The standards of cleanliness for a cool room are high — and rightfully so. Because it stores food and other perishable goods, it’s vital to follow a proper cold room cleaning procedure to preserve the quality of the stored products and the unit itself.
If you’re planning to clean your cool room and need help, read on below for our guide to thoroughly cleaning your cold room.
Benefits of Cleaning the Cold Room
Coils can degrade in performance and hygiene over time. Additionally, the coil surfaces inside the units can become contaminated with dirt, mould and bacterial build-up. Neglecting to clean your cold room not only puts your stock at risk of contamination, but it can also spike your power usage to up to 50%.
By cleaning your cool room regularly, you can avoid the above scenarios and experience:
- Improved airflow
- Increased cooling capacity
- Consistent and accurate temperature
- Elimination of contaminants
- Mould-free storage
- Lowered risk of food spoilage
- Prolonged product shelf life
Mould can grow within your cold room through cracks, leaks or damaged seals around the door, which allows warm, humid air into the room. The best way to manage a mould problem is to prevent it from ever starting so it’s important to have your cool room regularly checked by refrigeration experts.
Cold Room Cleaning Procedure — Daily, Weekly & Monthly Checklists
Looking after your cold room isn’t just a one-off cleaning session, nor is it solely about hygiene. It’s a routine process with cleaning and simple maintenance tasks of varying levels of urgency to keep your unit running efficiently.
Daily Checklist
- Keep floors and surfaces clean and clear of dirt or dust
- Clean up any spillages right away
- Remove waste and rubbish
- Check if the temperature is correct
- Check for ice build-up in the evaporator
- Check for oil leakage in the compressors
- Check the Freon levels
Weekly Checklist
- Clean the door seals, handles and hinges
- Check the seals for any cracks, damage, or general wear and tear
- Clean the external walls, power points and switches
- Clean and sanitise the internal walls, ceilings and light fittings
- Clean surfaces and floors with specialist cold room cleaning products
- Vacuum around the external motors, valves, controls and fittings
- Sanitise and clean the shelves and racking
- Organise your stock and discard spoiled or expired products
Monthly Checklist
- Calibrate the temperature
- Check if the temperature is correct when the room has a full load
- Clean the evaporator and fins
- Clean the evaporator casing and blowing fans
- Check if the control valves are fully operational
- Check if the reverse blowing is working
- Check the defrosting function
- Conduct a system functional test
Though there are some simple things you can do to ensure your cold room remains in good condition, you’ll need to leave the maintenance checks to refrigeration specialists who understand the technical side of the cool room better. They will identify any issues and make repairs as necessary. All you’ll have to do is handle the hygiene and cleanliness of your cooling unit.
Add Regular Maintenance to Your Cleaning Procedure
Apart from regularly cleaning your cold storage, it’s also vital to conduct routine inspections and maintenance work to keep your unit in top condition and compliant with food safety laws.
If you need specialists in that department, our team at Easy Cool Air is more than happy to help you with cold room maintenance and repairs. Contact us today for more details on our commercial refrigeration services.
