Sanitizer Test Strips

Equipment sanitization is a crucial aspect of a food facility's everyday operations. Typically, multipurpose utensils, surfaces that come into touch with food, wiping cloths, and other things used in food preparation are treated with chlorine or quaternary ammonia to kill microorganisms. Sanitizing chemicals only function properly when they are applied, which is why test strips for sanitizer are required in food facilities. Three bay sinks, low-temperature dishwashers, and buckets used to store cleaning cloths should all employ test strips. Depending on the sanitizer being used, a certain test strip is required:

• Chlorine Test Strips. Bleach tests are done using chlorine test strips. In low-temperature dishwashers, they are also used to assess the chlorine levels. Look for strips that indicate a free accessible chlorine level of between 0-200 ppm. Verify the test kit is for sanitizing products and not for drinking water or swimming pools.
• QT-10 Test Strips. For quaternary ammonia, such as the blue tablets sometimes seen in a bar's three-bay sink, QT-10 Test Strips are employed. Additionally, they are employed with liquid quaternary ammonia, which just has one "quat" specified in the ingredient list.
• QT-40 Test Strips. Multi-quat sanitizers are tested using QT-40 test strips. The ingredients for these sanitizers typically list four compounds.

The Chester County Health Department Food Code Regulations stipulate that test strips be used. If the amount of sanitizer per water is known to create a certain concentration, it may seem overkill to check sanitizer every day. However, this practice is crucial for a number of reasons:

• Chemicals can degrade, particularly if a lot of sanitizer is kept on hand. Keeping sanitizers in a warm or hot atmosphere might also cause them to degrade. The sanitizer won't be as effective as when it was first bought if the chemicals decay.
• The right quantity of sanitizer needs to be present in containers used to store wet wipes. The active ingredient will be consumed by food particles that enter the sanitizer from the cloth. The containers must therefore be replaced numerous times each day as a result. 200 ppm of quaternary ammonia or 50–100 ppm of chlorine must be preserved.
• Dishwashers that employ sanitizer (often chlorine) may appear to be functioning, but if they are not actually disinfecting the equipment by supplying any free chlorine, they are not. A dishwasher that was functional yesterday might have reached the end of its useful life due to hose air or another mechanical issue. To guarantee that the sanitizer is still active and reaching the equipment surface, the unit must be primed, operated a few times, and checked if the sanitizer container has been changed. Every time the sanitizing agent is renewed or replaced, as well as at least once each day, dishwashers need to be checked.

Your sanitizing solution is a crucial barrier against food-borne illnesses. Correctly using test strips helps keep customers from getting sick, which in turn helps keep the reputation of the food establishment safe.