If nothing else, the COVID-19 pandemic has exposed how vulnerable we truly are to the various viruses and diseases. Moreover, despite the fact that many of us wish we could simply work from home until it’s over, unfortunately, certain industries are essential. For instance, the grocery store industry is one of the most vital industries in the entire world. With that in mind, the following is a closer look at methods of keeping your grocery store clean and safe for your customers and employees.

Tips for retail grocery sanitation

If you own a grocery store or are tasked with maintaining the cleanliness of one, now is the time to be as thorough as possible. To do so, you need to take heed of the following tips.

Start with the carts

One of the most important ways to ensure your grocery store is safe for your customers and employees is to start with the shopping carts. These are widely used and can easily pick up germs. In addition to sanitizing them on your own, you should also make paper towels and sanitizing wipes available and encourage every customer to use them before they move them.

Counters, floors, and more

Moreover, areas that are frequently used should be cleaned and disinfected several times a day. Your counters, door handles, bathrooms, conveyor belts, scales, shelves, produce areas, etc., should all be cleaned at various times throughout the day. Point of sale terminals may need to be cleaned after every customer. You may also want to encourage customers to use sanitizer before and after touching these surfaces. This obviously depends on how busy your store is. However, you may want to clean these areas anywhere from every hour, to every 3-4 hours. Using your best judgment, make sure that all of these areas are being regularly sanitized. Lastly, your floors should be cleaned at least once a day. If you determine that some sort of health risk has occurred, they should be spot cleaned immediately.

PPE

Next, you want to make sure that you always have enough PPE or both your workers and your customers (as necessary). This means that you should be installing touch-free hand sanitizer dispensers all over the store. You will also want to make sure that you have extra masks available for any employee or customer who may need one. You should also keep a plentiful stock of disposable gloves, protective goggles, and disposable protective gowns for emergency issues and cleaning.

Cleaning solutions matter

Lastly, you will want to invest in cleaning solutions that are both non-toxic and effective. This is because various areas will often need to be cleaned while customers are present. So, you will want to do your best to use products that are safe, while also helping you kill germs and toxins that could be making others sick.

Overall, keeping your grocery store clean and sanitized is more important than ever. Luckily, Chemstar has an entire line of products that will help you do just that. For instance, Chemstar offers a line of natural sanitizers and disinfectants that are EPA registered, safe, and heavy-duty. Foam San is a broad-spectrum disinfectant and foam sanitizer for floor drains. This is ideal for areas such as meat departments, which may be using drains throughout the day. Also, Qsan is a broad-spectrum quaternary ammonium chloride hard surface sanitizer that serves as a final rinse for both food preparation and non-food preparation services. Lastly, the neutral bathroom cleaner can be used to clean sinks, toilets, shower, walls, and tiles. This neutral pH, quat-based cleaner solution cleans, disinfects, and deodorizes. Contact us today to discuss how we can help you ensure that your store remains clean, sanitized, and safe for your employees and customers alike.