Restaurant and Commercial Kitchen Cleaning Chemicals
Commercial kitchen cleaning is the one setting where food safety, not appearance, is the specification. That changes the chemistry: degreasers and food-safe sanitisers do the work, and the sequence — clean, then sanitise — matters as much as the products.
Sanitiser follows cleaning; it never replaces it
A commercial kitchen needs an alkaline degreaser for fats and cooked-on soil, a food-safe sanitiser for food-contact surfaces, and a separate floor cleaner for the back of house. Sanitiser is applied after cleaning, not instead of it, and the contact time on the label is the specification.
The most common failure in kitchen cleaning is applying sanitiser to a surface that has not been degreased. Sanitiser does not cut fat, so it kills what it can reach while leaving the soil that protects everything underneath it.
Prices are Freshway catalogue prices as at 16 September 2026 and are subject to change. Confirm the current price, and whether GST applies, before quoting.
What makes kitchen cleaning different
- Fats and cooked-on soil. Alkaline chemistry is required; neutral cleaners do not cut baked-on grease.
- Food-contact surfaces. Products must be suitable for surfaces food is prepared on, and rinsing requirements vary by product.
- Floor slip risk. Kitchen floors combine grease, water and constant movement.
- Drains and grease traps. Odour and blockage originate here, not on the surfaces.
The chemical kit
| Product | Use | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Alkaline degreaser, 5 L concentrate | Hoods, ranges, ovens and cooking surfaces | From A$68.00 |
| Caustic or heavy-duty oven and grill cleaner | Baked-on carbon on oven interiors | From A$54.00 |
| Food-safe sanitiser | Food-contact surfaces after cleaning | From A$54.00 |
| Kitchen floor cleaner | Grease-affected floors | From A$42.00 |
| Drain and grease-trap treatment | Odour and blockage control | From A$42.21 |
Two product points come up repeatedly. First, a caustic oven cleaner and an alkaline degreaser are not interchangeable — the caustic product is for carbonised soil inside ovens and is not appropriate for general surfaces. Second, concentrated degreasers must be diluted to label; over-dosing leaves residue on food-contact surfaces and is a food safety issue rather than only a cost one.
Equipment
| Equipment | Use in a kitchen | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Colour-coded cloths, separate set for food-contact surfaces | Prevents cross-contamination between raw and ready areas | From A$2.75 |
| Heavy-duty spray bottles and triggers | Applying degreaser to vertical surfaces | From A$4.50 |
| Deck scrub brushes and grout brushes | Grills, tile and grout lines | From A$7.00 |
| Squeegee and floor wiper | Removing water and grease from hard floors | From A$12.00 |
| Wet and dry vacuum for spill recovery | Liquid spills and drain areas | From A$329.00 |
Cleaning sequence in a food premise
- Remove loose soil — scrape and wipe solids into waste before applying chemistry.
- Degrease with an alkaline product at the labelled dilution, allowing the dwell time the product specifies.
- Rinse where the product requires it, particularly on food-contact surfaces.
- Sanitise with a food-safe sanitiser at the required contact time.
- Air dry rather than towel drying food-contact surfaces.
Where a premise has a food safety plan, the plan sets the sanitiser and the frequency. What suppliers provide is a product that achieves the required contact time and documentation that supports the plan.
Floors, drains and grease
Kitchen floors are the highest slip-risk area in any building, and the control is method rather than product alone. A squeegee pass to remove water and grease before mopping is more effective than mopping over a greasy floor, and the floor should be dry before service resumes.
Drains and grease traps are the odour source in most kitchens. Treating the drain with an enzymatic product on a schedule prevents the build-up that produces odour and blockages, and it is far cheaper than reactive clearing.
Hoods, filters and exhaust
Extraction is the part of kitchen cleaning that carries real fire risk and is often contracted separately. Filter cleaning is a frequent task; duct and hood cleaning typically requires specialist equipment and certification and should be treated as a separate scope rather than as part of routine cleaning.
Calculating kitchen chemical consumption
- Degreaser scales with cooking volume, not floor area.
- Sanitiser scales with the number of food-contact surfaces cleaned per service.
- Floor cleaner scales with kitchen area and the number of services per day.
- Drain treatment is a fixed schedule cost, not a variable one.
Our kitchen cleaners and degreasers ranges cover the core, and safety data sheets are published at Freshway safety data sheets.
Frequently asked questions
- What are 10 common chemicals used in kitchen cleaning?
- Alkaline degreaser, caustic oven cleaner, food-safe sanitiser, neutral floor cleaner, grease trap treatment, drain enzyme, stainless steel polish, glass cleaner, washroom cleaner for staff amenities and a descaler for kettles and warewash. Ten is a list rather than a specification; most kitchens run five.
- What is the best disinfectant for a commercial kitchen?
- A food-safe sanitiser applied after cleaning, at the label dilution, with the label contact time observed. Where the surface contacts food directly, the product must be no-rinse at that dilution or followed by a potable water rinse.
- What is the best kitchen degreaser in Australia?
- An alkaline concentrate matched to the surface and the soil: a general alkaline degreaser for benches, hoods and filters, and a caustic product for carbonised deposits inside ovens. Aluminium and some coated surfaces rule out caustic chemistry, so check compatibility before you buy.
- Can I use the same cloth on raw and ready-to-eat areas?
- No. Food-contact and raw-handling areas need separate, colour-coded cloths. This is a food safety control rather than a cleaning preference.
- Do I need to rinse after using a kitchen sanitiser?
- It depends on the product and the surface. Food-contact sanitisers vary in whether they are no-rinse at the labelled dilution. Check the product label and the safety data sheet rather than assuming.
References
- Food Standards Australia New Zealand — food safety standards applying to food premises.
- SafeWork NSW — chemicals and other substances: labelling, storage and safety data sheets.
Specifying for a kitchen?
Tell us the number of covers, the cooking equipment and whether you have a food safety plan specifying products, and we will match the chemistry and supply the safety data sheets. See kitchen cleaners or ask our team.