A messy commercial walk-in cooler isn’t just an annoyance. It can actually make customers sick if it is not properly working, as it can impact the freshness of the food. Below, learn how to keep your commercial refrigerator clean to protect your customers and business. 

How to Clean Your Walk-In Cooler

1. Wipe Down Daily

Make wiping down the exterior of your walk-in cooler part of your store’s closing routine. Use a non-toxic cleaner to give it a wipedown, working from top to bottom. Pay close attention to the handle. It’s possible that juices from food or other germs have ended up there, and you want to make sure they don’t get into the food.

2. Throw out Old Food

Every so often, you need to go through your commercial walk-in cooler and dispose of old, spoiled food. Do this before a new shipment arrives, since it will be mostly empty. Look at each item and assess whether it’s still fresh. If it’s open and doesn’t have a note as to when it was used, it’s best to throw it out. Remember, it’s more important to keep your customers from getting sick than to save a few bucks.

3. Stock It Properly

Once your fridge is cleaned out, make sure it’s stocked properly. You’ll keep produce and prepared food on the top of the walk-in cooler, and poultry on the bottom. This makes sure that juices from the meat aren’t dripping onto your fresh produce, which could make people ill. Put produce on the top, then seafood, followed by whole cuts of beef. Next, put the pork, ground meat, or fish, and then place poultry on the bottom. You should also get stickers so employees can write down when food was bought and stick it to the package. This will keep you from wasting food.

4. Vacuum the Condenser & Coils

Dust and dirt in your refrigerator’s condenser and coils can reduce its energy efficiency and cause you to need a replacement much sooner. Vacuum these components on a regular basis. First, take off the protective grill, and then brush the coils and fan to free dust. After this is done, vacuum up the debris. 

Coulee Refrigeration Inc. in Sparta, WI, offers top-notch commercial HVAC and refrigeration services to business owners in Monroe County. Their company is locally owned and operated, and their knowledgeable staff can repair your walk-in cooler quickly and efficiently. They can also complete maintenance checks to make sure your commercial fridge is running as well as it should. Visit their website to learn more or call (608) 269-0403 for more information.