Office Kitchen Rules and Cleaning Roster: A Guide for Canberra Workplaces

A shared office kitchen remains clean when everyone understands the rules and when daily tasks are divided clearly between staff and the cleaner, so staff clean up after themselves as they go, a short roster covers the fridge and dishwasher, and the cleaner is responsible for the benches, sinks, floors and bins.

Most kitchen problems originate from jobs that nobody owns, such as the forgotten food at the back of the fridge or the dishes abandoned in the sink overnight, so this guide provides simple rules, a roster you can copy, and a clear way to divide the work between your team and your cleaner. If you'd like assistance with the cleaning itself, our office cleaning in Canberra covers the kitchen at every visit, using a written task list that we agree with you.

The kitchen is used by almost everyone in the office, and it's the room where food, water and many different hands all meet during the day, which is why an untidy kitchen is unpleasant for employees and is often one of the first things that visitors notice.

A clean kitchen is also part of work health and safety, and the ACT's approved code of practice for managing the work environment and facilities says workers should have a clean eating area, and that facilities must be kept clean, safe and in good working order.

The best kitchen rules are brief, clear and easy to follow, so print them and display them on the fridge or above the sink, where people will see them every time they use the kitchen.

The shared fridge is usually where kitchen problems begin, so select one day each week, such as Friday afternoon, when any unlabelled or old food is discarded, and notify everyone about it in advance so that nobody loses their lunch accidentally.

Food safety is important in the office too, and the NSW Food Authority says fridges should be kept below 5°C, and that an overloaded fridge works harder because the cold air can't move around. Food Standards Australia New Zealand also explains the 2-hour/4-hour rule for perishable food that has been left out of the fridge, for example on a shared table, and food that has been out for less than 2 hours can go back in the fridge, but after 4 hours it should be discarded, which is especially relevant after morning teas, birthday celebrations and team lunches.

A roster generally works well in a small or medium office, where it's straightforward to identify who is on duty, but in a larger office it often works better to give the job to a small group of people or to add the tasks to your cleaner's written task list.

Here's how to create a roster that people in your office will actually follow, even during a busy week.

• Keep each task brief, so that every duty on the roster takes less than 10 minutes a day.
• Distribute the work fairly by rotating the roster every week, so that nobody feels permanently assigned to the same job.
• Be specific, because an instruction like "unload the dishwasher by 10am" works much better than "help in the kitchen".
• Make the roster visible by displaying it next to the kitchen rules on the fridge, where everyone can see it.
• Ask the office manager to inspect the kitchen and the roster at the end of each week, and resolve any gaps.

The Queensland Government's food safety team suggests making roles clear in the office kitchen, for example by using a roster for jobs such as cleaning out the fridge and replacing the dishcloths each week.

Most arguments about the office kitchen come from jobs that nobody owns, so agree the division in writing and add the cleaner's tasks to your cleaning agreement. Here's a common way to divide the work between employees and the cleaner in a typical office:

Dishcloths, sponges and tea towels become dirty quickly in a busy office kitchen, so they should be washed or replaced frequently, and the Queensland Government's food safety team notes that these items can become a breeding ground for bacteria if they aren't cleaned or replaced on a regular basis.

Good hand washing also contributes, because the Australian Centre for Disease Control explains that germs can spread through shared objects and surfaces, such as kettle handles, fridge doors and taps, so keep soap and paper towel next to the kitchen sink at all times, and ask employees to wash their hands thoroughly before they prepare, serve or share any food with others.

In most offices, the cleaner should wipe the benches and sinks, clean the floor and empty the bins at every visit, which is generally every working day in a busy office, while the inside of the microwave and the fridge can be cleaned weekly or monthly, depending on how frequently they're used.

You can review a complete list of daily, weekly and monthly tasks in our office cleaning checklist, and our guide to washroom hygiene at work covers the other room that employees notice first.

Aussie Duo is a family-owned Canberra business that has been cleaning since 2013, and our commercial cleaning covers kitchens, washrooms and floors, using a written task list that we agree with you at a free site visit. The minimum visit is $187 including GST ($170 + GST), and you receive a set price before any work begins. To get started, book a free site visit or call 02 5501 3316, and we'll reply during business hours, Monday to Saturday, from 7am to 7pm.