Cloths can be a major cause of cross-contamination in a food handling area.
Bacteria will be spread from the cloth onto everything wiped with it.
Bacteria will also get onto hands and will act as a carrier for contaminating any object or surface in contact with hand. Bacteria from those places could be picked up on the hands of other food handlers and be spread even further. Used cloths provide the ideal breeding ground for bacteria. Using properly, cloths pose no threat. Using cloths properly is essential to managing food safety.
Using Cloths Properly
Whenever surfaces or equipment that will be used with ready-to-eat foods, use a new cloth.
Two types of cloths may be used:
- Single use cloth (Paper Towel).
- Re-usable cloths.
Bacteria need food, moisture, warmth and time to grow. Often used to mop up food debris, a cloth is likely to be wet always and is usually stored at room or warm kitchen temperatures and is often left lying around for long periods of time. Hence provides the ideal place for bacterial growth, including dangerous bacteria. Cleaning cloths aid in bacteria being transported from one place to another acting as a carrier.
Single Use Cloth (Paper Towel)
The best cloth to use is a single use cloth. Once it has been used it is disposed of, along with any bacteria it may have picked up. This means that there is no chance of cross-contamination.
Reusable Cloths
- If using reusable cloths, it should be moved to designated palace for cleaning immediately after use.
- Do not leave dirty or once used cloths near sink units or on worktops.
- A cloth that doesn't look dirty doesn't mean that it is free from bacteria. It could still be a source of contamination.
- Reusable cloths should ideally be put through a washing machine on a hot wash, which will both clean and disinfect them by killing bacteria. They should then be completely dried before being used again.
- If cloths are cleaned by hand, first remove any food debris that may be sticking to them, then wash and disinfect them, and finally dry them thoroughly before they are used again.