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Cleaning The Office Refrigerator

Horror stories abound about office refrigerators! Here are a few chilling tales:

  • Over 30 people at one company became sick because leftover food in a deep container didn't cool fast enough. Bacteria in the food multiplied to a level that caused illness when the food was served again.
  • Sandwiches put out for staff in the company lunchroom was left out too long. Over a dozen people became ill.
  • Food with expiration date 2 years and older found in refrigerators. A sack lunch of an employee who left the company several months ago remained.

Tales of fuzzy and fermented foods are common! One refrigerator magnet summed up the situation: "If a messy kitchen is a happy kitchen, this place is delirious."

Some Possible Office Refrigerator Policies

  • This refrigerator is meant to be used as a place to store employee meals (ONE day at a time). Those who store additional days' worth of food make it difficult for others to find room in the refrigerator for their lunches. At the end of each day the refrigerator should be empty of all staff meals. It is strongly advised people label ALL ITEMS they put in the refrigerator.
  • SUGGESTION: Keep some type of marking pen/tape in the lunchroom for people to use in labelling their food. This helps track down owners of unclaimed reusable food containers.
  • Any perishable food item meant to be shared with staff should be labelled "For Staff." It also should be labelled with the date it was refrigerated and the name of the person responsible for it. Anything not eaten by the third day will be thrown away -- no questions asked.

Perishable foods include: meat, poultry, fish, eggs, tofu; dairy products; cooked pasta, rice and vegetables; fresh, peeled and/or cut fruits and vegetables.

  • If you put things in the lunchroom to be shared, make sure you use safe food procedures. For example, no perishable food (such as meat sandwiches) should be left at room temperature for over 2 hours. This includes the original time it was set out for serving. Refrigerate perishable food in SHALLOW containers.
  • "For Staff" foods such as ice cream, ice cream toppings, condiments, etc. should be labelled with a date. They will be thrown away periodically, based on their "use by" date, a food safety storage chart or general appearance.

Another example of refrigerator magnet wisdom on identifying foods to be tossed: "If it walks out, let it go!"

How to clean and Sanitise Your Refrigerator

    • Remove and dispose of any food item which may have been overlooked and where the "use by" date has expired.
    • Remove all food items that may still be left and safely place these on a bench, preferably covered whilst cleaning is in progress.
    • Using warm water and a ONE LITRE plastic container, add 100mL of Bebrite Disinfectant to the container.
    • Using a clean sponge, preferably, only used for cleaning the refrigerator, wash down all surfaces of the refrigerator including the shelving.
    • Using the same sponge, rinsed out in clean water, spray onto the sponge Bebrite’s Anti-Microbial and wipe down all interior surfaces of the refrigerator.
    • Leave door ajar for approximately 10 minutes to allow air to circulate before replacing food items.
    • This process should be followed as part of the procedure relating to food removal.
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