Safe Use of Cleaning Chemicals in Kitchens

Why kitchen chemicals deserve your full attention

Every commercial kitchen relies on a small army of cleaning products. Degreasers cut through burnt-on fat, oven cleaners lift carbonised residue, sanitisers keep chopping boards and prep surfaces safe, and descalers keep dishwashers and kettles working properly. Used correctly, they are essential. Used carelessly, they can cause burns, breathing difficulties, skin conditions and, in the worst cases, serious injury.

If you run a small catering business, a café, a pub kitchen or a care home kitchen, you are almost certainly covered by the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations, usually shortened to COSHH. That sounds formal, but the practicalities are straightforward. Most problems in small kitchens come down to a handful of habits: mixing products, guessing dilutions, skipping gloves, and working in a sealed room with no airflow. Tackle those and you have removed the majority of the risk.

Never mix cleaning products — this is the rule that matters most

Mixing chemicals is the single most dangerous thing anyone can do in a kitchen. It happens innocently: someone runs out of one spray and tops the bottle up with another, or decides that bleach plus a limescale remover will shift a stubborn stain faster.

• Bleach and ammonia-based products react to produce chloramine vapours, which irritate the eyes, nose and throat and can cause serious breathing problems in a confined space.
• Bleach and acidic products — including descalers, vinegar-based cleaners and some kettle and toilet cleaners — release chlorine gas. Even a brief exposure in a small kitchen can leave someone coughing and short of breath.
• Bleach and hydrogen peroxide produce a fast, violent reaction and can give off oxygen that makes fires worse.
• Different drain cleaners mixed together can react explosively, splashing caustic liquid upwards.

Make it a firm house rule: one product at a time. If you need to switch, rinse the bottle, the cloth and the surface thoroughly with clean water first. Never pour one product into a bottle containing another, and never top up a spray bottle with a different chemical, even if the colour looks similar.

Read the label and know your safety data sheets

Every product in your kitchen should come with a safety data sheet, and your supplier can provide one if you don't have it. Keep these together, either in a folder or digitally, so anyone can check what a product contains and what to do if something goes wrong.

Labels tell you the dilution rate for a reason. Using a sanitiser neat does not make it twice as effective — it can leave chemical residue on food contact surfaces and irritate skin. Equally, diluting a degreaser too far means it won't work, and staff will scrub harder and longer, which brings its own problems.

• Follow the stated contact time — many sanitisers need 30 seconds of wet contact to work.
• Never decant chemicals into unlabelled bottles, drinks bottles or food containers. This is a common cause of accidental poisoning.
• Store products in their original containers with the label intact. If a label falls off, replace the product rather than guessing.
• Keep a copy of the safety data sheet with your COSHH assessment so you know the correct first aid measures.

Protect hands and eyes properly

Contact dermatitis is one of the most common occupational skin problems in catering, and it is almost entirely preventable. Disposable gloves designed for food handling are not the same as chemical-resistant gloves. Nitrile gloves with a decent thickness and a longer cuff are a sensible default for most kitchen cleaning tasks, and heavier reusable gloves are better for oven cleaners and caustic products.

• Check the glove type against the product — some chemicals pass through certain materials quickly.
• Wear eye protection when decanting, when using sprays overhead, or when handling oven and grill cleaners.
• Take gloves off before handling food, and wash your hands afterwards.
• Wear gloves for the task, not all day. Prolonged wearing traps moisture and can worsen skin irritation.

Keep an eyewash station or sterile eye wash pods accessible, and make sure everyone knows where they are. If a chemical splashes into an eye, rinse immediately with clean water for at least 15 minutes and seek medical advice.

Ventilation and keeping chemicals away from food

Fumes build up fast in a small kitchen with the doors shut. Where possible, open windows and doors, run the extractor, and avoid deep cleaning with strong products while food is being prepared nearby. If you must clean during service, use the mildest product that does the job and increase airflow.

Never store cleaning chemicals on shelves above food, preparation surfaces or crockery. Use a separate, clearly marked cupboard, ideally below waist height so nothing can fall into food. Cover or remove exposed food before spraying, and clean food contact surfaces with a sanitiser approved for the purpose, following it with a rinse with potable water where the label advises.

Make safe practice a daily routine

Good habits stick when they are simple. Set up a small dilution station with clearly labelled bottles and measuring jugs, so nobody is guessing. Keep a spill kit nearby with absorbent granules, a scoop and gloves. Brief your team on the products they actually use, keep a record of that training, and review your COSHH assessments when you change supplier or product.

Encourage staff to speak up if a product irritates their skin or makes them cough — early reporting prevents long-term damage. With a few sensible rules about mixing, labelling, gloves and airflow, your kitchen can stay spotless without putting anyone's health at risk.