Tired of finding week-old take out? Reorganize the office refrigerator with these 6 simple steps and regain your professional image!
The office refrigerator can be a scary place. There are containers that look more like science experiments than food.Was that a salad or a stew? Ewww.
No one wants their employees to be turned off by a messy kitchen or worse yet, spoiled food and odors lurking within.
Getting a Fresh Start
Clear out everything from the refrigerator. If no one claims his or her item throw it away. Take no prisoners.
Wipe down all shelves and surfaces with a safe all-purpose green cleaner. For stubborn stains make a paste of baking soda and water and allow the mixture to sit for 10-15 minutes. Then, spray the mixture with a vinegar and water solution.
The vinegar and baking soda will cause a bubbling effect. Use a small soft bristled brush to scrub away the stained or caked on grime, and then wipe away with warm water and a microfiber cloth.
Once the fridge is sparkling clean and smelling fresh, you’re going to want to keep it that way.
Start with placing an opened box of baking soda on the top shelf to absorb any odors. This will need to be changed on a regular basis. Schedule the next deep clean in three months time. Then establish some rules.
Create & Use Guidelines
Here is an example of what you may write. You can download a styling sheet for free here. Be sure to have your supervisor’s permission before establishing or posting any guidelines.
1) Everything needs to be labeled with your name and date.
2) Please have all lunches and snacks in airtight containers to help reduce spills and any strong odors.
3) Don’t assume you can use something that isn’t yours. Maybe those extra bagels from this mornings meeting were someone’s personal purchase. If you didn’t bring it, don’t use it without permission.
4) Friday, 5:00pm is clean out day. Anything left behind that is not labeled with a name and date will be disposed of. If you loose your favorite tumbler, I am sorry, you’ve been warned. Anything that is
clearly spoiled, has mold growth, or has a date of seven days or more will also be disposed of.
5) Be mindful of how much space you use. Please only put items that need to stay cold for the day. And remember to leave space for the occasional office treat! Also, be careful to not smash someone’s lunch.
6) Last but not least, please clean up all spills, splatters, and crumbs promptly. I like to look my best.
Get Everyone Involved
Be sure to put someone in charge refrigerator management. They can delegate or set up a rotation, but ultimately need to check to be sure the fridge is being kept tidy and the established rules are being upheld.
Although, if someone is forgetful or even seems to be purposefully disregarding the fridge use guidelines, be gracious. You still have to work closely with your officemates and don’t want to strain a working relationship over someone using your coffee creamer or throwing away your favorite bento box that was left in the fridge too long.
Also, try to ask around before throwing someone’s items away. What you think is spoiled may be perfectly fine. An exception would be if you see any mold growth, which easily spreads in the air and can contaminate other items.
Make guidelines that work for your whole team. Have meetings to discuss ideas to keep things tidy -and everyone happy.
Maybe take turns buying the creamer and share it as an office, or buy a box of single serve creamers and set up a donation jar for each use.
If your office is small enough, assign everyone a bin to place his or her lunch in a designated spot. Ideally, each person would be responsible to keep his or her own bin clean and in order.
If all of this just seems like too much hassle and you don’t want to waste time in your busy workday to clean out the fridge, why not schedule an office cleaning service to come at the end of each day and tidy up your whole office, including the office fridge.
You may even save a few relationships – make the custodian do the dirty work and take the heat for ending any expired experiments.