Walk-in freezer can be home to a lot of spills and food stains. As these messes harden and become ice due to the high temperature, they can become a challenge to clean. In this article, we’ll see how to clean the cement floor in a cold freezer.
How to Clean Cement Floor in a Walk-in Freezer?
#1- The Inexpensive Method (For Small Freezers)
Mold is the most important hazard that you should be concerned about in your walk-in freezer. Spills make the environment damp and it I already cold in there. These two conditions are ideal for mold formation and also pest infestation.
Spills should be taken care of immediately (In Fact, on a daily basis) as these not only cause accidents but also freeze, thereby becoming a challenge to remove later on.
Spoiled Moldy food will release spores, which will infect other food items and make them moldy in turn.
STEP 1- Wear safety gear as you might be dealing with mold spores which are harmful to inhale. Mask or a respirator, safety glasses and gloves are adequate for the job.
STEP 2- Move the crates or other movable items to one side (if it is possible). This will create room for cleaning. In case you are doing an annual cleaning, then you may have to empty the freezer for a while.
STEP 3- Break off any ice that has stuck to the floor and collect it on to a dustpan using a broom.
STEP 4- Using a broom or vacuum, sweep/vacuum the entire floor’s surface dust and loose food debris. It is a better idea to use a vacuum instead of a broom as sweeping will cause the dust to rise in the air, thus contaminating the food items on the shelves.
STEP 5- In a bucket of hot water (1 Gallon), add a cup of Rubbing alcohol and 2 cups of dish soap.
Rubbing alcohol will prevent the water from freezing if you are cleaning the floor while the freezer is still running. This will usually be the case in daily routine cleaning.
You may use specific cleaners that are available in the market that work fine at sub zero temperatures. Some can even melt ice on the floors without freezing.
STEP 6- Now using a mop dipped in the solution, mop the cement floor in sections. Start from deep inside the freezer and make your way out.
Keep a scrub brush handy, as you will need to scrub the moldy spots or stuck-on stains a bit hard.
STEP 7- Finally, sweep and mop the floor around the freezer entrance.
#2- Using a Pressure Steam Cleaner (For Large Freezers)
A commercial pressure cleaner (such as Turbo Force Hybrid Cleaner) will be required for large warehouse type freezers which operate at sub zero temperatures. Just because of the sheer size of the freezer, it becomes very difficult to remove the shelves or mop the floor.
Therefor a cleaning machine will do the job better than any human can do it manually.
STEP 1- First break off the frozen ice on the cement floor. Use a hammer to break small icebergs and a scraper to scrape any layers of ice from the floor.
STEP 2- Use a long handle brush/broom to collect all the ice onto a dustpan and transfer it into a bag to dispose of it.
STEP 3- Now simply run the steam cleaner over the cement floor of your walk-in freezer. Keep moving in sections (in straight lines).
Important Points!
1- Whenever you are cleaning your Cement floor in a walk-in freezer, make sure to also sanitize the handle (which is touched frequently. The handle is a high-touch surface, meaning that it is contaminated and this contamination will be transferred to the floors, walls, and food items as well.
2- The freezer will need a deep clean once every year (best to do it before the start of the season or in off season). So you’ll have to move the crates, shelves, etc. out of the freezer to clean it thoroughly. This will also reveal t any hidden damage to the machinery.
3- Evaporator & Condenser coils need to be cleaned at least every six months; drain lines: once a year; door gaskets: once every week.
Conclusion!
Ice freezes on the cement floor of walk-in freezer and that makes it a challenge to get to the underneath stains and debris. But using Isopropyl alcohol with water will help to increase the freezing point of water so that it doesn’t freeze so quickly giving you time to clean. A commercial steam cleaner is the best way to clean cement floors in larger walk-in freezers, hands down.
