Landed a sizable restaurant for daily cleaning. Kitchen question.

[CoastalCleaning]

Well we landed a pretty large one. We got the bathroom, bar, lobby and eating areas covered pretty well but I wasn't sure of the best way to tackle the kitchen.

Its tile and grout. I think quarry tile. Basically its the rust colored 8x8 tile with black grout lines that are so common in most kitchens. Round about 1,500 sqft. back there. Quite a few floor drains too.

This was the plan.

1. Push brush first. Clear all the debris and food out
2. Pour a diluted degreaser on the tile about ever 5 feet
3. Scrub with a stiff bristle push brush to get the food and grease residue to break down
4. Hook up a hose and rinse it down the drain
5. Then finish up with a clear water mop with a clean mop head to get any residue

What do you think? Quicker easier way than this? Anyone with any kitchen cleaning experience please chime in.

It looks like another restaurant across the pavilion will be keeping on eye on us because they're in need of someone as well. So I'd like to make a good thorough professional impression here. This restaurant hired a much cheap company than us...they didn't last the first month. The regional manager expressed a desire to build a long term relationship with us and doesn't want the burden of worrying about this job not getting done right. It our account to lose. So I really want to hit this one out of the park.

[cheyne]

It is best if you have 2 people, for a kitchen floor, but one works.

Pre-sweep the floor with a broom and dust pan, mainly concentrating on the big food particles.
Fill mop bucket with a good kitchen floor cleaner and hot water, most kitchens here use an eco-labs product called wash-n-walk...stuff works awesome and doesn't require a rinse. (An alternative to this would be to buy some powder detergent and sprinkle it on the floor before you soak with hot water.)
Soak floor, use mop to make sure all areas are covered. You will basically flood the floor.
Use deck brushes to scrub tile/grout lines.
Squeegee all water to the drains. The foam sqeegees work the best by far on these floors.
Take a clean mop (different mop) with fresh cold water and "touch up" the edges and areas that you weren't able to squeegie completely, and any low spots that water has settled to.

Make sure you know whether they expect you to move the equipment or clean under/around it. Some places will have equipment that you can't move so you will have to do the best you can to get under it.

This was the quickest and easiest way. Occasionally we would pull out the hoses and hose all the dirty water to the drains before squeegee, but it isn't necessary daily. It does help getting under machines and equipment because you can spray it all out.

Also, make sure to clean the drain traps out when you're done. If they don't have drain traps, you will want to do a more thorough pre-sweep.

[cheyne]

PS. Make sure if you're cleaning it at night after they close, that they keep the A/C set to run for a few hours. It will get very hot and steamy and if the air is off the floors will still be wet in the morning, and you'll sweat like crazy.

[CoastalCleaning]

Thanks a ton. I'll look in to this wash-n-walk.

[locko-fabara]

Wash and walk is a great product we use it every night, it won and award in 2004 for such an innovated product. It has enzyme, and even they work after is dry, and the best thing. It is a green seal certified. Before you buy it let me know i can get an excellent price. Same with every ecolab product, very good for food service, that is how they started.

[CoastalCleaning]

I spent the day thinking about this. I wonder if it would just be easier and less time consuming to simply use the truckmount with the SX-12. Anyone got any thoughts on that?

Jaime please email me a price for the wash and walk. The local ecolab blew us off when we inquired a few months back for other product so I have no problem picking it up from you if we end up going that route.

[locko-fabara]

well my friend works for ecolab, but we are located in CT, i get for a really good price but I dont know if you are willing to pay the shipping.
each container has 2.5 gallons

[CoastalCleaning]

What's the dilution ratio?

[cheyne]

A 2.5 gallon jug should last you at least a month. I'm not sure the dilution ratio but it lasts a long time.

Also, with the truckmount, you'll still have to sweep. Then you have to setup and pack up...and you're using gas the whole time. We did an ice cream shop, probably the size you're working on, in 30 minutes with 2 people, and that included pulling trash and cleaning a restroom. The grout was also light grey, so it was a little more intense scrubbing to keep it clean. I could do it myself in about 45 minutes.

[locko-fabara]

Cheyne is right! it last about a month even a little bit more, we use one ounce per gallon, outside of the cafeteria, inside the kitchen we use about one ounce per gallon.
I will suggest to get a pro team super coach vacuum, an used one or broken from ebay is fine, it is a pain in the butt to sweep those type of floor, the vacuum is quicker and better quality than sweeping., if you need a motor let me know i have tons of almost brand new motors.

[CoastalCleaning]

Thanks to the both of you for all the help.

[shane deubell]

I spent the day thinking about this. I wonder if it would just be easier and less time consuming to simply use the truckmount with the SX-12. Anyone got any thoughts on that?

Jaime please email me a price for the wash and walk. The local ecolab blew us off when we inquired a few months back for other product so I have no problem picking it up from you if we end up going that route.

Sounds pretty exciting, congrats

The outbacks steak house was my first contract ever, long time ago.Scrap the TM too expensive

Think you are on right track,
we would push broom
Hook up a soap dispenser system to the hose and prespray degreaser with hot water
Then hose down and squeegee to the drains
Depending how greasy set up a rotation to scrub with slow speed 175rpm 1x week or 2x or whatever

also a cheap electric pressure washer, cheap because you dont really need 2000 psi or anything and you do not want to pay for gas
Another good option

[janitrex]

I would definitely go with ecolab wash n walk. Excellent product.

[grimel]

Let me be the complainer. I absolutely HATE Wash n Walk. Another Eco-lab cleaner was my choice for kitchens (reddish color IIRC).

Sweep up the chunks and crumbs. Spray the floor with the eco lab stuff. Hook up hose to the hot water and blast it down the drain. Hook up air movers and go clean the rest of the place.

As was previously noted - clean out the drain traps. If they don't have them, life can become a pain. Do buy the foam squeegees work much better than rubber on the tile floors.

Once a month break out the 360/SX-12 and detail the kitchen.

The local restaurants were constantly trying to add services (without changing the price) and claim failure to perform for a free night's services because you aren't doing things not in the contract so I dropped them and let someone else deal with the locals.

[rjfdube]

http://www.bettymills.com/shop/super...FRrXnAodMXwNbw

http://www.miscoprod.com/2005/produc...SANI%20512.pdf

http://www.walmart.com/ip/All-Power-...44440371855352

use the force Luke; Trust me!!!!

[locko-fabara]

I will say my secret if it is a secret.

I vacuum the floor, i do not sweep it because I always see crumbs or lettuce or whatever, so i found the backpack vacuum is better, you can do easily under tables, corner etc etc, believe i have been doing same cafeteria for 6 years, it is about 750 sq ft.
then i use the BOSS from mytee, i fill it with 3 gallons of hot water and 2 ounces of wash and walk per gallon, i let it sit for maybe 10 minutes, then i mop it with water and just a little bit of wash and walk.
then after 4 months exactly during xmas brake, spring brake and during the summer time i use a 1u75 with just water i scrub around quick and then i extract it with a floor wet vac, and then it will be done.

[CoastalCleaning]

Okay after doing this for a few days I've found success. There is actually a tub in the back with a hose hooked already prepped for me to use. I use the hydroforce and a greasy floor degreaser...it takes less than 10 minutes to spray it down. Then I use the hose in the back and super hot water to spray down the floor while another one squeegees to a multitude of drains. Probably 20 drains throughout the kitchen so its been pretty easy. Takes about 30-40 minutes altogether and I put an air mover on it right away like mentioned above. So problem solved here. They actually have wash-n-walk in the back available but it wouldn't cut the grease enough to make a difference. Chinese restaurant so its pretty thick.

I have another issue. The tile coming out of the kitchen gets almost as greasy as the kitchen itself. There's probably 1,000-1,200 sq ft of tile and grout throughout the restaurant stretching from the kitchen to both the dining areas and bar. Its slippery to walk on. I tried wash and walk, I tried viper venom with hot water and the only thing that cuts the grease enough was ZEP degreaser and hot water. However I have to mop 3-4 times and it tends to leave mop streaks.

Any suggestions on mopping?

Backpack vacuum for sure will the first purchase we make once we collect on our first month. Vacuuming alone takes an hour I think we could cut that down in half.

All in all it takes 3 of us 2 hours and 15 minutes to get in and out. Other than getting up a 4:30 in the morning everyday it'll be a very worthwhile account.

[grimel]

I have another issue. The tile coming out of the kitchen gets almost as greasy as the kitchen itself. There's probably 1,000-1,200 sq ft of tile and grout throughout the restaurant stretching from the kitchen to both the dining areas and bar. Its slippery to walk on. I tried wash and walk, I tried viper venom with hot water and the only thing that cuts the grease enough was ZEP degreaser and hot water. However I have to mop 3-4 times and it tends to leave mop streaks.

Any suggestions on mopping?

Backpack vacuum for sure will the first purchase we make once we collect on our first month. Vacuuming alone takes an hour I think we could cut that down in half.

All in all it takes 3 of us 2 hours and 15 minutes to get in and out. Other than getting up a 4:30 in the morning everyday it'll be a very worthwhile account.

I'll tell my super secret method of mopping restaurants. Buy a Rubermaid mop bucket. Buy the red insert. You now have a 2 compartment bucket. Mix your degreaser (White Lighting and Simple Green work if you can't get the Eco-Lab degreaser) in a sprayer. Spray the floor (SPRAY not mist). Fill you front compartment with hot water. Mop up an area, dip, and wring it into the red bucket (where your wringer will be sitting). Repeat until your clean water is gone. Dump and repeat. One time and your are done. Your shoes will stick to the floor (in a good way) after it drys and it drys fast.

When I quite the restaurants I was doing 2 (seated 200 each) about 5 miles apart in 5-6hrs total by myself.

FWIW, if you can sell them on a monthly/quarterly deep clean (SX-12 or RV360) it can be a cash cow if you have a portable with auto pump out and a (relatively) cheap electric pressure washer (hook up to your SX or 360).

[shane deubell]

Pre-spray with degreaser and let dwell for 20 minutes then mop, you just have to power scrub with a 175rpm on some rotation
As george mentioned try the flat mop system, microfiber

locko's "secret" is out, we almost never sweep anymore in break rooms or restrooms, it is backpack vacuum all the way on floors now
dont know about a greasy,wet, kitchen though. I would test first

[CoastalCleaning]

Good ideas