How to Prevent Pests in Your Commercial Kitchen

A commercial kitchen is no place for vermin. Yet they keep trying to call it home. Rodents, flies, cockroaches — it doesn’t matter the size or the species. Any living creatures that aren’t professionally trained staff members do not belong in your domain, and it’s up to you to keep them out.

Identifying and exterminating infestations, then preventing future uninvited guests is how to keep your commercial kitchen safe, healthy and up to code.

Get to the Source

If you’re concerned you may have pests invading your workspace, dig deep to find out for sure.

Go to heat sources like your dishwasher or stove and look for droppings or any other signs of life. Be thorough — take apart machines when necessary, including coffee or cold drink machines and salad bars. Be vigilant in your investigation, and call in a professional exterminator with experience handling pest eradication in food service businesses.

Then it’s time to make it next to impossible for them to come back.

Cleanliness Is the First Step, Inside and Out

If you don’t have a strict cleaning routine in place, it’s time to create one, and it shouldn’t be a weekly or monthly affair; it should be daily.

Work with your team to split up tasks appropriately so it’s fair and it gets done every day you’re open, especially at the end of the night. Indoor sanitation procedures may include scrubbing floors, especially those near drains or entrances to the building. Outdoor cleanliness means ensuring the dumpster is emptied often enough and it’s rinsed out on a regular basis afterward.

Establish Effective Food Storage Guidelines

As you have probably found, it’s easy for pests of all shapes and sizes to chew through cardboard and plastic. As soon as new shipments come in the door, consider establishing a new storage procedure where all perishables are moved to glass or metal containers. This can help keep pests from both smelling the food and fighting to get to it.

Seal Cracks and Remove Moisture

Examine every nook and cranny in the room, and use a durable caulk to seal any cracks. Even tiny openings make it possible for creatures to nose their way in.

Also address standing water and leaking faucets right away. This is a definite attractor for pests both small and large.

Your Kitchen — Your Home

Your commercial kitchen’s smooth operation is a wondrous sight to see. Keep up a good offensive on pests in order to prevent them from disrupting your work, and make sure to check out Stratton Sales for equipment upgrades to further increase your business efficiency.