Food Industry Cleaning Equipment
Food production presents cleaning challenges that are very different from those found in a typical commercial environment. Equipment must be capable of removing the particular residues found within the facility while also fitting into wider food safety, cross-contamination and allergen management procedures.
Choosing food industry cleaning equipment therefore involves more than simply deciding which broom or brush will clean fastest.
What should you look for in food production cleaning equipment?
There are several factors worth considering.
Hygienic materials
Cleaning equipment should be made from materials appropriate to its intended use and environment.
Where equipment may come into contact with food, appropriate food-contact compliance is particularly important.
The Hillbrush Hygiene range includes products manufactured using food-contact compliant materials, with current product filters allowing users to identify products according to EU and FDA food contact requirements.
Easy-to-clean construction
Complex joints, unnecessary recesses and damaged surfaces can make equipment harder to clean.
Hygienically designed products can help reduce areas where food residue, dirt and moisture can accumulate.
Durability
Professional food production environments can be demanding.
Cleaning equipment may be exposed to water, chemicals, temperature changes and repeated intensive use. Products need to be selected with those conditions in mind.
Choosing the right brush
Different cleaning jobs require different filament stiffness.
Soft filaments are generally better suited to finer particles and lighter debris.
Medium filaments provide a balance between sweeping ability and cleaning strength.
Stiff filaments are useful where heavier debris or more aggressive mechanical cleaning is required.
The shape and size of the brush matter too. Hand brushes, floor brooms, tank brushes and tube brushes have very different roles within a cleaning programme.
Squeegees for wet environments
Water management is a major part of cleaning in many food and beverage facilities.
Squeegees can help remove standing water from floors and other suitable surfaces, improving cleaning efficiency and helping production areas return to a dry condition more quickly.
Blade material, width, flexibility and chemical resistance should all be considered according to the environment.
Scrapers, scoops and shovels
Not every cleaning task involves brushing.
Scrapers can help remove stubborn deposits, while scoops and shovels are useful for handling ingredients, waste or larger quantities of material.
Again, equipment should be allocated and controlled according to its intended task.
Cleaning pipes and difficult areas
Pipes, drains, outlets and narrow machinery spaces can be difficult to reach using conventional brushes.
Specialist tube and twisted wire brushes are available in different diameters and lengths for these applications.
Hillbrush currently manufactures a range of tube and twisted wire brushes specifically for hard-to-reach areas within food production environments.
Don't overlook storage
The way equipment is stored matters almost as much as the equipment itself.
Wall-mounted tool hangers and shadow boards keep equipment organised, make tools easier to access and reduce the likelihood of cleaning products being left on floors or production surfaces.
Build a cleaning system rather than buying individual tools
One of the most effective ways to improve a hygiene programme is to stop thinking about brushes, handles, buckets and squeegees as unrelated products. Instead, consider how they work together.
A well-designed system gives each tool:
- A defined purpose
- A defined colour
- A defined production area
- A defined cleaning procedure
- A defined storage location
- A defined inspection and replacement process
That makes cleaning easier to manage, easier to train and easier to demonstrate during audits.
Hillbrush food industry cleaning equipment
Hillbrush Hygiene provides a comprehensive range of cleaning equipment for food production and other hygiene-critical environments, including brooms, brushes, buckets, scoops, scrapers, squeegees, shovels, tube brushes, handles and storage systems.