All dishroom staff should be fully trained in both machine operations and food safety procedures. Wall charts and training videos from the manufacturer posted in the dishroom can be helpful. “Training of the operators is the most important thing. We even put a QR code on the machine so they can use their smartphone and go right to the video.” – Joel Hipp, Engineering Manager, Hobart Warewashing Division

For the most effective cleaning, large food particles and heavy food soil should be scraped off before dishes are placed in the machine to reduce the chance of rewash after a cycle. When dishes aren’t prescraped properly, “you could have pathogens within food debris that are still on the plates or utensils.” – Vito Palazzolo, Manager of Industry Relationships, National Restaurant Association

For hot water-sanitizing machines, ensure that the water is at the correct temperature as noted in the manufacturer’s specifications. For all machines (high temp and chemical sanitizing), “make sure you’re using the right chemicals [at the right concentration] as recommended by the [chemical] manufacturer to get the desired results for cleaning and sanitation.” – Orsi Dèszi, Business Unit Manager, Food Equipment, NSF International

Daily cleaning of the dishmachine not only helps ensure longer and better performance from the machine, it also helps reduce the chances of rewash and contamination. “When you spend a little bit of time on it every day versus once every few weeks, you’re going to get better results from the machine.” – Alan Risher, Sales Development Manager, Hobart Warewashing Division

Dishes and ware should be allowed to air dry completely after being washed and sanitized. They should never be dried off with a cloth or stacked before they are completely dry. “You’ve got a machine that’s certified to sanitize and now you’re possibly introducing a source of contamination back onto a dish that you’ve just sanitized.” – Michael Kohler, Associate Technical Director – Food Equipment, NSF