Restaurant Kitchen Deep Cleaning Checklist
The Restaurant Kitchen Deep Cleaning Checklist is a practical, inspection-ready guide that standardizes how your back-of-house returns to a truly sanitary baseline. It goes beyond shift wipe-downs to cover heavy equipment interiors, vents and hoods, walk-ins and reach-ins, food-contact surfaces, dish areas, floors and drains, grease traps, and small appliances. Use it to schedule weekly, monthly, or quarterly deep cleans, capture evidence of work, and maintain HACCP and health-code compliance without relying on ad-hoc notes.
Built for real kitchen workflows, the checklist prompts safe shut-down and chemical use, equipment disassembly/reassembly, coil and gasket care, fryer boil-outs, descaling of dish and steam equipment, sanitizer verification, thermometer calibration, drain flushing, and dumpster-area hygiene. It also includes space for corrective actions and maintenance requests so issues don’t get lost between shifts.
Prefer digital? Run the checklist in the TARGPatrol mobile app: staff complete tasks on their phones with photo proof and timestamps; managers see real-time progress, get alerts for missed items, and export reports in seconds. Or print the free PDF for binders and wall postings — either way, nothing critical gets overlooked.
Team brief held, PPE issued (gloves, goggles, non-slip)
Equipment powered down / gas off (LOTO if required)
Ovens (interior racks, doors, gaskets) degreased & sanitized
Flat tops / grills scraped, degreased, seasoned as needed
Fryers: oil drained, vats boiled-out, filters cleaned
Ranges & burners lifted, drip trays & undersides cleaned
Combi/steam ovens descaled, drain pans sanitized
Equipment reassembled & function-tested after cleaning
Observations / parts needing repair
Hood canopies degreased (inside edges & seams)
Baffle filters removed, soaked, scrubbed, dried
Plenums, grease cups, and accessible ductwork cleaned
Reach-ins/walk-ins emptied, shelves, walls, floors sanitized
Ice machine: bin emptied, descaled, sanitized, filter check
Prep tables, cutting boards, knife racks deep sanitized
Color-coded board inspection (excess wear replaced)
Smallwares (tongs, ladles, inserts) soaked & sanitized
Slicers/mixers disassembled, cleaned, reassembled
Three-compartment sink scrubbed, drains & strainers cleared
Dish machine: delimed/descaled, final rinse temp logged (°C/°F)
Floors, walls, and backsplash around dish area sanitized
Odor check performed, corrective actions noted
Microwaves (ceiling/vent) cleaned & sanitized
Thermometers calibrated, probe tips sanitized
Shelving wiped, product off floor, FIFO verified
Open dry goods in sealed, labeled containers
Chemical cabinet organized, labels legible, no food contact
Incompatible chemicals separated, expired items discarded
Notes on low stock / reorders
Interior bins washed, sanitized, dried with lids
Dumpster area scrubbed/deodorized, lids closed, ground clean
Pest evidence check (droppings, gnaw marks, traps)
HACCP/health-code logs updated (temps, sanitizer, dates)
Corrective actions from last inspection addressed
Staff sign-off (who cleaned/verified)
Manager walkthrough completed
Before/after overview photos attached









