Your office kitchen sees a lot of foot traffic over the course of the day with employees making coffee, prepping lunch or taking a break. With lots of use, it can very quickly become messy, dirty and unhygienic. A clean office kitchen can help your employees feel more valued and allow them to enjoy their well earned breaks.
Here are our top 5 ways to keep your office kitchen clean:
1. Wipe down surfaces after use
With coffee spillages, food crumbs, and persistent microwave food debris, surfaces can easily become a breeding ground for germs, bacteria and pests.
Encourage your employees to wipe down countertops and clean out microwaves after use. Ensure there is an ample supply of antibacterial spray within easy reach along with cloths and scourer pads.
Quick tip:
- Put up a sign next to the microwave reminding employees to wipe it out after use.
- Establish a ‘clean down’ procedure for all staff members so that the kitchen is kept clean after each use.
2. Invest in commercial kitchen cleaning
It can be hard to keep an office kitchen clean with lots of use throughout the day and to encourage employees to spend their breaks performing cleaning duties.
Why not consider investing in commercial kitchen cleaning? Most commercial cleaning companies will include communal areas like kitchens in their cleaning tasks.
Whether you decide on weekly office kitchen cleaning or daily, commercial cleaners will have the experience and access to the best cleaning equipment and products to ensure your office kitchen is kept clean.
To note:
At Creswell’s we always clean communal areas like kitchens as standard.
Our office kitchen cleaning services are thorough, using eco-friendly cleaning products, we ensure a high quality clean every time, so your employees can focus on enjoying their break.
3. Keep on top of Fridge hygiene
A communal fridge can be a recipe for mess with unclaimed and out of date food piling up. Out of date food can soon become mouldy and cause unpleasant smells which attract pests.
Top tips:
- Ask employees to label food with their names and the date on and provide the labels for them.
- Do a weekly fridge clear out to ensure there isn’t a build up of mouldy and smelly food.
- Encourage employees not to bring in smelly food.
- Ask employees to ensure food is wrapped adequately or kept in a plastic sealed container to avoid contamination.
- Ask employees to wipe the inside of the fridge when completing the weekly clear out.
- When completing a clear out make sure the bins are changed to avoid odours.
4. Implement a clean as you go policy
Encourage your employees to clean as they go.
When they’ve used communal crockery, kindly remind them to wash it straight after use. The more employees are reminded, the more engrained it becomes in their routine.
Top tip:
- Have a sign near the sink with something along the lines of “Have you washed your dish?”
- Encourage employees to clean up mess if they see it.
- Maybe have a small weekly cleaning schedule that gets ticked off when tasks have been done to encourage cleaning as part of the workplace culture.
- Consider asking employees to have their own mugs for hot drinks
5. Keep on top of cleaning supplies
It’s hard for employees to keep the office kitchen clean if there aren’t enough cleaning products. Having ample cleaning supplies available gives your employees less reason to avoid office kitchen cleaning.
Top tip:
- Keep an emergency stash of cleaning supplies hidden.
- Ask staff to send emails to appropriate staff members when supplies are running low.
- Replace dish cloths and sponges regularly.
- Ask commercial kitchen cleaners to complete deep cleaning tasks like deep cleaning staff fridges and deep cleaning bins once a month
By implementing a clean workspace culture your employees will feel respected and valued. Valued employees have a much higher productivity rate. By keeping the working environment clean, it makes work a much more pleasant experience for everyone.
At Crewells we understand the importance of keeping your workplace clean. Our office cleaning services are designed to target each area of your office to remove germs and bacteria which helps you maintain a professional workplace.