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Hospitality tasks · Timlup

The café cleaning plan that no one can skip

Recurring daily, weekly and monthly checklists, signed with PIN at the point of work.

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Assign cleaning tasks by zone and frequency Every sign-off records who, when, and what was done Attach cleaning product data and safety sheets

A clean café is a busy café

Cleaning and disinfection: two jobs, one plan

A proper café cleaning plan does two separate things. Cleaning removes visible dirt — milk proteins, coffee oils, sugar residues — using detergent and elbow grease. Disinfection lowers the microbial load to safe levels, normally with a food-safe bactericide. The golden rule is clean, then disinfect, then rinse with potable water (unless the product is no-rinse).

Frequencies matter. Daily barrier cleaning hits the bar, steam wands, drip tray, display fridge, tables and high-touch points. The weekly deep clean tackles built-up residue: detergent backflush of the espresso machine, grinder hoppers, extraction hoods, tiled walls and drains. Monthly tasks like descaling and filter changes prevent invisible damage before it shows.

A paper checklist pinned to the corkboard gets soggy, ignored or filled in days later. With Timlup, the café cleaning plan lives on a tablet in the bar: tasks recur automatically, every tick is signed with a personal PIN and time-stamped. It's an orderly way to document whatever you decide to record — from daily wipe-downs to your documented clean+disinfect records.

At the bar

Cleaning the coffee shop, step by step

Machine, counter and display: every cleaning task signed from the tablet.

Barista cleaning the espresso machine group heads at a coffee shop bar.
The backflush and machine clean are signed off at the end of the shift.
Barista wiping the counter and the refrigerated pastry display of a coffee shop.
Counter and display: every contact surface cleaned and signed from the tablet.
Full checklist

Café cleaning checklist: tasks by frequency

Real timings for a busy speciality coffee bar.

Daily — bar and machine

Daily
  1. 1 Water backflush (blank shot) to purge group heads 1 min
  2. 2 Clean groups, portafilters, baskets and shower screens 3 min
  3. 3 Clean steam wands after each use (purge, wipe, soak tip) 1 min
  4. 4 Empty and clean drip tray 2 min
  5. 5 Descale steam tip (soak in descaler solution) 2 min
  6. 6 Wipe grinder exterior with dry cloth 1 min
  7. 7 Disinfect bar contact surfaces with food-safe bactericide (clean+disinfect+rinse) 3 min

Daily — display, crockery and floor

Daily
  1. 1 Empty and clean refrigerated display interior (remove all food, clean surfaces, disinfect) 5 min
  2. 2 Clean display glass inside and out 2 min
  3. 3 Wash glasses and cups (commercial dishwasher cycle at +82°C) ongoing
  4. 4 Clean tables and chairs with detergent 3 min
  5. 5 Sweep and mop dining floor 5 min
  6. 6 Take out rubbish and clean bins 2 min
  7. 7 Disinfect high-touch surfaces (POS, card reader, door handles) 2 min

Daily — toilets

Daily
  1. 1 Full clean and disinfection of toilets (inside, outside, lid, and hinges) with disinfectant. Leave to act as per product data sheet. 5 min per toilet
  2. 2 Clean and disinfect washbasins, taps, and countertop 3 min per basin
  3. 3 Clean mirrors with glass cleaner and a lint-free cloth/towel 2 min
  4. 4 Sweep and mop toilet floors with disinfectant 5 min
  5. 5 Replenish toilet paper, hand soap, and paper towels 2 min
  6. 6 Empty sanitary bins and clean inside 2 min
  7. 7 Check hand dryer/towel dispenser operation and clean the grille if applicable 1 min

Weekly — deep clean

Weekly
  1. 1 Detergent backflush (3 g blind basket, 10s ON/10s OFF x5, then 4-5 water rinses) 10 min
  2. 2 Clean and descale grinder hopper and burrs 5 min
  3. 3 Clean group gaskets and seals with brush and food-safe lubricant 3 min
  4. 4 Remove and clean display trays and runners 5 min
  5. 5 Clean extraction hood and filters (degrease) 10 min
  6. 6 Deep-clean tiled walls and skirting boards 10 min
  7. 7 Unblock and clean floor drains 5 min
  8. 8 Clean bar fridge interior: empty, wash with detergent, dry, disinfect shelves 8 min

Monthly / periodic

Monthly/Periodic
  1. 1 Descale espresso machine and boiler (frequency according to water hardness, e.g. every 4 weeks) 20 min
  2. 2 Change or clean inline water filters 5 min
  3. 3 Deep-clean empty cold rooms and check door seals 15 min
  4. 4 Check and clean HVAC diffusers 10 min
  5. 5 Clean light fittings and ceilings 15 min
  6. 6 Defrost and clean the freezer 20 min

Recording and verification (clean+disinfect plan)

Every shift
  1. 1 Log cleaning and disinfection done: product, dose, zone, responsible person 2 min
  2. 2 Keep product data sheets and safety information accessible 1 min
  3. 3 Check disinfectant dose and contact time per manufacturer data sheet 2 min
  4. 4 File the daily plan records (retain as per FSA guidance, e.g. 2 years for perishable food) 1 min
How it looks

Sun Café · Bar — Today's cleaning tasks

No paper, no guesswork.

Sun Café · Bar

Cleaning plan — Morning shift

08:45
3 / 5
  • Water backflush
  • Clean groups & portafilters
  • Disinfect bar surfaces
  • Empty drip tray
  • Sweep dining floor
Completed tasks signed with PIN by Anna M. at 08:12
Why Timlup

A café cleaning plan that actually gets followed

Built for speed, traceability and the reality of a busy bar.

Tasks recur automatically — no missed cycles

Set daily, weekly and monthly cleaning tasks once; Timlup creates the next list before the shift empties.

PIN sign-off with real-time accountability

Every tick is linked to a named team member, a time stamp and — if you choose — the batch code of the cleaning product.

You build your HACCP cleaning records without chasing paper

A clean+disinfect record that's neat, searchable and holds product data sheets, exactly as FSA guidance suggests.

FAQ

Common questions about café cleaning plans

Straight answers from the bar floor.

How often should I descale my espresso machine?
Descaling depends on water hardness and daily volume. For moderately hard water (e.g. 100-150 mg/L CaCO₃), every 4-6 weeks is typical. A monthly descale task in your café cleaning plan prevents limescale build-up that affects temperature and taste.
What's the difference between cleaning and disinfection?
Cleaning removes visible dirt, oils and coffee residue. Disinfection reduces the number of pathogens to safe levels. Both steps matter: you must clean before you disinfect, then rinse with potable water unless the product is no-rinse food-safe.
Why do a daily water backflush and a separate detergent backflush?
A daily water backflush (blank shot) clears loose coffee oils after service. A weekly detergent backflush with a blind basket and espresso machine cleaner dissolves stubborn oils and rancid deposits that water alone can't shift.
How often should I clean the refrigerated display and bar fridge?
The display cabinet — especially interior surfaces that contact unwrapped food — should be cleaned daily, and a documented disinfection step is sensible under Regulation (EC) 852/2004. The bar fridge interior needs a weekly deep clean to prevent off-odours and mould.
What does a HACCP clean+disinfect plan require?
Regulation (EC) 852/2004 requires food businesses to identify steps critical to food safety and keep records. For café cleaning, that typically means documenting the disinfection of food-contact surfaces and high-touch points — stating the product used, contact time, and who did it. The FSA advises keeping records for at least two years for perishable foods. With Timlup you can log and store that information in one place, but you remain responsible for deciding what to record.
What's the right contact time for disinfectant?
Always check the product data sheet. Many food-safe bactericides need 1-5 minutes of wet contact to achieve the claimed log reduction. Rinsing too early undermines disinfection, so a clean, spray, wait, rinse sequence is easier to follow with a checklist and timer.
Which cleaning products are safe for a café?
For food-contact surfaces use a food-safe bactericide that meets BS EN 1276 or BS EN 13697. For espresso machines, use a dedicated espresso machine cleaner for detergent backflushes. Never use bleach near coffee oils — it doesn't dissolve them well and leaves harmful residues.
How do I organise daily, weekly and monthly café cleaning without missing tasks?
Split your café cleaning checklist by frequency. Daily tasks (bar, display, toilets, floor) are non-negotiable. Weekly deep cleans tackle built-up residue. Monthly jobs — descaling, filter changes, defrosting — can be tracked on a digital plan like Timlup, which generates the next list automatically and signs off with a PIN.
John Guerrero
Editor

John Guerrero

Founder of Timlup · Founder of ChefBusiness

15+ years working on business operations and process digitisation. Behind Timlup, ChefBusiness and AI Chef Pro. These guides capture the daily-control procedures I see working in operations-heavy businesses across Spain.

ChefBusiness ↗ AI Chef Pro ↗ GastroSEO ↗ Hosply ↗

More on cafés

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← Cafés → Opening → Closing → Temperature control → Weekly cleaning → Monthly maintenance → Month-end closing → Monthly deep cleaning →

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