When it comes to owning and operating a commercial meat slicer, the part that anyone will tell is that they hate cleaning them. Believe us, it ain’t fun at all. So many nooks and crannies to get into to. But what if you don’t know how to properly clean one?  Don’t worry we’ll show you how! Just follow the steps below.

Step One – Clear Off The Debris

Make sure the machine is turned off and unplugged for safety.  Now, this is where some of the deli workers get it wrong. If you want to have less of a mess when cleaning a commercial meat slicer, clear off the big chunks first. You do not want to start splashing water on a dry, crumbly meat slicer and then have it turn into a muddy concoction. It just makes more work for you.

Generally what you what to do is take a paper towel or two, and start sweeping away the crumbs and chunks of meat, cheese, and anything else that can be dumped in the trash can. Start from the top of the slicer and knock the crumbs down while sweeping the debris off the knife blade and the plate.

Use the same or another paper towel to squeeze in between crevices and corners to knock out more crumbs. Once you got all the loose debris that you can, use you hand to catch it all and dump it in the trash can.

Step Two – Spray It Or Wet It Down

The stains of the juices and the buildup of cheese will be a lot harder to remove if it is dry. You need to soften it by either spraying water or using a wet rag or towel to loosen things up a bit. This part is pretty easy.

Step Three – Wipe Away

Once everything is soft and broken down, you need to start wiping it like you would a dirty car or truck. Get a bucket of hot soap and water and start washing away. Again, start from the top of the meat slicer and work your way down. Use your towel or rag and get into every speck, corner, nook and cranny of the machine. In between the blade, on the plate, handles, turning knobs and dials, sides, everywhere that food can get into.

Step Four – Sanitize

Once the machine is ridden of all mess, you will need to sanitize it. The easiest way to do it is to use a spray bottle with bleach and water solution. The safest amount of bleach to use per bottle would be two cap fulls.

Spray everywhere on the outside of the commercial meat slicer. You obviously want to avoid spraying on the inside of area or the mechanical room of the slicer (the part the slides on the track when you move the food pusher.)

Step Five – Cover It

Once you got is sprayed down with the bleach sanitizer solution, you need to cover the meat slicer to prevent dust and microbial particles from reestablishing on the surface of the commercial meat slicer. Some manufactures have covers specially made for different models of meat slicers. However, if you don’t have one, or if it was not in the budget, you can just use a clean, unused plastic trash bag.

Just cover the entire machine, and that is basically it. You now have the know-how on cleaning commercial meat slicers and meat slicers in general.