Manual Restaurant Dishwashing: “The Three Sink System”

Warewashing in commercial and institutional establishments requires more than simply adding dishwashing soap to sink full of water.  Restaurants in particular are obligated to maintain certain acceptable standards of food safety, and are well-advised to ensure that meals presented to the customers of today are not tainted by the after-taste of food served yesterday.  Both the transfer of unwanted tastes and smells (with glassware being the most susceptible to contamination), along with the threat of food-borne illness can often be traced back to the use of a single sink containing the remains of innumerable meals, soups, salads and desserts.

The “Three-Sink System” is designed to eliminate this cross-contamination of flavors, smells and harmful bacteria:

• Sink One – Washing:  Used to wash glassware and dishes using clean, warm water and a solution of low-sudsing cleaning compound.  Left-over drinks must not be poured into this solution – this liquid is poured directly down the drain most often through the use of a narrow funnel.

• Sink Two – Rinsing:  Freshly cleaned glassware and dishes are rinsed of detergent residue.  To thoroughly rinse glasses, the “heel-in, heel-out” should be adopted. The bottom of the glass is placed in the water first, totally submerged, and then removed from the water bottom first.  This prevents air pockets from keeping parts of the glass un-rinsed.

• Sink Thee – Sanitizing:  Filled with water and a sanitizing chemical that is effective and safe on glassware.  Among the three common chemicals used for sanitizing in a three-sink system, chlorine bleach is the most economical though it can lose effectiveness if food particles persist and can be unpleasant to use. Iodine formulations, are more concentrated and less irritating to use.  Iodine is particularly effective in sanitizing glass and cutlery.   Quats are considered to be the safest for sanitizing and leave no taste or smell on surfaces and are non-corrosive to metal surfaces. While the effectiveness of these formulations can be compromised in the presence of hard water, Quats do not lose their effectiveness upon exposure to food particles, as chlorine solutions are apt to do.

Machine Restaurant Dishwashing: Commercial Dishwasher Detergent, Rinse Aid, Descaler

While cost is an important factor in choosing a commercial dishwasher detergent for machine warewashing, selecting substandard product can end up costing more in the long run.  Using weak chemicals that do not clean or having to re-run and overload commercial dishwashing machines invariably produces dishes that are unsightly at best, unhealthy at worst.  Some inexpensive powders, for instance, contain sand, which can be detected by dissolving the powder in boiling water and then passing the solution through a coffee filter.

Dishwashing detergent is available in both liquid or solid form.  Many of our customers prefer the solid product for being more economical (100% of the product makes it from the package into the machine), and somewhat easier to use (as no pouring of liquids is involved).

  Liquid detergent is recommended in applications where more expensive dishes, such as Bone China, are being cleaned, as liquid industrial detergent is gentler on dish patterns and designs.

Rinse Aids prevent the unsightly spots which form on bar glasses and other glassware by reducing the surface tension of water sprayed in dishwashers such that it drains from glass surfaces in thin sheets, rather than persisting to dry up and leave behind “spots” of dissolved limescale minerals.   For hard water deposits on individual items of equipment, such as commercial espresso machines a broad-application Descaler can be extremely effective.

Manual Home Dishwashing Soap

The qualities that make certain industrial detergents attractive in the context of restaurant dishwashing do not necessarily translate to ideal use in the home, where comfort and economy are priority.  Not unlike their commercial cousins, however, domestic consumers want dishwashing soap that performs exceptionally well.  We designed Soft & Gentle Handwash Detergent based on the principle that one should not have to buy dishwashing chemicals wholesale to get the best possible result.  Soft & Gentle bridges the gap between restaurant dishwashing and home dishwashing using a highly concentrated, yet user-friendly formulation as the critical link.

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Manual Restaurant Dishwashing: “The Three Sink System”

Zip Dishwashing Liquid:  “Sink One” liquid dishwashing detergent designed for use in the “Three Sink” system.  Ideal for use with automatic dispensers.  Blend of rinsing agents and detergents produces spotless, film-free dish and glassware and is equally effective in hard or soft water.   Formulation also includes emulsifiers and foam stabilizers to minimize foam production.  Bio-degradable and Phosphate-free.  User-friendly formulation is gentle on the hands.  Highly concentrated for economical use:  approximately 15 ml/10 litres of water (1 oz/5 gallons).

Sanitrol Chlorine Sanitizer:  Dish sanitizer composed of versatile Sodium Hypochlorite compound.  An easy and economical way of cleaning and removing stains without scratching porcelain finishes.

Sani-Dine LF:  Iodine-based glass sanitizer/bottle sanitizer combines low-foaming formulation with potent rinsing agents.  Ideal for use in bar glass washers and commercial bottle sanitizers.

Formula 6-88 Sanitizer/Disinfectant:  Commercial sanitizer/disinfectant designed for use in health care environments, food service establishments, food plants, farms, and other institutional areas.  Provides one-step cleaning-disinfecting.  Formulated to control pervasive odors caused by the growth of bacteria, mold, mildew and fungi.  Effective on non-porous surfaces including floors, walls, metal, stainless steel, porcelain, glazed ceramic tile, and plastics.  Leaves a fresh lemon scent.   Approved by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency for use in Registered Establishments.

For sanitization of previously cleaned food equipment or food contact items, use 1 part to 230 parts water.

Machine Restaurant Dishwashing:  Commercial Dishwasher Detergent, Rinse Aid, and Descaler

Machine Dishwash (available in liquid or powder):  Potent dishwash detergent designed for use in commercial operations, features a high concentration of sequestering agents and is well suited for use in hard water areas.   Highly effective alkaline cleaners to produce clean, film free dishes, and reduces the need for de-scaling of machine and dishes.

Sprince:  Concentrated rinse agent blended with an industrial sanitizer.  Lowers the surface tension of water to ensure that it effectively runs off glasses, dishes, and silverware to facilitate rapid, spot-free drying.  Bleach component sanitizes glass and utensils.  Ideally suited for bar glass washing, commercial bottle sanitizers, and restaurant warewashing.  Also popularly used for cleansing and sanitizing of freezers and ice cream machines; extremely effective presoak and sanitizer of kitchen utensils.

Scalzoff: Dishwasher cleaner, water de-scaler. Removes rust, lime, calcium and other deposits from pipes, tubing, and other parts of dishwashing equipment to eliminate clogging and choking scale, increase performance and cut down on costly repairs and related down-time.  Leaves no residues or ‘taste’ when used in accordance with recommended dilutions.  Also removes hard-water stains from commercial espresso machines and other restaurant dishwashing equipment.

Manual Home Dishwashing Soap

Soft & Gentle:  “Hand-friendly” dishwashing liquid leaves no harsh residues to irritate the skin.  Features a pleasant lemon fragrance and contains a lotionizing agent to help replace natural skin oils.  Highly concentrated detergent, water-softening ingredients and high suds stability combine to produce glass and dishware that is free from cloudiness or etching.  Instant solubility for fast suds-creation and minimum waste.  Economical to use:  less than 1⁄2 ounce (4 ml) is needed for each gallon (1 L) of water.