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When mold appears behind the dish pit, under the drainage mats, or behind your kitchen appliances, the sight is often revolting and panic-inducing. Between online orders and catering events, there’s little time to spend scrubbing walls. Here’s the three-step process for how to tackle mold in your restaurant’s kitchen as efficiently as possible.
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Decide if DIY Methods Are Enough
Mold happens in even the best-kept kitchens. Warm and damp environments are ideal for mold growth, and there are too many spots in a restaurant with that type of humid environment for mold not to thrive. Beyond being unsightly, mold does pose a hazard to both kitchen staff and customers, so removing it when you see it is essential.
Sometimes, mold on non-porous surfaces can be removed with the proper protective equipment (gloves, a face mask, and eye protection) alongside diluted bleach and a powerful cleaning solution. Scrubbing mold away and thoroughly drying the area it grew in can be enough to control it.
If the spot looks too big to tackle in under an hour, or you notice that there’s mold growth below or around the surface you spot it on, calling a professional will save you time.
Seek Out Professional Assistance
As a chef, kitchen manager, or restaurant owner, mold isn’t meant to be your forte. There’s no shame in asking for help when one little spot of mold growth turns out to have taken over the entire dish pit.
When seeking out a team to assist you with this urgent situation, it’s vital to find a team that understands restaurants don’t have much time to shut down for repairs. Mold removal can’t easily be done with customers around, isn’t ideal to do around food, and can’t become a monthly ordeal. That’s why one of the best ways to tackle mold in your restaurant’s kitchen is to find a team that knows the difference between mold removal and remediation, and one willing to perform the latter.
Prioritize Mold Prevention
Clearly, the best way to move forward after you spot mold, or stop it from interrupting your lunch hours altogether, is to prioritize mold prevention. Implementing cleaning standards that involve keeping suspect areas dry limits the possibility of mold appearing. Regularly checking for leaks in all kitchen equipment can also prevent mold from growing in areas your staff doesn’t normally interact with.
When mold appears in your restaurant’s kitchen, just don’t panic. This commonplace occurrence is easily remedied and gives you an opportunity to not only address your kitchen’s needs, but also get up close and personal with your restaurant itself as you invest in a bit of TLC for it.
