No More Dirty Dishes!

Do you know that your dishes can make you sick? Flu- and virus-like symptoms may occur if you eat from dishes that are not cleaned properly. Water temperatures that are too low, sanitizing solutions that are too weak, or wash/rinse cycles that are too short may not destroy potential disease carrying organisms, and that can cause real problems. Whether you wash dishes by hand or by machine, proper dishwashing procedures and techniques should be understood by your staff and performed in compliance with your state and local health codes.

For hand washing, rinsing, and sanitizing of utensils and equipment, a sink with at least three separate basins should be used. If you do not have three sinks (one each for washing, rinsing, and sanitizing), dish tubs can be used. Each basin should be large enough to accommodate large pots and pans and have its own faucet to supply hot and cold water. Dish or utensil baskets should permit complete immersion of the tableware, kitchenware, utensils, and other equipment in the hot water.

Always clean the sink thoroughly prior to each use. Equipment and utensils should be prescraped and/or prerinsed and, when necessary, presoaked to remove large food particles, soil, and stains. Equipment and utensils should be thoroughly washed in the first compartment with a hot detergent solution and the water/detergent solution should be frequently changed. Equipment and utensils should be rinsed free of detergent and abrasives with clean water in the second basin. The food contact surfaces of all equipment and utensils are sanitized in the third basin.

Sanitizing

There are several methods of sanitizing. These include:

• Immersion for at least 30 seconds in clean, hot water, at least 170°F.
• Immersion for at least one minute in a solution containing at least 50 parts per million, but not more than 200 parts per million, of available chlorine as a hypochlorite, at a temperature of at least 75°F.
• Immersion for at least one minute in a solution containing at least 12.5 parts per million, but not more than 25 parts per million, of available iodine with a pH not higher than 5.0 at a temperature of at least 75°F.
• Immersion for at least one minute in a solution containing 200 parts per million of a quaternary ammonium compound and at a temperature of at least 75°F.
• If other sanitizing chemicals are used, it should provide the equivalent bactericidal effect of a solution containing at least 50 parts per million of available chlorine, at a temperature of at least 75°F.

Maintaining Equipment

When hot water is used for sanitizing, the heating device located in, on, or under the sanitizing compartment of the sink, should be maintained to assure the water is kept at a temperature of at least 170°F. In addition, a numeric thermometer accurate to within three degrees must be in the sink or located conveniently for frequent checks of water temperature.

Temperature logs for recording temperatures taken during the day should be located near the sink. When chemicals are used for sanitization, they should not have concentrations higher than the maximum permitted for that chemical, and a test kit or other device that accurately measures the parts per million concentration of the solution should be used. The test strips should be used each time the water is changed, and the strips may be taped to a log sheet near the sink. It is important to routinely check these concentrations because chemical concentrations can be harmful if they are too high and ineffective if too low.

Soiled Utensils

Adequately sized drain boards, easily movable dish tables, over-the-sink drying racks, or a combination of these should be provided for proper handling of soiled utensils prior to washing and for cleaned utensils following sanitizing. Once cleaned, the pots and pans should be stacked so that water is drained out and not allowed to stand inside the equipment. Dishes, pots, and pans should be allowed to air dry.

Cleaning and sanitizing may be done by spray type or immersion dish washing machines. Make sure the machine is kept clean and in proper working order. As in the case of manual washing, equipment and utensils should be scraped and/or rinsed prior to machine washing except when a prewash cycle is part of the machine's operation.

Chemical Sanitizing

Machines (single tank, stationary rack, and door-type machines) also may use chemicals for sanitization. These chemicals should be automatically dispensed to assure the proper chemical concentration. The temperature of the wash water should be at least 120°F. Utensils and equipment should be properly loaded on the machine's racks so they are exposed to the final chemical sanitizing rinse in accordance with the manufacturer's specifications. The chemical sanitizing rinse water temperature should be at least 75°F or the minimum temperature specified by the machine's manufacturer, whichever is higher. Test strips should be used each time the machine is used, and the strips should be posted on a log.

Machines using hot water for sanitizing may be used provided the wash water and pumped rinse water are changed frequently and are at least as hot as the temperatures stated below:

• Single-tank, stationary-rack, dual-temperature machine: Wash temperature, 150°F. Final rinse temperature, 180°F.
• Single-tank, stationary-rack, single-temperature machine: Wash temperature, 165°F. Final rinse temperature, 165°F.
• Single-tank conveyor machine: Wash temperature, 160°F. Final rinse temperature, 180°F.
• Multi-tank conveyor machine: Wash temperature, 150°F. Pumped rinse temperature, 160°F. Final rinse temperature, 180°F.
• Single-tank, pot, pan, and utensil washer (either stationary or moving rack): Wash temperature, 140°F. Rinse temperature, 180°F.

Think safety first. Kill those germs! Train your staff in proper sanitizing techniques to encourage the habit of checking the temperatures and chemical concentrations each time dishes are washed. Make sure to record the temperatures and post the test strips, and have supervisors check those logs.

For smaller programs or home-based childcare settings, you may rely on your home dishwasher or just soap and water. Make sure that the water temperature of your dishwasher is adequate (check the instruction manual or call your manufacturer).

Providing clean and safe food is everyone's responsibility. Dish washing is an important part of each day's health and safety actions.

RESOURCES

Caring for Our Children: National Health and Safety Performance Standards: Guidelines for Out-of-Home Child Care Programs: Second Edition, includes a section on dish washing. You can view the entire manual at nrc.uchsc.edu. Print copies can be ordered from the American Academy of Pediatrics, PO Box 747, Elk Grove Village, IL 60009-0747; 888-227-1770; www.aap.org

The specific section on dish washing can be found on the web site; nrc.uchsc.edu/CFOC/XMLVersion/Chapter_4.xml

INTERNET RESOURCES

Dish washing activities for children: http://www.ux1.eiu.edu/~cfsjy/mts/life/c3-5.htm

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