Learn the difference between cleaning and sanitising, the 2-step process, correct sanitiser contact time, and how to verify results — aligned with FSANZ…
Cleaning and sanitising are two separate steps, and both are required. First clean the surface with warm water and detergent to remove visible food, grease and residue. Then sanitise the cleaned surface with heat or a food-grade chemical sanitiser to reduce bacteria to safe levels. Sanitiser only works on an already-clean surface, and only for the full contact time. Under the Food Standards Code, food contact surfaces must be kept clean and sanitary — confirm specifics with your local council. Key takeaways: Cleaning removes visible dirt and food residue; sanitising reduces the invisible bacteria left behind. They are two different jobs and you generally need both on food contact surfaces.. Always clean first. Sanitiser is deactivated by food soil and grease, so applying it to a dirty surface wastes the chemical and leaves bacteria alive.. Contact time is non-negotiable. The surface must stay visibly wet with correctly diluted sanitiser for the full time on the label — often around 30 seconds to several minutes.. Heat is a valid sanitiser: soaking cleaned items in water at 77°C or hotter (or a commercial dishwasher's sanitise cycle) sanitises without chemicals.. Verify, don't assume. Use test strips for chemical concentration, a thermometer for hot water, and a documented cleaning schedule to prove the job was done.. Cleaning vs sanitising: what's the actual difference? These words are used interchangeably in everyday speech, but in a food business they mean two distinct things — and getting them confused is one of the most common reasons a surface fails an inspection swab. Cleaning is the physical removal of visible soil: food scraps, grease, oil, dust and residue. You do it with warm water, detergent and mechanical action (scrubbing or wiping). A clean surface looks and feels clean, but it can still carry large numbers of bacteria you can't see. Sanitising is the step that reduces those invisible micro-organisms to a safe level. It uses either heat or a food-grade chemical sanitiser. Sanitising does not remove dirt — it only works reliably on a surface that has already been cleaned. This is why the order matters so much: detergent lifts the soil away, then the sanitiser can actually reach and reduce the bacteria underneath. Clean = remove what you can see (food, grease, residue) using detergent and scrubbing.. Sanitise = reduce what you can't see (bacteria) using heat or chemical sanitiser.. A shiny, grease-free surface is clean — but not necessarily sanitised.. Why you must clean before you sanitise Sanitiser is not a shortcut. Most chemical sanitisers are chemically deactivated by organic matter — the fats, proteins and sugars in food soil bind to the sanitiser and neutralise it before it can act on bacteria. Spray sanitiser onto a greasy bench and you are largely wiping away chemical that has already been used up reacting with the grease, not the germs. Cleaning first also physically removes the bulk of the bacterial load and strips away biofilms and food debris that shield bacteria from contact. That is why the Food Standards Code approach, and guidance from regulators such as FSANZ and the NSW Food Authority, treats this as a genuine two-step process rather than a single wipe. Combining the two steps, or skipping straight to sanitiser on a soiled surface, generally does not meet the requirement to keep food contact surfaces in a clean and sanitary condition. Food soil (fat, protein, sugar) neutralises chemical sanitiser on contact.. Cleaning removes biofilms and debris that hide bacteria from the sanitiser.. One-step 'clean-and-sanitise' sprays still need a genuine clean first on soiled surfaces.. The two-step process, step by step For food contact surfaces — benches, chopping boards, knives, slicers, prep tables and utensils — the reliable routine is a clean phase followed by a sanitise phase. Where a surface is heavily soiled, add a pre-clean (scraping and pre-rinsing) at the start so your detergent isn't overwhelmed. The steps below describe the full sequence. In a double-sink setup, the first sink does the wash and the second does the sanitise; a commercial dishwasher performs the same sequence automatically. Whichever method you use, the two jobs — remove the soil, then reduce the bacteria — must both happen. Pre-clean: scrape and pre-rinse to remove loose food and grease.. Wash: warm water plus detergent, with scrubbing, to remove remaining soil.. Rinse: clear away loosened soil and detergent so it can't deactivate the sanitiser.. Sanitise: apply heat or correctly diluted chemical sanitiser for the full contact time.. Air dry: let surfaces dry naturally rather than wiping with a cloth that recontaminates.. Contact time: the step most people get wrong Contact time (also called dwell time) is how long the sanitiser must stay in continuous contact with the surface to actually reduce bacteria. If you spray and immediately wipe, you have cleaned the surface but not sanitised it — the chemical never had time to work. Different products vary widely, so the manufacturer's label is the authority. As a rough guide, many food-grade sanitisers require the surface to stay visibly wet for around 30 seconds to a few minutes. Chlorine-based sanitisers are commonly used at a diluted concentration with a relatively short minimum contact time, while quaternary ammonium ('quat') products often specify longer — always check the label. The two things you must get right every time are dilution and time: too weak and it won't sanitise; too strong and you risk chemical residue on food surfaces. Let the surface stay wet for the full label contact time — don't wipe it dry early.. Mix to the exact dilution on the label; guessing weakens or over-concentrates it.. No instructions on the container? Get the dilution and contact time from the supplier, or switch products.. For food contact surfaces, use a food-grade sanitiser and follow any rinse instructions.. Heat as a sanitiser (the no-chemicals option)
The 2-step clean and sanitise process
Remove loose food scraps and heavy grease by scraping, wiping or pre-rinsing. This stops food soil from overwhelming your detergent and sanitiser in the following steps.
Apply detergent and warm water and scrub the surface to lift away remaining grease and residue. Mechanical action matters — detergent loosens soil, but scrubbing removes it.
Rinse with clean water to remove loosened soil and detergent. Leftover detergent and food residue can deactivate chemical sanitiser, so don't skip this.
Apply a correctly diluted food-grade sanitiser and leave the surface visibly wet for the label's full contact time, or heat-sanitise by soaking in water at 77°C or hotter. Do not wipe dry early.
Allow the surface to dry naturally. Wiping with a reused cloth or tea towel can recontaminate a freshly sanitised surface — air drying avoids this.
Check chemical concentration with test strips or hot water temperature with a thermometer, then record the task on your cleaning schedule so the job is traceable at audit.
Frequently asked questions
Is cleaning the same as sanitising?
No. Cleaning removes visible dirt, grease and food residue using detergent and scrubbing. Sanitising reduces the invisible bacteria left behind, using heat or a chemical sanitiser. A surface can look perfectly clean and still carry harmful bacteria, which is why food contact surfaces generally need both steps — clean first, then sanitise.
How long does sanitiser need to stay on the surface?
For the full contact time stated on the product label — often around 30 seconds to a few minutes, but it varies by product. The surface must stay visibly wet for that whole time. If you spray and wipe immediately, you've cleaned but not sanitised. Always follow the manufacturer's dilution and contact-time instructions.
Do I have to use chemicals to sanitise?
No. Heat is an effective, residue-free sanitiser. Australian guidance commonly references soaking cleaned items in water at 77°C or hotter, or using a commercial dishwasher's sanitise cycle. The item must be cleaned first, because baked-on food soil shields bacteria from heat just as it does from chemicals. Use tongs or baskets — water that hot will scald.
Why can't I just use a one-step clean-and-sanitise spray?
On a lightly used surface, a combined product can be acceptable if the surface is already largely clean. But on soiled surfaces, food grease neutralises the sanitiser component before it works. For food contact surfaces with visible soil, you generally still need a genuine clean and rinse first, then sanitise for the full contact time.
How do I prove to an inspector that my sanitising works?
Verify and document it. Use test strips to confirm chemical sanitiser is at the correct concentration (solutions weaken during a shift), or a thermometer to confirm hot water reaches 77°C. Keep a written cleaning schedule recording what is cleaned, the method, the frequency and who did it. That record is your evidence at audit.
What temperature should hot water be to sanitise?
Australian guidance commonly cites soaking cleaned items in water at 77°C or hotter to sanitise by heat, or using a commercial dishwasher with a high-temperature sanitise cycle. Check the actual temperature with a thermometer or thermolabels rather than assuming the tap is hot enough, and confirm specific requirements with your local council or state food regulator.