12/08/2019
Nearly every office across the UK has a love/hate relationship with their microwave. It’s great for quickly heating up meals for workers in a hurry but inevitably gets messy after some soup explodes out of the container. This leads to smells in the kitchen area, general annoyance for anyone then trying to heat up their food for lunch. It can become not only a source of arguments, but also bacteria and grime build-up which can cause uncleanliness across the office and even illness.
Thankfully, there are a few easy ways to keep your microwave clean. Wipe up spillage straight away. It seems obvious but encouraging all employees to clean up all spills with a polite reminder sign nearby the microwave and making sure there are cleaning products to hand. Also, encourage people to cover food when using the microwave, and to wait nearby so they can keep an eye on this. Try re-arranging the office space to see if you can get in some seating nearby the microwave to facilitate this.
Wash the turntable regularly. As well as large spills, sometimes rips can go unnoticed but really build up on the turntable over time. Make sure that cleaning this off is included in a weekly rota, removing the turntable completely and washing thoroughly before replacing. Don’t forget the outside! The inside of the microwave isn’t the only part to get dirty, and in fact the majority of germs in an office travel from hand to hand.
The microwave handle is a place where these collect. Make sure to leave some alcohol packets so people can wipe this off regularly as well and then dry this off with a paper towel or clean, dry cloth. Create a safe, clean place to eat and warm up food in the workplace. By carrying out these steps you can help reduce illness being spread by the microwave and improve the general cleanliness of the office.
Of course, we tend to see that everyone is so busy that no-one has time to carry out this cleaning rota, and either one worker will crack, or it will be left to fester. If you find this is happening to you, why not get in touch with Mrs Bucket and ask about our commercial cleaning services, we’d be happy to see how we can help.