Kitchen cleaning rota (UK): what it must include and how to keep it compliant
Updated for UK food businesses · Written for real kitchens, not textbooks
A cleaning rota is one of the first things an Environmental Health Officer (EHO) will ask to see. Not because they enjoy clipboards, but because it proves your kitchen is cleaned consistently, not just when someone remembers.
This guide explains what a compliant kitchen cleaning rota looks like in the UK, how often tasks should be done, and how to record cleaning without drowning in paperwork.
What is a kitchen cleaning rota?
A cleaning rota is a planned schedule of cleaning tasks that shows:
- what needs cleaning
- how often it must be cleaned
- who is responsible
- when it was completed
In the UK, cleaning rotas are part of your food safety management system (for example Safer Food, Better Business) and support your legal duty to keep premises clean under food hygiene law.
What inspectors expect to see
EHOs are not looking for perfection. They are looking for evidence of control.
- Tasks appropriate to your kitchen (not a generic template)
- Daily, weekly and monthly cleaning clearly separated
- Records filled in at the time, not retrospectively
- Initials or names showing who completed each task
A spotless kitchen with no records can still fail an inspection. A good rota with honest records usually passes.
How often should cleaning tasks be done?
Daily cleaning tasks
- Food preparation surfaces
- Cooking equipment used that day
- Hand wash basins and taps
- Floors (especially after service)
- Bins and waste areas
Weekly cleaning tasks
- Fridges and freezer interiors
- Dry storage shelving
- Extractor hoods and filters (where applicable)
- Walls and splashbacks
Monthly or periodic tasks
- Deep cleans behind equipment
- Ceilings and vents
- High-level storage areas
- External waste areas
The exact frequency depends on your menu, volume, and risk level. The key is that your rota reflects your operation.
Paper rotas vs digital cleaning rotas
Paper rotas are still common, but they come with problems:
- missed signatures
- lost sheets
- completed after the fact
- no audit trail
A digital cleaning rota solves this by recording:
- exact completion dates
- staff initials automatically
- missed or overdue tasks
- history for inspections and audits
Many kitchens now keep a printed view on the wall for staff, while the digital version stores the real record.
Common mistakes that cause inspection problems
- Rotas that are filled in ahead of time
- Tasks listed but never signed
- Cleaning frequencies that don’t match reality
- No evidence of who completed tasks
These are easy to fix once the system is set up properly.
How TempTake helps
TempTake’s cleaning rota lets you:
- Create daily, weekly and monthly tasks
- Assign them to real kitchen areas
- Let staff complete tasks on their phones
- Keep a full inspection-ready history
You can still print a wall rota if you want one, but the compliance evidence lives safely in the app.
Next steps
If you’re setting up your cleaning system, start here:
- Add your location
- Build your cleaning rota
- Add staff initials so records are properly signed
This setup alone removes a huge amount of inspection stress.