From Grime to Gleam: How Our Certified Cleaning Professionals Transform Dirty Office Microwaves in 5 Easy Steps
After spending over a decade as a professional commercial cleaner rescuing smeared staff rooms, office pantries, and break room microwaves, I have had my fair share of horror stories. There was a time when my cleaning services were booked for a call centre with a microwave so stinky and plain awful that it had been isolated for months. Coming to the call centre in my cleaning gear, complete with a gas mask, I opened the microwave door, only to have a science experiment (like someone had been raising a mould farm in it) almost explode in my face! As funny as it sounds, a dirty microwave is no joke. After what could only be described as a cross-contamination war zone, the microwave emerged pristine and immaculate once again, thanks to my cleaning skills.
No matter how neglected your office microwave may be, I’m confident my five foolproof steps can transform it from grimy to gleaming. My methods are specially designed to tackle even the most stubborn food stains and lingering odours, leaving your microwave sparkling clean and ready for fresh use.
Table of Contents
Why should office cleaning include microwave oven cleaning?
Your office pantry is one of the areas of your office that is often overlooked. Office pantries may have kitchens or not, but most of them have office microwaves that employees can use to heat their lunches. With the high number of workers using the microwave day in and out, it’s almost impossible to keep it immaculately clean all the time! We’re not just dealing with common dust here; we’re talking about food stains, grease, and splatters of all kinds. I remember the microwave we had at an office I worked for before I became an office cleaning specialist. It smelled like it had not been cleaned for years! The grease was dripping off from the top, and even the glass turntable was sticky from all the spilt liquid over the years. I don’t even know how I survived heating my lunches in that thing! Thank goodness I’ve switched jobs and realised how important having a clean and well-maintained microwave in an office pantry is.
Regularly cleaning microwave ovens in office pantries is crucial for hygiene, food safety, and maintaining a professional environment. This office cleaning practice prevents bacterial growth, prolongs appliance life, eliminates unpleasant odours, and fosters a more inviting workspace for everyone. Additionally, it prevents cross-contamination, improves employee satisfaction, ensures compliance with health regulations, and promotes efficient cooking. By incorporating microwave cleaning into routine office cleaning services, businesses can promote a healthy, productive, and positive work environment for their employees and present a tidy and professional environment, especially when clients visit!
Which areas of the office are high-risk areas for cross contamination?
Hygienists from Kimberly-Clark Professional’s The Healthy Workplace Project collected nearly 5,000 swab samples from office buildings housing over 3,000 employees. The diverse range of participating offices included manufacturing plants, law firms, insurance providers, healthcare companies, and call centres.
In consultation with Professor Charles P. Gerba, a leading authority on microbes from the University of Arizona, the following statistics on high-risk areas for contamination were revealed:
- 75% of break room sink handles
- 48% of microwave door handles
- 27% of keyboards
- 26% of refrigerator handles
- 23% of water fountain buttons
- 21% of vending machine keypads
If the adenosine triphosphate (ATP) count exceeded 300, surfaces were considered highly contaminated. ATP indicates biological residue from skin oils, food, and microorganisms. This extensive cross-industry sampling highlights opportunities for targeted cleaning improvements in high-traffic communal areas like kitchens and break rooms. Prioritising the disinfection of microwave handles, buttons, and interfaces can help lessen cross-contamination, keep your employees healthy, and increase work productivity!
Setting an Effective Cleaning Schedule for Your Work Microwave
Working as an office cleaner for over 10 years, I’ve seen my fair share of grimy office microwaves. They’re awful, by the way! The ideal cleaning frequency for your office microwave hinges on two key factors: daily usage and your desired kitchen hygiene standards. In a smaller office of, say, 5 people, I generally advise our clients to go for a quick daily wipe-down using disposable cleaning cloths dipped in water and vinegar or lemon juice. This gives you a quick solution to unpleasant odours and food splatters in the microwave. Deep cleaning is a must, at least once a month. If you’re working in an office where more than 50 people are using the microwave for reheating their lunches daily, you may want to consider telling your employees to clean as they go. High-traffic office pantries like these should be thoroughly cleaned once to twice a week by expert office cleaners like myself.
To uphold consistent, thorough office pantry cleans, schedule reminders on your work calendar detailing when deep cleans are due. Set alerts to notify you when it’s time to roll up your sleeves and give that microwave some sterile TLC. However, if you feel like you’ve got more than enough work on your hands, it’s a sign that you should consider office cleaners near you to handle the office pantry cleaning to save you time, effort, and money!
Should You Leave Your Office Microwave to the Office Cleaning Pros?
I have spent many years cleaning offices and tidying up office pantries and break rooms all over Melbourne. I have found that microwaves have been left out of general cleaning most of the time. I asked one of my clients why their microwave had not been cleaned in so long, and he told me that microwaves look too complicated to deep clean. To be honest, microwaves do look daunting to clean, especially when they’ve been through so many food explosions, and can be a bit tricky for non-professional cleaners to keep them sparkling and tidy. But, the question remains to be answered: do you really need to hire someone else to deal with your grimy microwaves? The answer is – it depends.
There are a lot of factors to consider when deciding whether you should call commercial cleaning experts to get the job done for you. These could include the level of usage, the number of microwaves in your establishment or office, your cleaning budget, how clean you want them to be, and if you want specialised cleaning services. I’ll never forget one of our client’s microwaves after the Christmas party season. It turned out they reheated more than 15 platters of food, with no one stepping up to give the microwave a wipe-down after every reheating cycle! Even if my client, Sarah, insisted that she wiped down the microwave properly after the party, the truth was brighter than day; the layers of grease, grime, and hardened food bits told a different story. Stories like this only reinforce the fact that commercial cleaners like us at Core Cleaning Services can do it better than anyone else. We’ve got the right cleaning materials, commercial cleaning experience, the latest cleaning techniques and tricks, and streamlined cleaning systems that make cleaning a breeze and tackle hygiene issues related to cleaning like a champ!
Of course, some clients would still prefer saving on cleaning costs by tackling it in-house or doing it on their own. As long as microwaves are promptly wiped down daily and deeply cleaned weekly, this can work for offices with lighter usage and traffic. But for many companies desiring optimum cleanliness, nothing beats relying on a professional commercial cleaner’s expert treatment and industrial-grade solutions.
Cleaning Your Dirty Office Microwave in 5 Easy-to-Follow Steps
If your office microwave has seen better days, don’t stress! I’ve rescued many microwaves from food splatter stains (from tomato sauce to rich curry sauces) and smells that spread through whole office floors. With a strategic clean powered by pantry staples, that grimy microwave can gain a new lease on life. This 5-step formula has worked office magic for many clients wanting to improve kitchen hygiene and cleanliness. But, before diving into the cleaning battle, don’t forget to arm yourself with the necessary cleaning equipment to make winning this cleaning battle easy!
What You Need:
- Gloves: Depending on the level of cleaning you’re office requires, you can choose between using disposable latex gloves or rubber gloves that can protect your hands from strong chemicals and hot water.
- Sponges: A non-abrasive sponge can help in avoiding scratching your microwave’s surfaces and glass plates.
- Dish soap: Using dish soap in cleaning your microwave can be a lifesaver because it effectively removes grease and grime and is safe for your hands.
- Disinfecting wipes: Disinfecting wipes or solutions can be used, but only the outer part of your microwaves. These kinds of wipes can leave a chemical residue if used inside your microwave.
- White vinegar and baking soda: We love using natural ingredients that effectively remove stains and odours. The plus side is, that you can easily find them in your kitchen supplies!
- Cleaning cloths: Opt for microfiber cloths for polishing and achieving a streak-free finish.
Step 1:
The very first step in cleaning your microwave is to clear the war zone! Check your microwave for any leftover food, food bits, containers, and heating domes that are left inside. I remember one of my office cleaning clients, Celine, who was shocked to find out there was a piece of steak that had dried out after months of not cleaning the microwave, and it resembled the beef jerky you gave to the dogs. It wasn’t fit for human, or maybe even dog, consumption! Don’t hesitate to dispose of any rubbish that you find for your safety.
Step 2:
The next step is to take your microwave apart. This may sound like a difficult task to do but disassembling your microwave like you would do to your bicycle lets you discover the dirty spots that aren’t visible. It would be even more helpful if you could find the microwave’s manual so you can remove parts of the microwave with ease and without damage. This makes me go back to my first office pantry cleaning gig where I accidentally removed interior fittings that shouldn’t be removed. Oops!
Step 3:
Wow, we’re already down to step 3! It’s easy, right? Here comes the most exciting part about cleaning your office microwave, take regular dishwashing soap and water or a create solution of equal parts vinegar and water to clean your microwaves. Use a non-abrasive scrub or sponge, or a damp cloth to scrub or wipe the walls and ceilings, and remove the glass turntable to clean the bottom part of the microwave. You can also place the vinegar-water cleaning solution in a spray bottle and spritz the inside of the microwave before scrubbing. The glass turntable should be cleaned like you would wash a greasy ceramic or glass plate. If you encounter stubborn stains that won’t disappear even with dishwashing liquid, I suggest making a baking soda paste using 3 parts baking soda and 1 part water, mixing them together to form a paste. Massage them into the stains and let the paste sit for at least 10 minutes before wiping.
Step 4:
Now your microwave is on its way to immaculate cleanliness, it’s time to get rid of those unpleasant smells that lingered from countless times of food reheating. One of the best DIY cleaning tips I swear by is to heat a bowl of equal parts water and vinegar for 5 minutes or until it steams in the microwave. Don’t take out the steaming bowl and let it stay inside for at least 15 minutes before finally taking it out. Vinegar, which contains acetic acid, can neutralise foul odours and loosen hardened and stuck food in the microwave. Alternatively, a bowl of fragrant coffee grounds mixed with some water makes another natural deodoriser.
Step 5:
We’re down to the last and probably, the easiest step of them all! Bring the shine and sparkle back to your microwaves by using a drop or two of olive oil on your microfibre cloth. Wipe the exterior of your microwave for that extra shine. This can also be used to finish cleaning stainless steel doors, handles, and panels. One thing to remember, though, is that you shouldn’t wipe the inside of your microwave with olive oil. Use water and vinegar to finish wiping the insides of your microwave. The last thing you have to do now is smile and give yourself a pat on the shoulder for a job well done!
FAQ
We’ve been there, accidentally leaving microwave popcorn too long in the microwave, which caused your microwave to smell like burned corn. No one wants to reheat food in a microwave that smells like burnt food. Here are some easy tips to remove or lessen the burnt smell from your microwaves:
Place sliced lemons and oranges in a bowl with water. Run the microwave on high for 2 to 3 minutes. Don’t remove the bowl when it’s done, and leave it for at least 5 minutes to allow the steam to work its magic. If there is still a smell left, repeat the procedure again until there is no smell left. Instead of citrus fruits, you can also substitute them with vinegar, vanilla extract, baking soda, or dish soap mixed with water and use the same process.
The answer is simple. Don’t use harsh chemicals or cleaning solutions to clean the inside of your microwave oven. Some of these chemicals, which include ammonia, bleach, or Clorox can leave chemical residues behind that can be absorbed into your food and contaminate it. Use natural deodorisers and cleaners like lemon juice, vinegar, baking soda, or mild dishwashing soap to clean.
When using a microwave, food splatters and spills are inevitable. These are the major culprits of a dirty and smelly microwave! However, you can use these tips to prevent them from happening:
1. Wrap your food with cellophane wrap or use a microwave-safe lid.
2. Use microwave-safe food containers.
3. Stir the food or soup you’re reheating intermittently until you get the desired heat.
4. You can purchase a microwave-safe splatter guard.
5. Microwave your food in short intervals.
6. Always give your microwave a quick wipe-down after each use.
