What is a “Clean As You Go” Policy?

Hannah Spruce
June 16, 2017

4 min read

A clean as you go policy is a cleaning strategy used to minimise risks to hygiene,

health, and safety. The clean as you go method involves taking opportunities to clean
continually throughout the working day and making cleaning part of your daily routine
to ensure that surfaces, equipment, waste, and the premises are clean, hygienic, and
clutter free.

There are two types of cleaning under the clean as you go method: urgent and non-
urgent.

Urgent cleaning is anything that may pose an immediate risk to health, hygiene, or
safety, such as a spillage. Non-urgent cleaning is a part of your daily processes,
such as wiping surfaces, placing rubbish in bins and dirty equipment in washing
machines.
Clean As You Go Policy: What to Cover
Formalising a clean as you go policy as part of any role in retail, hospitality, and
catering leads to a consistent attitude to cleaning. It also helps less senior or
experienced staff members feel confident taking the initiative to clean during
downtime and know that doing so is part of the role.

As part of your onboarding process, give staff instructions that will help them make
use of quieter times to complete extra cleaning. What you think is above and beyond
cleaning will depend on where you work, as cafes, kitchens, and supermarkets all
have very different expectations. Telling your staff about extra opportunities to clean
will also be a further metric to differentiate between the time wasters and the
motivated staff.

In addition to your personal expectations, staff also need to know some clean as you
go essentials:

 Where spill kits are kept around the premises.

 Where and how to dispose of refuse and packaging, etc.
 The appropriate sanitisers for different tasks.
 The essential clean as you go tasks to complete during peak time, such as
spills, wiping surfaces after touching raw meats, etc.
 The areas of primary concern, such as surfaces, equipment, walkways, etc.
 Where to store clean work equipment.

The rest of this article focuses on spillages, surfaces, waste management, and
walkways.

Clearing Spillages

Spilt milk in the dairy aisle, wine dropped in the restaurant, and egg splatter in the
kitchen – you know where spillages happen most of the time. Which means that nine
times out of ten you can strategically plan for them. Storing a spill bucket in key
locations around your premises will help you to act fast when you need to clean up a
spillage. You should also keep hazard signage near your spill kits to indicate to
customers and employees when a surface may present a slip, trip, or falls risk.

What to Include in a Spill Clean Up Kit:

  Super absorbent materials, such as sawdust, sand or Spill-Aid.
 Disposable gloves.
 Paper towels (lots of them).
 Disinfectant.
 A receptacle, such as refuse sacks or a bucket to place absorbent materials in
after use.
 Dust pan and brush.
 Disposable cloths.

Wiping Surfaces

Between tasks, staff need to wash work surfaces thoroughly using a new cloth (or
one that you have washed and disinfected). Regularly cleaning will prevent dirt,
bacteria, and allergens spreading onto food produce. Likewise, keep a good supply
of new cloths as a dirty cloth could spread bacteria and allergens to surfaces.

Unpack food produce or equipment away from surfaces as the boxes may have been
stored on the floor. The boxes are a potential contaminant.

Keep surfaces clear of clutter – it’s easier to clean a clutter-free surface.

Disinfect surfaces that have been used to prepare raw poultry, meat or eggs.
Cleaning Equipment

Equipment can harbour dirt, bacteria and pathogens. It’s vital to clean equipment that
has touched raw meat, poultry or eggs immediately after use. Or to put equipment in
an area that you have designated as a cleaning area. Dry equipment after washing to
ensure you kill bacteria.

Place equipment in clean storage locations after use.

Keep Walkways Clear

Your clean as you go policy should also consider the management of areas of high
traffic. Never leave debris in high traffic walkways and store boxes in appropriate
areas. Never block emergency exits with boxes or refuse.

Have clearly labelled methods for recycling and managing waste, such as bailer
equipment.
Waste Management
You need an effective