There is a bacteria battle happening right now in every workplace lunch room. Although many would think bathrooms are where you find the majority of germs in an office, it is actually the kitchen that often harbours the most bacteria. An office cleaning service can help your workplace succeed in winning the germ war.
The startling staff room statistics
Dr Charles Gerba, Professor of Microbiology at the University of Arizona, consulted on a study in 2012 that involved collecting 5,000 separate samples from various workplaces. The offices sampled include manufacturing plants, law offices, insurance companies, health centres, and customer call centres.
The study found that 75 per cent of the tap handles in lunch room sinks were found to have a high level of contamination – an ATP count of over 300. ATP is the molecule present in all living organisms. The second biggest bacteria breeding ground was microwave door handles at 48 per cent, and refrigerator door handles at 26 per cent.
“This study demonstrates that contamination can be spread throughout the workplace when office workers heat up lunch or make coffee,” Dr Gerba said. The study’s findings emphasise the importance of daily office cleaning in all workplaces to ensure lunch rooms are disinfected.
Bacteria breeds in tea towels
When you think about it, tea towels are used for a lot of different reasons in a lunch room, including wiping hands, covering food and drying dishes. But using the same tea towel for these three activities equals cross contamination.
A different study from the University of Arizona found enteric bacteria on 89 per cent of kitchen tea towels. Don’t let your tea towel harbour bacteria in your lunch room. Use specific tea towels for different tasks, and ensure you hang them to dry on a hook or something similar, as bacteria loves to grow in the damp. Furthermore, beware of using dirty tea towels to wipe benches, as this will mean introducing thousands of bacteria to another surface.
Cross contamination on cutting boards
It is all too easy to cross contaminate when it comes to cutting boards in lunch rooms. It is important to use separate boards for cooked and raw meat and other produce if you are preparing food in the workplace.
Cutting boards should always be cleaned thoroughly. Those well-used boards that are scratched or damaged should be replaced, as bacteria can grow in the exposed indents.
Daily office cleaning in lunch rooms
Being careful with tea towels and cutting boards can help to minimise the spread of bacteria in your office lunch room. But the best way to reduce the risk of bacteria spreading in the lunch room and throughout the workplace is by having a professional daily office cleaning service.
Contact us for a quote for our office cleaning services across Australia, including Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Perth and Adelaide.