When your break room is clean and well-maintained it improves hygiene and safety for all employees. The break room is an important part of your business premises, it's where your employees go to take a break, eat, and relax. As a result, this is a high traffic area, requiring regular cleaning and maintenance.
There are a number of steps you can take to ensure your break areas are kept safe and clean:
High touch surfaces, such as door knobs, microwave handles, fridge doors, coffee machines, and counter tops are breeding grounds for bacteria. These high touch surfaces should be cleaned and sanitised multiple times throughout the day to reduce the spread of germs and bacteria.
Encourage responsibility, placing sanitisers in accessible locations within the break areas, encouraging employees to clean up after themselves.
Break areas are prone to crumbs and spills. It's important to sweep and vacuum the floors at least daily to reduce the built up of crumbs. This helps reduce the risk of pests.
Bins should be emptied regularly to prevent unpleasant odours and pests. Ensure your rubbish is separated into recyclable and non-recyclable items with clearly labelled bins, helping all employees separate their rubbish effectively, promoting cleanliness and safety.
In addition to the daily cleaning tasks, there are a number of weekly tasks that should be taken into consideration:
Break room appliances should be deep cleaned weekly. This includes the fridge, microwave, and coffee machine. Fridges should be cleared out, throwing out any expired food, wiping down all shelves and compartment. Microwaves should be thoroughly cleaned to eliminate any spills and splatters that can cause unpleasant odours, while coffee machines should be descaled and cleaned.
All the break room furniture should be effectively deep cleaned once a week, wiping down tables and chairs with sanitiser, keeping them germ-free.
Indoor air quality is important and dust and debris can quickly accumulate on light fixtures, which can negatively impact air quality. Light fixtures should be dusted and cleaned weekly to ensure the break room remains healthy and fresh.
Break area floors should be swept daily, or vacuumed to fight crumbs as they happen. At the same time, they should be thoroughly cleaned once a week. This involves mopping for hard floors, and a thorough vacuum for carpets. We also recommend six-monthly deep carpet cleaning, eliminating any dust and dirt from deep in the fibres.
In order to ensure your break areas remain safe and clean in the long-term, we recommend:
A clean and safe break area is vital to providing employees with a pleasant working environment. Implementing daily and weekly cleaning, while regularly carrying out routine checks ensures your break areas remain safe for employees to take a break and recharge. If you need help keeping your break areas clean and safe, contact Sloane Cleaning Services today. With over forty years experience, we have the knowledge and expertise to make your break areas shine, improving hygiene. Contact us now for a free, no obligation quote.