There are few places grosser than a communal office fridge. Unfortunately, the fridge is often one of the germiest spots in your workplace. However, you don’t need to resign yourself to constant odors and science experiments in your fridge. There are several Houston office cleaning tips we have to help you keep your refrigerators clean and safe for you and your employees. In this article, we’ll provide you with some of our best tips for a sanitary office refrigerator.
Why Address the Fridge in Your Houston Office Cleaning Plans?
Many workplaces don’t have set policies or cleaning schedules for fridges. So, why should your office? Keeping the office fridge clean and sanitary does many things. First, it helps reduce some of the resentment and passive aggression that seem to plague break room refrigerators. When there’s something unpleasant in the office, many people will look for someone to blame, which damages morale and employee relationships. Instead, cleaning the fridge regularly and keeping it in good condition can help prevent these problems.
What’s worse is that a dirty fridge can lead to many health hazards in your office. Spoiled food can contaminate other things in the fridge. Bacteria or mold growth on refrigerator surfaces may make their way to your employees’ lunches. This can result in foodborne illnesses for your staff, which is not only an unpleasant outcome, it can also cost your company a fortune in absenteeism.
Of course, you might be thinking about setting up a chore chart type system for your employees where someone cleans the fridge on a rotating basis. This might work for some offices, but keep in mind that it can also cause problems. Again, this can create resentment among coworkers. Also, many people may lack the knowledge or motivation to clean the refrigerator properly.
You can avoid these issues by including the refrigerator in your schedule for Houston janitorial services. This way, you get a professional-grade clean with zero inconvenience to your employees. It’s often the best choice, no matter how big or small your office.
Houston Office Cleaning Tips for the Communal Refrigerator
Now, how exactly do you keep the communal office fridge clean? It’s more than simply scheduling Houston office cleaning services (though that is an important step, too). Here are some things you can do to help keep the fridge clean and sanitary:
Keep the Temperature Safe
You might not expect the temperature to affect cleanliness, but this is actually an important step. Keeping the fridge at the right temperature helps prevent unnecessary food spoilage, which, as we mentioned, can contaminate practically everything stored in the refrigerator. Therefore, make sure you use the correct settings and check the temperature from time to time. Most fridges should be set at a temperature range between 35°F and 40°F, with 40°F being the absolute warmest you want your fridge to be at. Any higher and you risk unsafe temperatures for most foods.
Encourage Proper Food Storage in the Office Fridge
Another important way to keep your office fridge clean is to encourage people to use it properly. While it may seem obvious, many people don’t actually know best practices when it comes to storing food. Unfortunately, this can lead to some major germ growth between Houston office cleaning services. Instead, consider posting a food storage chart on the refrigerator for people to reference and follow.
Set a Recurring Clean Out Day Each Week
One of the biggest tips we have is to have a fridge clean out schedule to remove any potentially spoiled food. Most cooked foods don’t last more than a week in the refrigerator anyway, so this is a good proactive step to take to keep your office fridge clean. Consider setting a clean out time for 5:00 PM on Friday afternoon, which gives people time to claim anything they need or throw out anything of theirs that has gone bad. After that, let them know that everything left in the fridge will be thrown out. Minus any coffee creamers, condiments, and other foods with a longer shelf life. This helps prevent food spoilage and germs building up in between Houston office cleaning services to help keep everyone healthy and prevent bad smells building up in your fridge.
You can also send out weekly memos or set up weekly reminders to help your employees. Set it in the morning or directly after lunch on Friday so that they can remember to clean out their own foods. This can help tremendously.
Provide People with Labeling and Houston Office Cleaning Supplies
It’s also a good idea to make sure people have what they need for proper office fridge etiquette. That includes labeling supplies so people know what is and isn’t fair game and also so they can add dates to food and properly dispose of them as needed.
Even more importantly, make sure all your employees have access to Houston office cleaning supplies near the fridge. Spills happen, but they need to be cleaned up immediately. Making sure people have what they need to clean up after themselves can help prevent major messes in the communal fridge.
Get a Deep Clean from Your Houston Office Cleaning Crew Once a Month
It’s also important to have your Houston office cleaning crew clean your fridge inside and out at least once a month. This helps get rid of any food detritus and germs in the fridge. Here are some services you need to keep your fridge clean:
Your Houston Office Cleaning Team can Vacuum Out Any Crumbs
Crumbs happen, and they can often be difficult to remove, even with best efforts from your employees. Crumbs look bad and can also encourage bacterial growth and bad smells inside your office fridge. So, as part of Houston office cleaning for the fridge, we can vacuum out any crumbs to prevent this.
Using Food Safe Cleaners for Houston Janitorial Services for Your Fridge
It’s also essential that your janitorial crew uses food-safe cleaning products for your refrigerator. Many cleaning chemicals and disinfectants kill germs, but are also unsafe to ingest. Even a little residue left from cleaning chemicals can contaminate foods and might be harmful for your employees. Instead, it’s better to be safe than sorry and either use food safe chemicals to clean the refrigerator or to rinse any cleaning chemicals away thoroughly. Make sure you have an office cleaning company you can trust to do this.
Cleaning Off the Fridge Coils
Another important part of cleaning your fridge actually has nothing to do with the inside where food is stored. Refrigerator coils are an essential part of your refrigerator, as they’re what actually keeps the inside cool. However, they can get clogged with dirt and dust, which makes your refrigerator less efficient and can shorten its service life. Therefore, as part of your Houston janitorial services, make sure your cleaning crew also vacuums near the coils at least once or twice a year.
Choose Accredited Building Services for Houston Commercial Cleaning Services Near You
When you need top quality Houston commercial cleaning services near you, choose our experts at Accredited Building Services. We have been serving Houston and Beaumont businesses since 1980 through cleaning and maintenance services. Our team offers expert help and friendly service for all your janitorial needs. We can sit down with you to create a custom cleaning plan to optimize your budget and keep your building clean, professional, and germ-free. Contact us today to request a free quote for our janitorial services.
