Cleaning is the process of removing food and other types of soil from a surface. Cleaning agents must be stable, non-corrosive, and safe for employees to use.

Sanitizing is the process of reducing the number of microorganisms on that surface to safe levels. There are two methods that can be used to sanitize surfaces:

• Heat - the item is immersed or sprayed with hot water; the higher the heat the shorter the time required to kill microorganisms.
• Chemical - the item is immersed, rinsed, or sprayed with a specific concentration of sanitizing solution for a required amount of time.

The effectiveness of sanitizers is influenced by contact time, selectivity, temperature, and concentration.

To be effective, cleaning and sanitizing must be a two-step process. Surfaces must first be cleaned and rinsed before being sanitized.