The Three-Compartment Sink: Wash, Rinse, Sanitize

The procedure in the order the exam wants it

  • Compartment 1: wash in water at least 110 F (43 C) with detergent.

  • Compartment 2: rinse in clean water.

  • Compartment 3: sanitize, either with a chemical sanitizer at the correct concentration or with hot water at least 171 F (77 C).

  • Air-dry everything. Towel drying re-contaminates the surface.

The 2022 Food Code lowered the manual warewashing wash temperature to 110 F, and the exam follows the current edition.

Cleaning and sanitizing questions

Free 580-question ServSafe Manager practice bank with a per-domain weakness map.