Staff Kitchens | Cleaning Services

As professional cleaners one of the biggest health hazards we encounter are staff kitchens.  Many offices have a small kitchen area, where food can be cooked in a microwave, or sometimes even an oven, there is a fridge, and sink, and usually a number of cupboards for glasses, mugs and plates. Here are a few of the places in your staff kitchen that need regular attention: The microwave. We find that the microwave is rarely wiped down, and if it is its often cleaned with the same rag that was used to wash the dishes, and maybe even clean the counter with.  Many microwaves in staff kitchens are coated with dried food because no one is tasked with keeping them clean. Solution:   There should be a staff roster for cleaning the microwave or a policy that anyone using it should clean it right after they use it.  Don’t let old food, coffee or tea build up inside. The washcloth. Here is the one that I dislike the most.  Many times the dishcloth in the staff kitchen does double and even triple duty.  It is used to clean the dishes, clean the sink, clean the counter top or table top, wipe up stains on the floor and sometime used to clean the tops and sides of the garbage can. It is not unusual for us to find an old, smelly cloth sitting on the sink in the staff kitchen.  Often it is the only cloth available to clean, wipe, and wash with.   Some of these cloths have not been washed in weeks and I can’t imagine what kind of dirt and germs are on them. Solution:  Paper towels.  Ensure that there is always a supply of paper towels to use for wiping up stains, spills, tabletops and countertops.  Create a staff roster or task someone with keeping the wash cloth and drying towel laundered, ensure there are plenty of both.  Replace the dishcloth with a cleaning sponge that can be thrown out at the end of the week. The dish rack. Often someone has washed the dishes after a luncheon or meeting and left them out to dry.  I have seen the same rack of dishes sitting out for over a week in some places. People work over top of the dishes, drop things on them, and put newly washed dishes on top of them.  People cough or sneeze near the dishes, move them around with dirty hands to find a knife, a fork, a dish or a favorite mug.  People will rinse out a used glass or mug, not taking the time to clean it with soap and water, and put it right back on the pile.  Not healthy at all. Solution:  Paper plates, plastic cutlery. For meetings and staff events, use paper plates, plastic knives and forks, that way when you’re finished with them your staff can just throw them away.  It will save work, and help keep the staff room and its contents clean and healthy. Dirty hands. I don’t even need to talk about what that does for the healthy aspects of the staff kitchen. Your hands are dirty even if they don’t look like it. Touching any unsanitized surface will make your hands dirty. Solution: Sanitizing station at the entrance to the staff kitchen.  Make it a policy to clean your hands going in and going out of the kitchen. These are just a few of the ways you can help keep the staff kitchen clean and healthy for everyone. Call us today for more information on our professional cleaning services.