Industrial Baking Sheet Cleaning: How to Clean and Dry Dozens of Baking Sheets in Just a Few Minutes
THE CASE
Every day, in bakeries and industrial baking facilities, dozens or even hundreds of pizza trays, baking trays, bread pans and other bakery trays return from production covered with grease, oil and baked-on residues.
The real challenge is not simply cleaning them, but ensuring a fast, consistent and repeatable washing process without slowing down production or requiring operators to manually handle each individual tray.
THE CHALLENGE
The trays are typically stored on tray racks in a horizontal position.
This configuration makes effective cleaning difficult with conventional washing systems. Water jets struggle to reach every surface, while stubborn grease and baked-on residues often require manual intervention, resulting in longer processing times and higher operating costs.
The objective was to find a solution capable of:
- washing all trays directly on the rack;
- removing grease and baked-on residues uniformly;
- reducing washing cycle times;
- minimizing operator workload;
- ensuring complete drying of both trays and racks;
- maintaining the highest hygiene standards.
THE SOLUTION
For this application, the BF 1800 Washing Cabin equipped with the innovative Up&Down System was selected.
The system features motorized spray nozzles with continuous vertical movement, travelling along the entire height of the rack throughout the washing cycle.
The process is fully automatic and consists of optimized timed cycles designed to deliver consistent cleaning performance:
- washing with hot water at 55°C, ideal for dissolving grease and production residues;
- rinsing with clean water at 85°C, removing detergent residues while ensuring a high level of hygiene;
- a final drying phase, leaving both trays and racks completely dry and ready to be returned to production immediately.
Thanks to the combination of controlled temperature, high-pressure water, the dynamic movement of the spray nozzles and the final drying stage, the water jets reach every tray from multiple angles, ensuring thorough cleaning even when the trays remain in their horizontal position.
The result is a more efficient industrial tray washing process, eliminating unnecessary handling while ensuring uninterrupted production flow.
THE TEST
The trays are loaded directly into the washing cabin together with their rack.
Once the automatic cycle starts:
- washing is carried out with 55°C hot water according to pre-programmed cycle times;
- the spray nozzles begin their continuous vertical movement;
- high-pressure water reaches every level of the rack;
- grease, oil and baked-on residues are progressively removed;
- the process is followed by a clean-water rinse at 85°C, ensuring outstanding cleaning quality and high hygiene standards;
- the cycle ends with a drying phase, leaving both the trays and the rack completely dry.
The entire process is fully automatic and requires no manual intervention from the operator.
THE RESULT
At the end of the cycle, all trays and the corresponding rack are clean, rinsed, completely dry and immediately ready to return to production.
The customer benefits from:
- reduced washing cycle times;
- elimination of manual tray handling;
- complete drying of both trays and racks at the end of every cycle;
- increased operator productivity;
- consistent washing performance across the entire rack;
- superior hygiene standards thanks to the final 85°C clean-water rinse;
- improved production continuity with reduced downtime.
Today, efficiency is no longer measured by how quickly a single tray can be cleaned.
It is measured by the ability to optimize the entire washing process—from grease and residue removal to final drying—improving productivity, cleaning consistency and production continuity.
