your team safe. Get a proper system in place and cleaning becomes routine rather than a scramble before an audit.

Chemicals work by task and dilution: degreasers for the cooking line, sanitisers for surfaces, warewashing detergents and rinse aids, and floor and washroom products. Buy concentrates and dilute correctly, because neat product wastes money and weak product does not clean. A colour-coded system, cloths and mops by area, stops cross-contamination between the kitchen and the toilets.

For staff, the essentials are workwear that meets food-safety and looks the part, and PPE where the job needs it: cut-resistant gloves for prep, heat protection for the pass, non-slip footwear for wet floors. Under COSHH you also need to store chemicals safely and keep the right data sheets, so a tidy, labelled chemical store is part of the job, not an afterthought.

Cleaning & Staff: common questions

What cleaning chemicals does a commercial kitchen need?

At minimum: a heavy-duty degreaser for the cooking line and extraction, a food-safe sanitiser for surfaces and equipment, warewashing detergent and rinse aid for the dishwasher, and floor and washroom cleaners. Buy concentrates and dilute to the maker's rate, because that is where the cost control and the cleaning performance both live.

How does kitchen colour-coding work?

Colour-coding assigns a colour to each area or task, so cloths, mops, buckets and sometimes chopping boards for the kitchen never mix with those for the toilets or bar. It is a simple, visual way to prevent cross-contamination and it is something inspectors look for. Agree the scheme, label it up, and train the team on it.

What PPE do kitchen staff need?

It depends on the job: cut-resistant gloves for heavy knife work and slicing, heat-resistant gloves or cloths for the oven and pass, aprons and non-slip footwear as standard, and eye protection or gauntlets when handling strong chemicals. Match the protection to the actual hazard, and make sure it is available and worn, not just bought.

What do I need to store chemicals safely under COSHH?

Chemicals should be stored in a designated, ventilated area away from food, kept in their original labelled containers, and paired with the safety data sheets for each product. Under COSHH you assess the risks and make sure staff know how to use, dilute and store products safely. A locked, labelled chemical store keeps you compliant and the team safe.

Do you supply workwear and uniforms?

Yes: chef whites, jackets, aprons, trousers and front-of-house workwear, chosen for food-safe, hard-wearing fabrics that stand up to hot washes. If you want a consistent look across a team or several sites, tell us your sizes and roles and we will help you kit everyone out.

How quickly can you deliver cleaning supplies?

Fast-moving chemicals, cloths and consumables we hold in our own warehouse go next working day when ordered before the cut-off, which suits the things you reorder regularly. We will confirm lead time on anything ordered in.