We, adults, love spending our days off/weekends, celebrating a new milestone in life, or simply washing away problems inside bars, right? Well, it is one of our favorite recreational activities after all. Nothing a good drink can’t solve! For that reason, you would seldom see a bar without guests. With customers filling the place, alcohol spills and accidents cannot be avoided. Maintaining a clean and sanitized bar is important to imprint positive impressions and memories on your guests. 

No one will enjoy themselves in a bar that still has yesterday’s scum on it, right? For the average bar patron, sticky tables, wet floors, and bad odors can be off-putting. It may be difficult to keep the whole place clean and sanitized the whole time, but it isn’t impossible! Use this checklist to maintain your bar throughout opening, closing, and even normal cleaning to keep it in top condition and keep the beer flowing.

Bar Opening Cleaning Checklist

It can be a hassle to open your bar in the morning. Even if it was closed properly the previous evening, there are probably a lot of tedious small things that need to be attended to. It’s crucial to finish your checklist as swiftly and effectively as you can because you have a full day ahead of you. Here are bar opening cleaning procedures you might want to do before starting your business hours. 

Before unlocking your doors, try taking a stroll around the outside vicinity of your building. 

You might be shocked at how many cigarette butts, alcohol bottles, or even vomit are around the area. Make sure to take care of them first before moving on to the inside of the bar because people tend to forget to clean what they don’t often see. 

Check cleaned drinkware and plates.

It is essential and not a waste of time because you can’t blame a tired employee for making one or two mistakes during peak hours or during closing time procedures. Smudges or streaks sometimes can’t be avoided. That’s why ensuring your drinkware and plates are free of them before starting operation is important. You don’t want them making your food or drink look dull.

Clean your floors before opening. 

A little more sweeping/vacuuming and mopping before opening time is never too much. On the contrary, it would make your floors welcome your excited guests with an extra sparkly shine. 

Wipe down countertops, tables, and stools using a sanitizing solution and a microfiber cloth to clean the area. 

Allow the solution to air dry before putting anything on top of them.

Replace and refill any condiments and tabletop items. 

You might also want to check each condiment’s expiry date while you’re at it. We don’t want you using expired products on your customers’ food and beverage. 

Clear buildup from beer taps from the previous shift’s use. 

We suggest you use a squirt bottle with warm water to remove the buildup. You can also try opening the tap and letting it run for a few seconds.

Rinse all the drains.

This would allow you to notice any clogs or issues before starting the day and makes you avoid all the hassle during the shift. It’s also a great way of maintaining issue-free drains.

Taste the beers to check for infections or line defects. 

Busy nights make it nearly impossible to check if the beer you’re serving is still good to go. That’s why doing it before the day starts is the best way to avoid unnecessary trouble. 

Clean your public restroom. 

The serving area isn’t the only thing you should worry about since you also have to ensure that your guests get to use other facilities as well, like your bathroom. Taking out the trash and putting in new plastic bags would leave a positive impression. 

Set up clean towels, so they’re easily accessible during your shift. 

This way you don’t have to go to and fro just to fetch a fresh towel every time there’s a spill near you.

Organize your liquor display. 

It’s possible that the prior shift had a busy night and needed more time to organize the liquor display appropriately. The organization of the liquor display is crucial not only for aesthetic reasons but also for maintaining the quality and standards of your bar, which is part of cleaning.

Bar Closing Cleaning Checklist

Every night is an exciting time at a bar, and the aftermath can attest to that. It is during the closing time that you’d get to clearly see how much fun your guests had. Spilled drinks, food crumbs, and more could linger on the floors, countertops, and stools. Making cleanup during closing time arduous. Here’s a simple bar-closing cleaning checklist to make things manageable for you.

• Collect all items on the floor dropped by your guests and store them in a safe place. They might have accidentally dropped them while having fun and might come back to look for them after some time.
• Throw away all empty cans and bottles left behind by your guests’ last shift. Make sure to properly dispose of them according to your city’s recycling policies.
• Store away unused garnishes and ingredients according to proper food safety protocols, so you can use them on the next shift.
• Clean all used drinkware and plates. Dry them properly before carefully placing them inside your cupboards or a storage area.
• Wipe off any dirt or spills that may have happened the night by cleaning the area surrounding and behind the bar counter, stools, tables, and chairs using a clean cloth wet with a sanitizing solution. For a complete cleaning, carry out the procedure twice.
• Every spilled liquid should be immediately mopped or wiped up, and at the end of the evening, all food crumbs and trash should be removed. Clean the floors using a sanitizing floor cleanser to remove any filth or bacteria that may still be present.
• Clean up any unkempt parts of the kitchen, especially those where food and beverages are made. Clean up the places and let them air dry.
• The bathroom might become particularly musty due to the nighttime crowds who frequent bars. To disinfect and properly clean the restrooms, use a sanitizing bathroom cleaning solution. Put all waste that isn’t recyclable in a rubbish bag, and dispose of it in accordance with the sanitation regulations in your district.

If mixing drinks is more your thing than cleaning, your bar can benefit from expert cleaning services that can deep clean the entire establishment and remove any lingering grime in time for the next social gathering. 

Burgos Cleaning is a team of cleaning service professionals that is happy to clean almost any type of workplace and ensure all important parts of your facility are in top condition and create a comfortable environment. Contact us now to avail the best commercial cleaning services around Fairfield County, Hartford County, and Litchfield County, Connecticut!