Keeping an office refrigerator clean is the responsibility of everyone. The work environment requires sharing of almost everything including offices, washrooms and break rooms. Considering that we spend 8-10 hours a day at work, hygiene is crucial to maintain a clean office and working environment.
Break rooms are infested with germs in office buildings. Unhygienic behaviors frequently occur in break rooms due to the busy nature of a workplace. As the office consists of different characters of people, tidy people normally find themselves in untidy situations. This can cause drama and stress among workmates creating a hostile work environment.
The following tips are meant to shed some light on different ways of keeping the office refrigerator clean.
Use baskets and label them
Baskets are helpful in organizing space in a crowded fridge. Each person has their own labeled basket and they are also easy to slide out.
Protect your shelves with plastic wraps
Frequent refrigerator cleaning may not be possible in the office. Therefore plastic wraps can line the shelves as they are easily removed and replaced whenever any food or spills occur.
Declutter foods in the refrigerator
Air circulation is important when storing food in the fridge as it keeps it cool. Having a lot of perishable food squeezed together can prevent air circulation creating warm and cold spots leading to food spoilage.
Keep a container of activated carbon in the fridge
The fridge contains different perishables that produce different odors. Activated carbon absorbs these odors maintaining the freshest air quality in your refrigerator.
Give a list showing where to store different types of food
This is important as it shows employees where to store their food. For example, fridge doors have fluctuating temperatures which, can spoil food faster.
Set up rules and regulations to be adhered to by employees when using the refrigerator.
Rules and regulations that have been agreed upon by all employees create discipline in the workplace. The rules set down should guide them when using the office refrigerator and should include the following.
- Cleaning up spills immediately when they occur. Spills left to dry produce bad odors and also carry various harmful bacteria’s which can cause health risks.
- Doors of the refrigerators should always be closed completely. This is because cold air escaping through unclosed doors may cause food to spoil.
- Temperature settings should not be adjusted at all. Temperature for refrigerators is set at 5 degrees Celsius or lower. Any adjustments to increase this temperature risk increase in bacterial growth in food.
- A cleaning duty register should be put in place for everybody to precipitate. As everybody uses the refrigerator to store food, they should also clean it.
- Stipulate the number of day’s food should be kept in refrigerator. This prevents bad odors that come from food that has stayed too long in the fridge.
- Keeping a clean office is everyone’s responsibility. A dirty office and especially break rooms can cause diseases caused by bacteria and germs.
