- This article or section should be merged with Dishwashing
The basic manner for sanitizing dishes, cutting boards, utensils in any institutional situation (restaurants, cafeterias), which is useful for any large group gathering (commonly used in cooperative and Green Tortoise trips), for example includes four steps:
1. Scrape & rinse to remove visible food particles.
2. Soak items briefly in soapy warm water, scrub, sponge.
3. Rinse in clean water to remove soap.
4. Rinse in dilute bleach solution (50-100 parts per million chlorine; about 2ml of 5% bleach per litre of water, approximately one capful bleach per gallon water).
5. Allow to air dry.
Most institutions have a dishwashing machine which sanitizes dishes by a final rinse in either very hot water or a chemical sanitizing solution (e.g. bleach solution). Dishes are placed on large trays and fed onto rollers through the machine.
The use of bleach is critical to sanitation when large groups are involved. While toxic to the environment and not to be used more than necessary, it evaporates completely, is cheap, and kills almost everything. Cabinets, refrigerators, countertops and anything else touched by people in a large group setting should be periodically wiped or sprayed with a dilute bleach solution after being washed with soapy water and rinsed in clean water.
Soap and water gets it clean, bleach solution sanitizes it.
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