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Manual dishwashing poster for commercial kitchens.
Wash, rinse, sanitize, air dry. The sink method every Canadian inspector accepts for washing dishes by hand. Two versions, the 3-sink method and the 2-sink method for smaller kitchens. Print one and post it at the sink.
How to use the poster
Utensils, equipment, and food contact surfaces must be cleaned and sanitized after each use. When you do not have a dishwasher, the sink method is how you get there by hand. The steps are the same idea every time: scrape, wash, rinse, sanitize, then air dry. The poster keeps the order at the sink so no step gets skipped.
3-sink method
- Scrape off food residue first
- Sink 1, wash in clean hot water and detergent
- Sink 2, rinse in clean water at 43°C
- Sink 3, sanitize, soak at least 45 seconds
- Air dry on a clean rack
2-sink method
- For smaller kitchens with no third basin
- Scrape, sort, and pre-rinse first
- Sink 1, wash in hot water and detergent, then rinse at 43°C
- Sink 2, sanitize, soak at least 45 seconds
- Air dry on a clean rack
Sanitize strength
- Hot water at 77°C, or a chemical sanitizer
- Chlorine 100 ppm, half a teaspoon bleach per litre
- Quaternary ammonium 200 ppm, or iodine 25 ppm
- Make it fresh daily, check with test strips
- Vinegar is not a sanitizer
Download the manual dishwashing posters
Free, one page each, letter size. Pick the 3-sink method, or the 2-sink method for kitchens without a third basin. Post it at the sink.
Every kitchen is different. This poster is a general guide based on standard Canadian food safety practice, not a one-size-fits-all rule. Sink setup, water temperatures, and sanitizer strengths can vary with your equipment and your local health unit. Review it and adapt it to your facility before you rely on it. Probe It Food Safety provides this resource for general guidance only.
Certified Public Health Inspector
The step that gets skipped is the third one, sanitize. Staff wash and rinse, then stack the dishes wet to dry, and call it done. That is not clean, it is just washed. I look for test strips by the sink and a sanitizer made up fresh that day, because a bottle from last week has lost its strength. And I want to see dishes air drying, not towel dried, since a towel puts the bacteria right back on.
Samira Ali · Certified Public Health Inspector · Probe It Food SafetyCommon questions
What is the 3-sink dishwashing method?
Scrape off food residue, wash in the first sink with clean hot water and detergent, rinse in the second sink with clean water at 43°C, then sanitize in the third sink by soaking for at least 45 seconds. Sanitize with hot water at 77°C, or a chemical sanitizer such as chlorine at 100 ppm, quaternary ammonium at 200 ppm, or iodine at 25 ppm. Air dry on a clean rack.
Can I use a 2-sink setup instead?
Yes, for smaller kitchens where space limits a third basin. Scrape and pre-rinse, wash and rinse in the first sink, then sanitize in the second sink by soaking for at least 45 seconds at the same strengths used in the 3-sink method. Air dry on a clean rack.
How much bleach makes a sanitizer solution?
For dishes such as cutting boards, knives, and utensils, mix half a teaspoon of household bleach per litre of water for a 100 ppm chlorine solution. For equipment, tables, and surfaces, mix one teaspoon per litre for 200 ppm. Make it fresh daily, check the strength with chlorine test strips, and do not mix bleach with detergent.
Is vinegar a sanitizer?
No. Vinegar is not a sanitizer. Use chlorine, quaternary ammonium, or iodine at the correct strength, and immerse items for at least 45 seconds. After sanitizing, let items air dry rather than towel drying them, since a towel can recontaminate a clean surface.