Three Compartment Sinks
Fact Sheet
All food establishments that do not have automatic warewashing equipment shall have a sink with
at least three compartments for manually washing, rinsing and sanitizing all equipment, utensils
and tableware. The compartments of the sink shall be big enough to accommodate the largest
cooking equipment and utensils, such as pots and pans.
A properly designed sink area shall have areas for scraping or rinsing food into garbage
containers and drainboards to hold both soiled and clean items. The following steps will ensure
that all equipment, utensils and tableware items are properly cleaned and sanitized:
1. Rinse, scrape or soak all items before washing.
2. Wash items in the first sink in a detergent solution. Use a brush, cloth or scrubber to
loosen and remove soil. The water temperature in the first compartment should be at least
110ºF (use a thermometer to check the water temperature). Replace the detergent
solution when the suds are gone or when the water appears dirty.
3. Rinse the washed items in the second compartment by either immersing them in clean
rinse water or by spraying them. Make sure all traces of food and detergent are removed.
The water temperature in the second compartment, too, should be a minimum of 110ºF.
4. To sanitize the washed and rinsed items, immerse them in hot water contained in the third
compartment. If you are going to use a hot water rinse, the water temperature must be at
least 171ºF and the items must remain submerged for a minimum of 30 seconds. If you
use a chemical sanitizer, the sanitizer must be mixed at the proper concentration (follow
the manufacturer’s directions to assure the proper concentration).
5. All washed, rinsed and sanitized items should be placed on a clean drainboard to air dry.
It is important to realize that all food equipment and utensils must be properly cleaned and
sanitized. While cleaning will remove dirt and particles left on the surface, sanitizing is
necessary to reduce the number of bacteria on the surface to