Choosing and Using Sanitiser Correctly

To sanitise correctly, first clean the surface, then apply either heat (hot water at 77°C for at least 30 seconds) or a food-safe chemical sanitiser at the label concentration and full contact time before rinsing or air-drying. Sanitiser only works on an already-clean surface. Match the method to the job, mix to the correct strength, and give it time to reduce bacteria to a safe level. Key takeaways: Cleaning and sanitising are two separate steps — sanitiser cannot work through grease, food debris or detergent residue, so always clean first.. The two accepted methods are heat (hot water immersion at 77°C for 30 seconds or more) and food-safe chemical sanitisers used strictly to the product label.. Concentration and contact time are what actually reduce bacteria; too weak or too rushed and the surface is not sanitised even though it looks clean.. Sanitising controls micro-organisms, not allergens — removing an allergen relies on thorough cleaning, so don't treat a squirt of sanitiser as allergen control.. Follow the manufacturer's instructions on the container for dilution, contact time and whether a rinse is needed, and confirm specifics with your state or territory food regulator and local council, as requirements can vary.. Chemical sanitiser types at a glance: Type, Strengths, Watch-outs. Chlorine-based (bleach/hypochlorite) — Cheap, fast, broad-acting; used cold — Corrosive to some metals; inactivated by soil, so clean first; loses strength over a shift. Quaternary ammonium (quats) — Low-odour, non-corrosive, leaves a residual film; may not need rinsing — Often needs a longer contact time; check the label. Iodophors (iodine-based) — Effective; give a visible colour — Can stain; sensitive to water temperature. Peroxyacetic acid / peroxide blends — Strong performers; break down to relatively benign residues — Common in larger operations. Heat (hot water/dishwasher) — No chemical residue; reliable — Needs real temperature control (about 77°C for 30+ seconds). Cleaning vs sanitising: why the order matters These two words are often used interchangeably, but under the Food Standards Code they describe different outcomes. Cleaning removes visible dirt, grease and food debris using warm water and detergent. Sanitising then reduces micro-organisms on a surface to a level that is safe, using heat or chemicals. The critical point is sequence. Sanitiser is largely deactivated by fat, protein and detergent, so applying it to a dirty or soapy surface wastes product and leaves live bacteria behind. Standard 3.2.2 generally requires that eating and drinking utensils, and surfaces likely to contact food, are cleaned and — where necessary to make them safe — sanitised. A surface can look spotless and still not be sanitised. Clean = physically remove soil and grease with detergent and warm water.. Rinse away loosened debris and detergent.. Sanitise = reduce remaining micro-organisms to a safe level with heat or chemical.. Never skip straight to sanitiser on a soiled or soapy surface.. When you must sanitise (and what counts as a food-contact surface) Not every surface needs sanitising every time, but food-contact surfaces generally do. These include chopping boards, benches, knives, tongs, slicers, mixing bowls, crockery and cutlery, and any equipment that touches ready-to-eat food. Sanitising is especially important after handling raw meat, poultry, seafood or eggs; between preparing raw and ready-to-eat foods; and at the end of service. High-touch points such as tap handles, fridge door handles and bin lids also benefit from regular sanitising even though food does not sit on them directly. One key distinction: allergen cross-contact is controlled by thorough cleaning — physically removing the allergenic food — not by sanitising, because sanitisers target micro-organisms rather than allergenic proteins. Your food safety program or cleaning schedule should specify what gets cleaned and sanitised, how, and how often. Chopping boards, benches and prep surfaces between tasks.. Knives, tongs, slicers and other utensils that touch food.. Crockery and cutlery used by customers.. After raw meat, poultry, seafood or eggs, and between raw and ready-to-eat foods.. For allergens, clean thoroughly to remove the food itself — sanitiser is not an allergen control.. High-touch points like handles and taps as part of the schedule.. Heat sanitising vs chemical sanitising There are two accepted approaches. Heat sanitising uses hot water or steam and leaves no chemical residue — a common method is immersing clean items in water held at 77°C for at least 30 seconds, or running them through a commercial dishwasher that reaches a hot sanitising rinse (often around 82°C). Heat is reliable and food-safe but needs genuinely hot water and care to avoid scalds. Chemical sanitising uses a food-safe product and suits surfaces you cannot immerse — benches, large equipment, walls near prep areas. Chemicals are convenient and work at lower temperatures, but they demand correct dilution and contact time, and some require a final potable-water rinse. Many kitchens use both: a dishwasher for crockery and utensils, and a spray or wipe-down chemical sanitiser for fixed surfaces. Heat: hot water immersion (about 77°C for 30+ seconds) or a commercial dishwasher's hot rinse; no residue.. Chemical: food-safe sanitiser at label strength; ideal for surfaces that can't be immersed.. Heat needs real temperature control; chemical needs correct concentration and time.. Check whether your chemical product requires a rinse before the surface contacts food.. Common chemical sanitiser types Food-safe chemical sanitisers fall into a few families, each with strengths. The right choice depends on your surfaces, water quality and whether a rinse step suits your workflow. Always buy a product intended for food-contact use and follow its label — the notes below are indicative only and the container instructions override any general guide. Chlorine-based (sodium hypochlorite/bleach): cheap, fast and broad-acting, but corrosive to some metals and inactivated by organic soil — hence clean first. Typically used cold at the label concentration.. Quaternary ammonium compounds (QACs or 'quats'): low-odour, non-corrosive and leave a residual film; often need a longer contact time and may not require rinsing — check the label.. Iodophors (iodine-based): effective and give a visible colour, but can stain and are sensitive to water temperature.. Peroxyacetic acid / hydrogen peroxide blends: strong performers that break down to relatively benign residues, common in larger operations.. Heat (as an alternative to chemicals) where practical, e.g. dishwashers and hot-water sinks.. Concentration and contact time — the two numbers that matter A sanitiser only works if it is at the right strength and left on long enough. Too dilute and it fails to reduce bacteria; too concentrated and you risk residue, corrosion, cost and even chemical contamination of food. Concentration is set by the manufacturer and usually expressed in parts per million (ppm) of the active ingredient. Measure your dilution — use the dosing cap, an automatic dispenser or test strips rather than guessing. Contact time (or 'dwell time') is how long the wet sanitiser must stay on the surface before rinsing, wiping or air-drying; wiping it off immediately means it never worked. Contact times vary widely between products, so read the label. Make up fresh solution regularly, as diluted chlorine sanitisers in particular lose strength over a shift. Dilute to the exact rate on the label; verify with test strips where available.. Leave the surface visibly wet for the full stated contact time.. Let it air-dry, or rinse with potable water only if the label requires a rinse.. Mix fresh batches — don't rely on yesterday's bucket.. Never mix different sanitisers or add detergent unless the label says so.. Safe storage and handling of sanitiser Sanitisers are chemicals, so store and handle them so they never become a contamination hazard themselves. Keep concentrates in their original, labelled containers, well away from food, packaging and food-contact equipment. Decanted spray bottles must be clearly labelled — an unlabelled bottle of clear liquid is a genuine safety risk. Keep a Safety Data Sheet (SDS) accessible for each product, provide the personal protective equipment the SDS specifies, and ensure good ventilation. Critically, never mix chlorine-based products with acids or ammonia-based cleaners, which can release toxic gas. Train every food handler on which product to use where, at what dilution, and for how long — consistency across the team is what keeps the system working. Store concentrates away from food, labelled, in original containers.. Label all decanted spray bottles clearly.. Keep the SDS on hand and use the PPE it specifies.. Never combine chlorine products with acidic or ammonia cleaners.. Train staff so dilution and contact time are applied consistently.. Worked examples: Sanitising a board after raw chicken: A cook finishes cutting raw chicken and needs the board for salad. They scrape off scraps, wash with detergent and warm water, then rinse. Only then do they apply the chemical sanitiser at the label dilution and leave the board visibly wet for the full contact time before air-drying, because sanitiser applied to a greasy or soapy board would be deactivated. Making up fresh sanitiser mid-shift: A kitchen mixed a bucket of chlorine sanitiser at open, but by mid-afternoon it has been sitting for hours. Rather than keep using it, staff tip it out and mix a fresh batch to the label rate, checking the dilution with test strips. Diluted chlorine sanitisers lose strength over a shift, so yesterday's or even this morning's bucket may no longer reduce bacteria. Checklist: Surface is cleaned and rinsed before any sanitiser is applied.. Correct food-safe sanitiser selected for the surface and task.. Sanitiser diluted to the exact rate on the product label (verified with test strips or dispenser where possible).. Full contact time observed with the surface kept wet.. Rinse step done only if the label requires it; otherwise air-dried.. Heat method reaches the required temperature (e.g. 77°C hot water or the dishwasher's sanitising rinse).. Allergen tasks handled by thorough cleaning to remove the food, not by sanitiser alone.. Fresh sanitiser solution mixed regularly through the shift.. Spray bottles and concentrates clearly labelled and stored away from food.. SDS available and staff trained on dilution and contact time.. Cleaning and sanitising schedule documented and being followed.. Common mistakes: Spraying sanitiser onto a greasy or soapy surface — soil and detergent deactivate it, so it reduces little.. Wiping the sanitiser off straight away and never giving it the required contact time.. Guessing the dilution instead of measuring, leaving the solution too weak to work or too strong and leaving residue.. Treating sanitiser as allergen control — allergens are removed by thorough cleaning, not by killing microbes.. Using a general household or non-food product, or one not rinsed when the label requires rinsing.. Relying on a bucket of sanitiser mixed hours earlier, especially chlorine-based, which loses strength over time.. Assuming hot tap water sanitises — it usually isn't hot enough; heat sanitising needs around 77°C.. Storing or decanting sanitiser in unlabelled bottles near food, creating a contamination risk.. Mixing chlorine products with acidic or ammonia cleaners, which can release dangerous gas..