The microwave can take a lot of flak in hungry and busy workplaces especially in the growing industry in the San Francisco Bay Area. From colleagues who cause splashes but don’t wipe up, to crumbs, greasy handles and office-permeating aromas, the poor old microwave can become a pretty antisocial appliance in workplaces that never gets any attention.
But maintaining your office microwave – and establishing a set of guidelines for its use – is essential if you want to keep your employees happy, enforce good health & safety, and ensure that your place of work looks (and smells) professional – especially when contacts and clients visit.
If you want to do more to keep your office microwave clean, hygienic and free from nasty smells, the team at MCC Building Maintenance have put together a few helpful pointers…
1) Put up a “code of conduct”
Nobody likes bossy little notes telling them what to do – but clear, laminated instructions for microwave usage however should help to reduce mess and smells. Ask users to cover any item they are heating to reduce splashing, and to wipe down the appliance after use if any spills are made.
If your workspace is affected by smells from the kitchen, you may also want to include a list of “banned” strong-smelling microwave items such as fish, pop corns, and curries. This will help keep antisocial food smells out of your professional space.
2) Make cleaning products visible and accessible
If a clean cloth and cleaning spray are right there, ready to hand, it will be far easier for staff and kitchen-users to clean up after themselves – and give them no excuse not to. Why not install a handy hook right next to the microwave to prominently stash equipment and encourage cleanliness?
3) Clean the microwave daily
Even with your colleagues and employees ‘doing their bit,’ multiple lunches and warmed up coffees can result in lots of built up grease and grime. So make sure you wipe down your microwave once all of the ‘kitchen action’ for the day is done, otherwise this mess can get really yucky surprisingly quickly.
4) Deep clean regularly
Depending on how much use your workplace microwave receives, a weekly, monthly or quarterly deep clean is a very good idea. Some cleaning gurus recommend steam cleaning this appliance by popping a bowl three quarters full of water, lemon juice and lemon slices in the microwave. Set the power to high for five minutes and allow the bowl to steam within. Wiping down the interior should be easy as pie after following this process.
And for those who rather focus towards the operations of their business and busy work schedule, there is help out there…..MCC Building Maintenance has kept offices in San Francisco, Marin and Sonoma Counties spotlessly clean for over 30 years. From bathrooms to kitchens, we can provide precisely the hygienic cleaning support you need to make your space look pristine and professional. Get in touch with our commercial cleaning services team today by calling us at (415) 883-1616.
