If you thought your washroom was the germ hotspot, you’ll be shocked to learn the truth. The place where you warm your lunches is the epicentre of germs. In most offices, the washroom is usually cleaned regularly. The kitchen however, is usually the most neglected room. Let’s identify the most common areas that germs lurk in your office kitchen:
Cloth Towel
Have you ever thought of how many hands use the cloth towel hung next to the sink? Well, the towel does a great job drying the hands, but this little piece of fabric might be dirtier than you think. What makes hand towels such a great bacteria trap is that every time someone uses them, they transfer their natural skin bacteria to the towel. Failure to wash the towels daily and bacteria multiply. To keep the towels 100% germ-free calls for everyday washing. If your office can’t keep up, a better alternative to the hand towel are paper towels.
Refrigerators and Oven Handle
Picture this: you are in a successful boardroom meeting where you sealed a deal with a warm handshake. You have a backlog of work and only 30 minutes to have your lunch. You rush to the refrigerator, get your dish, and warm it in the microwave. Now, how many people in the office follow that routine every day?
Doors and handles are usually dirty, and by touching them, you spread the germs to other surfaces. The bacteria commonly found on handles are salmonella and E. coli, which can cause illness.
Kitchen Utensils
Some kitchen utensils like tongs and forks should be washed immediately after use. Especially when used on raw meat. Poultry, seafood, and raw meat have foodborne pathogens that quickly spread to cooked food and can cause food poisoning.
Kitchen Sink
If you dropped your apple in the kitchen sink, would you eat it? Most offices don’t disinfect their office sinks. Yet, food particles from the dishes you rinse are breeding grounds for some bacteria like salmonella and E. coli.
Water Fountain Buttons
In most drinking water fountains, the risk is not in the water nor the spout because the water is treated and the spout gets rinsed as the water flows out. However, the bowl and the button can have some infectious germs because they rarely get cleaned.
Coffee Pot Handles
After the first break, the only thing in your mind is that cup of caffeine that boosts your brain to help tackle the day. But, what if coffee is not the only thing you get? The coffee pot handle harbours different bacteria and germs. As everything else receives cleaning, handles are often forgotten.
Bottom Line
Most employees are not only exposed to germs in the office area, but also in their office kitchen. Employers need to equip their employees with simple knowledge on how to lessen the spread of bacteria and germs in the office. Some simple solutions like giving employees hand sanitizers and education on hygiene can serve as an incentive to maintain a germ-free environment. Contacting cleaning services in Edmonton can also ensure that every part of the office gets properly cleaned.