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Hong KongDry storage: temperature, humidity, and what does not belong in there
Dry storage runs between about 10°C and 21°C (50°F to 70°F) with controlled humidity, everything at least 15 cm (6 inches) off the floor and away from walls. Chemicals are stored below and apart from food, never above it.
A dry store holds nothing that needs temperature control, which is why people stop thinking about it. It is also where most pest problems begin.
Conditions
- Roughly 10°C to 21°C (50°F to 70°F). Warm storerooms shorten shelf life and encourage insects.
- Humidity controlled, because damp gets into packaging and mold follows.
- Ventilated, and not sharing space with a boiler or a hot water heater.
- Lit to at least 10 foot-candles at 75 cm (30 inches) above the floor, with shielded or shatter-resistant bulbs.
- Dry, clean, and free of leaks - a dripping pipe over a shelf is a contamination route.
Off the floor, away from the wall
15 cm (6 inches) off the floor is the number. The wall gap has no fixed figure and matters just as much.
Both exist so you can see and clean underneath. A storeroom where the floor is invisible is a storeroom where you cannot tell whether there are droppings, and that is the finding an inspector writes.
The chemical rule
Cleaning chemicals, pesticides and first aid supplies are stored below and away from food, equipment and single-use articles. Never on a shelf above food, whatever the space suggests.
Working containers carry the common name of what is in them. An unlabelled spray bottle is a violation in itself, and it is also how somebody ends up degreasing a salad.
The rule is directional because gravity is. A leaking container on a lower shelf spills onto the floor; the same container above food spills into it. Answer options that place chemicals on a nearby shelf at the same height are testing whether you know the rule has a direction.
Cardboard
Cardboard is the item nobody thinks of as a hazard and every pest control operator mentions first.
It absorbs moisture, it harbors insects - cockroach egg cases in corrugations arrive with the delivery - and stacked flat it creates dark harbourage. Break it down, remove it, and transfer bulk goods into labeled food-grade containers where practical.
What else does not belong
Staff coats and bags. Mops and buckets. Personal medication. Broken equipment awaiting repair. Every one of them turns up in real storerooms and every one is an inspection finding.
Employee belongings have their own provision in the blueprint - two questions - and the storeroom is where the wrong answer usually happens.
Rotation
First in, first out, with dates visible from the front. Dry goods do not become a pathogen risk when they age, but they do go stale, attract pests, and eventually turn into the case at the back that nobody has moved for two years.
Common questions
What temperature should a dry storeroom be?
Roughly 10°C to 21°C (50°F to 70°F), with controlled humidity and ventilation. Warm storerooms shorten shelf life and encourage insects.
How far off the floor must dry goods be stored?
15 cm (6 inches), and away from walls. Both exist so the floor can be seen and cleaned, which is how pest activity is detected before it becomes an infestation.
Where do cleaning chemicals go?
Below and away from food, equipment and single-use articles - never above them. The rule has a direction because a leak travels downward.
Why is cardboard a problem in storage?
It absorbs moisture, harbors insects, and cockroach egg cases arrive inside the corrugations. Break it down and remove it, transferring bulk goods into labeled food-grade containers where practical.
Can staff store their bags in the storeroom?
No. Employee belongings have their own storage away from food, equipment and single-use articles. It is a specific blueprint sub-area worth two questions, and the storeroom is where it usually goes wrong.