Commercial Pizza Oven Cleaning Guide
Making pizza requires plenty of heat and even cooking, which is why many restaurants and pizzerias always try to get the most out of their equipment. Like any piece of cooking equipment, routine maintenance helps keep a pizza oven working at full strength. This guide walks you through commercial pizza oven cleaning tips on different types of models, including conveyor, impingement, deck and brick ovens.
Before you start cleaning any pizza oven, make sure the power is turned off and the unit is cool to the touch.
Conveyor & Impingement Oven Cleaning Tips
Using convection cooking on a conveyor belt, conveyor ovens can cook a large batch of fresh or frozen pizza in a matter of minutes. Here are some tricks to keep the oven clean on a daily and weekly basis:
Daily Cleaning
- Step 1. Wipe down trays and guards – Remove the trays and guards and wipe them clean using a soft cloth and OEM cleaner. Rinse them off and set them aside to airdry.
- Step 2. Brush belt – Use a soft-bristle brush with warm water to brush off any stuck-on food remnants.
- Step 3. Wipe down interior – Open the interior and wipe down the surfaces to remove crumbs and other loose food remnants with a soft cloth. If remnants are stuck on, use a pizza scraper to remove.
- Step 4. Apply cleaner and scrub interior surface – Add OEM cleaner to the interior surfaces of the oven. Let the cleaner sit for about 20 minutes before wiping clean with a soft cloth.
Weekly Cleaning
- Step 1. Wipe down trays and guards – Remove the trays and guards and wipe them clean using a soft cloth and OEM cleaner. Rinse them off and set them aside to airdry.
- Step 2. Remove the conveyor belt/impinger fingers – Remove the conveyor belt and/or impinger fingers. Wipe down the surface areas these parts cover, using a soft cloth.
- Step 3. Apply cleaner to the belt/fingers – Apply OEM cleaner to the belt and fingers, and let it sit for about 20 minutes. Afterward, brush them down with a soft-bristle brush.
Deck Oven Cleaning
Deck pizza ovens use a stone or stainless-steel material that absorb humidity, helping crisp and brown crust. That requires some special cleaning to keep the interior from getting damaged. Below are essential cleaning tips for these units:
- Step 1. Burn off food remnants – Since most decks use a stone, DO NOT use water and cleaner. Turn the oven on and raise the heat. Once the food remnants are burned ash, turn the oven off and wait for the unit to cool before proceeding.
- Step 2. Wipe down the interior chamber – Clean the interior surfaces of the baking chamber with a soft cloth with warm water and mild dish detergent. DO NOT use oven cleaner or caustic materials because they can damage the interior.
- Step 3. Scrape or brush the deck(s) – To remove stuck-on remnants, use a special long-handle scraping tool or stiff wired brush to remove burnt food. Do not remove the food particles by hand. Use a hand brush or an oven-cleaning broom to gather and sweep them out.
Brick Oven Cleaning
Used for traditional pizza making, brick ovens have cavities that retain and reflect heat for extremely fast cooking. The following cleaning tips work for these units:
- Step 1. Scrape the interior – Much like a deck oven, remove remnants with a special long-handle scraping tool. Then, use a hand brush or an oven-cleaning broom to gather and sweep them out.
- Step 2. Scrub off grease spots – For hard to remove grease spots or debris, use a soft cloth dampened in warm water. If you can’t reach the grease spots, attach the cloth to the end of a long painter’s pole or stick.
Exhaust stacks should be cleaned every month on your pizza oven. Set up planned maintenance with a certified chimney sweeper.