Office Cleaning: How Often You Should Deep Clean the Office Kitchenette

The company kitchen will never be what it used to be again, which is a place where your employees stored and prepared their lunch and gathered to chat and enjoy their lunch hour while filling their empty bellies. The storage and lunch preparation aspects remain, and so may the part where employees gather and consume their food and beverages in a light-hearted manner, but no one can avoid the anxious attention to office cleaning and personal and public hygiene anymore thanks to the pandemic. 

In order to address these concerns and create a sanitary environment, it’s necessary to deep clean your company kitchenette appliances – especially your refrigerator and microwave. Whether or not there are any dangerous contaminants in either, visible spills, spatter, stains, and crusty food residue will affect your staff, and therefore your business, beyond just the company kitchen. Here’s how often you should complete a deep office cleaning of the company fridge and microwave:

Deep Cleaning The Refrigerator: How & Why

Cleaning and maintaining the cleanliness of your company refrigerator often involves daily inspection and organization. Food and beverage spills and leaks occur when the refrigerator is disorganized and leftovers aren’t tossed. Make sure your employees label and organize their food items appropriately. 

To deep clean your refrigerator, first remove all food and beverage (tossing the old and expired items), then remove and wash/wipe all shelves and containers, then spray the interior with all-purpose cleaning solution, scrub it thoroughly, and wipe clean.

How Often

We recommend performing a deep cleaning of your company refrigerator once a month at a minimum. However, in the event any spills or other accidents occur, perform a deep cleaning when and if necessary. 

Deep Cleaning The Microwave: How & Why

Company microwave etiquette is important to maintenance, because no one likes their work environment disrupted by someone else’s smelly lunch, and one of the most disappointing things to find when about to use a communal microwave is that one or more of its recent users haven’t cleaned up the food residue that splattered all over the inside of the microwave. If you haven’t already, be sure to implement a microwave policy that requires employees to cover their food when using the microwave and cleaning any food residue caused by their use immediately after they’re finished. 

Deep cleaning, however, is necessary even if every employee does what’s expected, because some food residue isn’t as visible, and the buildup of oil and other contaminants will happen over time despite multiple cleaning efforts a day. To deep clean, unplug your microwave, run the glass turntable in the dishwasher, and using an all-purpose cleaning solution, heavily scrub and wipe clean the interior.

How Often

We recommend performing a deep office cleaning of your company microwave at least once every other week, but ideally, every week. This way, you’ll ensure the highest sanitary standard and prolong the life of your microwave!