Between industrial, business, and office cleaning, we have come across a lot of office kitchens in serious need of a deep clean. Office kitchens are no different than our kitchens at home. We get them dirty just by preparing food. Moreover, there is one particular kitchen item that rarely gets cleaned as frequently as it should: the refrigerator.
We are assuming your office kitchen has at least one refrigerator. And if yours is like the refrigerators in so many other office kitchens, it offers a cornucopia of delights on its shelves and in its drawers. You never quite know what’s going to greet you when you open the door.
Here’s the thing: it shouldn’t be that way. You have a team of employees who are supposed to share kitchen cleaning responsibilities. They do a fine job with the tables and chairs. The sinks and countertops look pretty good. Please, whatever you do, don’t let them forget the refrigerator.
A Life of Its Own
Those of us in the commercial cleaning services business are fully aware that refrigerators can take on a life of their own. That junior account manager brings in left over tuna salad and quickly forgets about it. The nice lady who shares the cubicle across from him, the one with a newly discovered passion for healthy eating, decide she can’t bear to eat the leftovers from last week’s take-out order. So she just leaves them in the fridge.
You know what happens when food sits untouched in a refrigerator for several weeks. It starts to change color. Then its texture changes. Pretty soon it becomes a furry pile of mold or a disgusting green goop with a smell ripe enough to knock out an elephant.
In fairness, a lot of our home refrigerators end up the same way. Who knows why? It could just be an ‘out of sight, out of mind’ sort of thing. But one way or another, the refrigerator eventually needs to be cleaned. So why create a toxic chore by neglecting the refrigerator for several months before tackling it?
Make It Routine
Your typical office kitchen undergoes a routine cleaning daily. At least one person is assigned to wipe things down, clean out the sink, and either vacuum or sweep the floor. As long as routine cleaning is being done on a daily basis, it should include the refrigerator. Wipe it down inside and out.
As for food products, develop a policy for your office. The policy should state each employee’s responsibility to remove unused food in a timely manner. You can also set a deadline at which all unused food automatically gets thrown away.
We know of plenty of companies that create their refrigerator policies, print them on a piece of paper, and stick them to the actual refrigerator. What a great idea. There is no need to be passive aggressive about it, but a carefully worded policy with straightforward language is what you’re after.
A Clean Fridge Is a Happy Fringe
In the commercial cleaning game, a clean fridge is a happy fridge. It is no different than home. Keep your refrigerator clean and it will never attack you with foul odors or visual images you can never unsee. On the other hand, neglect your office fridge and it could come back to bite you.
If your company is having trouble keeping things clean in general, maybe it’s time to think about hiring commercial cleaning services. We would be happy to create a cleaning plan and schedule that fits your needs and circumstances. Contact us to learn more.
