While you may take care to keep your staff kitchen area clean and tidy, this space may not be as hygienic as you think it is. There are hotspots that you may not clean all that often because you don't see them as a problem.
However, these areas can become home to germs and bacteria that could affect the health of your employees. They may need more than a periodic wipe-down to make them safe. Which areas might you be missing?
1. Handles
Handles can be bacterial hotspots. If someone touches a handle and has bacteria on their hand, then the germs could stay on the handle. The next person to touch the handle picks them up.
You probably have a lot of things with handles on in your staff kitchen. For example, you could have a build-up of bacteria on handles in the following places:
- Entry doors
- Cupboards
- Fridges
- Microwaves
- Toaster ovens
- Kettles and coffee pots
Touching any of these handles can spread bacteria if they aren't kept clean.
2. Taps
Multiple people will use the taps in your kitchen all the time during the day. They may use them to get drinks of water, to fill kettles, to wash up or to wash their hands.
The scale of touch here makes tap heads particularly vulnerable. Bacteria and viruses can stay on the hard surface of the tap. Some may only survive for a few hours, but some germs can stay active for days. They are a potential risk to anyone who turns a tap on or off.
3. Kettles and Coffee Makers
If you provide a kettle and a coffee machine in your kitchen, then people will touch various parts of the appliances when they use them. Handles aren't the only germ hotspots on these items.
For example, people will touch various parts of a kettle or coffee maker like lids and filter compartments. They press buttons to turn the kettle on or to make a coffee. Each touch could leave bacteria behind.
4. Sponges and Cloths
Cleaning products like sponges, cloths and tea towels can also pick up germs. You may not wash or replace these items all that often. However, the longer you use them, the more likely they are to retain transmittable bacteria.
While you may wipe down some of these hotspots periodically, you may not regularly clean others. Some may never get the deep anti-bacterial clean they need.
If you don't think that your hygiene is up to scratch in your kitchen, contact local corporate office cleaning companies. They can help you identify areas of concerns and keep them clean.
