You have your overall office cleaning down pat. It’s on a schedule, your staff cleans up messes that happen throughout the day, and regular and consistent cleaning has kept your office looking great. But, wait! Have you remembered to address your break room appliances? Do you wipe out your break room refrigerator on a regular basis? How about tackling your office coffee pot? And the cooked-on food splatter inside your break room microwave? We are going to give you some tips to keep your office break room appliances clean and in good working order all year long. Here’s how to clean your office break room appliances.
The Office Break Room Appliances
First, let’s talk about what break room appliances to include on your list that you might be overlooking:
- Refrigerator
- Toaster
- Toaster Oven
- Coffee Pot
- Microwave Oven
- Electric Can Opener
Did you even realize how many appliances you had in the office break room? Can you remember the last time each of them were cleaned? Let’s rectify that.
Office Break Room Appliance Cleaning
First, let’s talk about the office break room refrigerator. This appliance will get pretty messy. You likely are familiar with your home refrigerator getting dirty. Now imagine you have many more people and more leftovers packed into this single space (and without anyone feeling a sense of ownership for keeping it clean). The best way to clean your fridge is:
- Remove and toss all old and unclaimed food
- Place other chilled items on the counter
- Wipe down the entire fridge, inside and out, with a vinegar and water solution
- Remove the drawers and clean. If possible clean with soapy water and dry with a towel.
- Replace all items
Next is the microwave.
An easy way to tackle the office microwave and have it looking good again is to put a cup of water in the microwave and heat it. Let the steam fill the microwave for a couple of minutes and then wipe clean. You might need to remove the glass turntable tray and hand wash it with soap and water. Touch up the top and the outside of the microwave as well with disinfecting spray and a microfiber cloth so as not to scratch the finish.
The coffee pot is next on our list and it should get thorough cleanings often. It is used a lot and you’ll want to keep it from collecting germs and causing bad tasting coffee. After you have emptied the coffee pot and tossed the grounds, you want to fill the pot with white vinegar and let it sit for an hour or so. This will help eliminate any water deposits that are starting to accumulate. Run the brewing cycle and then pour the used vinegar down the sink. You can do this again if you feel it’s necessary. Then you’ll want to run another cycle or two of clean water through until the water comes out clear. You want to unplug the appliance after this and wipe down the entire surface as you did with the other break room appliances. Wash the filter basket and pot by hand or in the dishwasher. The coffee pot should always be rinsed and all the lids left open to dry at the end of the day.
The other three appliances: toaster, toaster oven, and can opener, should be wiped down with a water and vinegar solution or sanitizing spray, on a regular basis. The toaster and toaster oven will need to have their crumb trays removed and wiped down as well. Consider placing aluminum foil on the catch tray of the toaster oven to make clean up easy after use.
An Office Break Room Appliance Cleaning Schedule
Keeping these items clean and looking good is easy! It just requires a schedule! Sticking to a daily, weekly, and monthly type of regimen will relieve the burden of having a grubby office break room get out of hand. Schedule different people to take care of these appliances and the work with be spread around and everyone will get their opportunity to pitch in!
Let Us Clean your Office Break Room For You
An easy way to help keep your break room and entire office looking its best is to hire a professional cleaning team to come and do the work. The cleaning staff should be educated on any special sanitizing needs, procedures, and requirements that are involved with having a presence in your office environment. And if you are hosting parties in your office this season, you can hire us to clean up after those parties.
We, at Clean Method, provide this type of professional cleaning service. Learn more about our cleaning services for your office needs. Our professional cleaning staff is bonded, insured, and maintains OSHA compliance. We would be happy to clean for you. Please contact us online or call us at 571.451.0441 for answers to your questions and to schedule your janitorial cleaning appointment today!
