Cleaning the Office Dishwasher

How to clean your office dishwasher

The kitchen is often the first place that the staff members come across when they are preparing food. It can be a chore to keep up with, especially if the staff members are not very good at washing their dishes. Good thing there are dishwashers.

Instead of employees rushing to hand wash their plates, a dishwasher saves them time and helps them concentrate on more important tasks. Your employees will be able to do their work without having to decide who gets to clean the dishes. Ironically, the only problem with dishwashers is that they could get grimy. 

If you work in a place with a communal kitchen, like an office kitchen, then you probably know that appliances, including dishwashers, can get pretty dirty. There are several reasons why this appliance can get so grimy and foul-smelling. Some of these are overloading and stray food. Not using the dishwasher properly can be a problem for any office – especially if no one is particularly in charge of cleaning.

One of the things you could do to prevent a smelly dishwasher is to make your employees aware that they should first rinse off any excess food residue in their plate or any food containers before putting them into the dishwasher. This move will prevent the buildup of goop and keep your machine running smoothly. You could also lay out rules to abide by when using office kitchen appliances like the dishwasher and office kettle for your team. 

Here are some important points you could put up next to your office kitchen’s dishwasher so that it stays in good condition:

Always Rinse Plates and Cutlery First

Before putting anything in the dishwasher, make sure that your staff knows the rules regarding residue and excess food. This will prevent the buildup of food residue, which could get moldy if left unclean for a long time. It will also keep the machine running properly and efficiently.

Unload Completely After a Cycle

Don’t use the dishwasher as your additional cupboard. Instead, use it as an extra load. Once the cycle has run, empty the machine completely. This will prevent the items from getting muddy and will reduce energy consumption. Assigning an employee per day to unload the dishes from the dishwasher will ensure this task is completed.

Don’t Overload the Dishwasher

Use dishwasher properly

Lunchtime could be a rush. Not everyone has enough time to eat and rest. This causes people to hurry their eating time and cleaning to be able to go back to work on time. And as this happens, everyone tends to cram their plates and food containers into the dishwasher in a disordered way. This brings about overstacking. Overstacking could prevent your dishwasher from working properly, which means there are times you will need to rewash your plates or food containers. To prevent this from happening, post a sign or remind your employees to stack their plates, cutlery, and food containers properly without cramming them inside the dishwasher. 

Clean the Dishwasher Regularly

Dishwashers could stack gunk and debris when it is heavily used. That is why you must have a scheduled cleaning for the machine. 

You could do this by running the dishwasher on empty using vinegar or rinse aid to flush out the system. Fill a dishwasher-safe bowl with a cup of vinegar and place it on the bottom of the dishwasher. Make sure that the dishwasher is empty. Set the dishwasher to operate on a hot water cycle. The vinegar will break down the remaining food, grease, residue, and leftover grime inside your office dishwasher. You may also sprinkle a cup of baking soda along the bottom of the dishwasher after running the hot water cycle with vinegar. Running the baking soda on a short cycle will remove the stains inside and freshen the dishwasher, leaving it smelling clean. 

It is also important to make sure that you clear out the dishwasher trap every month. This is to clear out the debris that has gathered in your dishwasher. Wipe down the seals around the door of your dishwasher to keep it leak-free and efficient. If it seems too much of a job for your employees, you may ask the cleaning team to include it in their cleaning schedule.

How Often Should You Clean You Clean Your Dishwasher?

Depending on how much it is used, you should have maintenance regularly. Here is a quick for your office dishwasher cleaning:

  • Daily cleaning: to remove bits of food inside the dishwasher
  • Weekly cleaning: to wipe down the dishwasher door, gasket and to clean the filter of the dishwasher
  • Monthly cleaning: for deep cleaning the interior of the dishwasher
  • As needed: for cleaning the exterior and buffing to ensure the machine is looking good and working properly

Takeaways

Having a clean dishwasher has many benefits. Not only will the machine be better-smelling, but it will also be more effective and better looking. Without the food residue and grime blocking the interiors, soap and water can spray through with full strength, ensuring that your dishes are clean. This will make your dishwasher efficient, water-saving (instead of handwashing), power-saving (no more rewashing), and time-saving.

If cleaning the dishwasher takes much time, hire a commercial cleaning agency to do the cleaning. We have trained and well-equipped cleaning professionals with the materials and knowledge to ensure your office cleaning needs are done properly and efficiently.

If you need cleaning services in Hartford County, Connecticut, don’t hesitate to contact us. We have professionals to look after your cleaning needs.