Pub Cleaning Schedule: What to Clean Daily, Weekly and Monthly
Pub Cleaning Schedule: What to Clean Daily, Weekly and Monthly
A practical checklist for pub and bar landlords in Sheffield. What needs doing after every session, what can wait until the end of the week, and what belongs in a proper deep clean.
Quick answer: Split your pub cleaning into four layers. Spills and the bar top as you go, toilets, floors and touch points every day, cellar and storage areas weekly (with beer lines cleaned at least every seven days), and a full deep clean on a planned cycle. Write it down, because a food business’s cleaning schedule has to say what gets cleaned, how often and with which products.
Why Write Your Pub Cleaning Schedule Down?
Most pubs have a routine that lives in someone’s head. That works until the person who knows it is off sick, or a new starter does the close on their own.
If you serve food, a written schedule isn’t optional. GOV.UK’s food hygiene guidance says the cleaning schedule “must cover what needs to be cleaned or disinfected, how often, and which products to use”. The Food Standards Agency’s Safer Food, Better Business pack gives you a ready-made layout for it: the item, how often it’s cleaned (after use, every shift, daily, weekly), any precautions, and the method. It also tells you to train staff on the schedule and to supervise cleaning.
Even if you’re drinks-only, the same layout keeps standards steady from one shift to the next.
After Every Session: Clean As You Go
These are the jobs that can’t wait until closing.
- Spills on the floor. HSE says most slips happen on wet or dirty floors, and that anything that gets onto the floor needs removing quickly. In a busy bar that means mopping up as it happens, not at last orders.
- Bar top, drip trays and bar mats. Beer and sugary mixers turn sticky fast. Wipe down between rushes and empty drip trays before they overflow.
- Dispense nozzles. The British Beer & Pub Association’s line-cleaning guidance says nozzles should be soaked in food-grade cleaner after each session.
- Glasses and glass-wash area. Keep the glass-washer area clear so dirty and clean glasses never mix.
Daily: Before Opening or After Close
The daily clean is what customers actually notice. It’s usually done first thing in the morning or straight after close, when the venue is empty.
- Toilets and wash areas. Toilets, urinals, sinks, mirrors, floors and bins. In a busy pub, toilets often need checking more than once a day as well.
- Floors throughout. Sweep and mop hard floors, vacuum carpeted areas, and get into the corners where sticky patches build up.
- Tables, seating and touch points. GOV.UK lists touch points such as door handles, bins, light switches and electronic devices as things to clean regularly. In a pub that includes card machines, till screens and fruit-machine buttons.
- Behind the bar. Shelving, fridge fronts, the floor behind the bar and the spill zones under the taps.
- Bins. Empty, clean and re-line.
Weekly: Cellar, Storage and the Bits That Get Missed
- Beer lines. The BBPA’s guidance is clear: “Beer lines must be cleaned using a food-grade cleaner at least once every 7 days.” That’s normally done by your cellar team or a specialist line-cleaning supplier.
- Cellar floor and storage areas. The same BBPA guidance points out that beer is a food, so cellars should be kept to the same hygiene standards as kitchens. Clear spills, wash the floor and keep storage zones tidy so they can actually be cleaned.
- Under and behind furniture. Pull out tables and stools and clean the floor underneath. Daily cleans tend to work around them.
- Skirting, doors and frames. Scuffs and splashes build up at low level, especially in corridors and by the toilets.
Monthly or Quarterly: The Deep Clean
A deep clean resets the whole venue. There’s no single correct frequency, so build it into your schedule around how busy you are. Common times to book one are:
- Before a food hygiene inspection
- After a bank holiday weekend, a big event or a private function
- Before reopening after a refurbishment or a closure
- When the day-to-day cleaning has fallen behind and needs a proper catch-up
A deep clean covers the same areas as the daily clean, done properly: floors scrubbed rather than mopped, toilets cleaned top to bottom, behind fixed seating, high-level dust, cellar and storage zones, and the areas behind the bar.
If You Serve Food
Kitchens need their own schedule under Safer Food, Better Business. One point worth checking now is your disinfectant. GOV.UK says not all products kill bacteria and viruses, and advises checking that the label includes either BS EN 1276 or BS EN 13697. Food areas and equipment should always be cleaned and disinfected after contact with raw food.
Pub Cleaning Checklist at a Glance
| Task | How often | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Floor spills | As they happen | Most slips happen on wet or dirty floors (HSE) |
| Bar top, drip trays, bar mats | Through every session | Sticky residue builds fast |
| Dispense nozzles | After each session | Soak in food-grade cleaner (BBPA) |
| Toilets and wash areas | Daily, plus checks | What customers judge you on |
| Floors, tables, seating, touch points | Daily | Include card machines and tills |
| Beer lines | At least every 7 days | Food-grade cleaner (BBPA) |
| Cellar floor and storage areas | Weekly | Same hygiene standard as a kitchen (BBPA) |
| Under furniture, skirting, doors | Weekly | Missed by daily cleans |
| Full deep clean | Planned cycle, or before inspections and after events | Floors scrubbed, toilets top to bottom |
Where a Professional Clean Fits In
A common setup is to keep the clean-as-you-go and daily jobs in-house and bring in help for the heavier work. No1 Dream Clean covers floors, tables, seating and touch points, toilets and wash areas, behind the bar, bar mats and spill zones, and cellar and storage areas. We can do one-off deep cleans or regular contracts, with early-morning, late-night and weekend slots so you’re ready for service.
We cover pubs and bars in Sheffield, Rotherham, Barnsley and across South Yorkshire. Full details are on our pub and bar cleaning in Sheffield page.
Frequently Asked Questions
How often should a pub be deep cleaned?
There’s no set legal frequency. What matters is that your schedule says what gets cleaned, how often and with what, and that it’s followed. Plan deep cleans around your busy periods, and book one before an inspection or after a big event.
How often should beer lines be cleaned?
The British Beer & Pub Association says beer lines must be cleaned with a food-grade cleaner at least once every seven days, and dispense nozzles soaked after each session.
Do I need a written cleaning schedule if I don’t serve food?
The written schedule requirement comes from food hygiene law, so it applies to food businesses. Beer is treated as a food in the BBPA’s cellar guidance, though, and a written schedule is the easiest way to keep standards the same whoever is on shift.
Need a Hand With the Heavy Cleaning?
Tell us your opening times and what needs doing, and we’ll sort a clean around your service.
