Tips for Cleaning and Disinfecting Your Break Room

June 22, 2020

Office break rooms are a great place for coworkers to socialize and congregate in. Unfortunately right now, during this season of COVID-19, break rooms can be considered high-risk areas to spread viruses and other diseases. To keep your employees safe and healthy, it’s important to take another look at how and when your break room and other spaces where employees congregate are cleaned and disinfected. Not only is it good for the well being of your team it has other benefits such as reducing health care claims and increasing employee satisfaction.

Consider Switching to Disposable Products

Things like sink sponges and cloth dishrags can be really harmful to controlling the spread of viruses or bacteria. By switching to disposable paper towels and wipers you can minimize cross-contamination in your space. Other items like disposable paper coffee cups, utensils, napkins, and plates can also help to slow the spread of dangerous viruses and bacteria in your breakroom by opting for one-use items.

Avoid Contact with Often Touched Items + Disinfect Often Used Items

Bacteria and viruses can be moved around your office spaces by touching something that hasn’t been disinfected. Having your employees avoid direct contact with often touched items can greatly lower the risk of spreading any diseases and becoming infected. For example, by using a paper towel to turn on sink faucets or open a door, you can then throw the paper towel away and your hands haven’t touched those items and remain clean.

However, even when trying to avoid contact with often touched items, your break room and other spaces in your office should still be disinfected on a regular ongoing basis during this COVID-19 pandemic. Objects and surfaces such as countertops, door handles, vending machine buttons, microwave, and refrigerator handles can be hotspots where bacteria and viruses can live and should be regularly disinfected.

Post Signage for Hand Hygiene

Hand hygiene is one of the most important things we can all do to keep the spread of COVID-19 to a minimum. In your break room and other spaces where your employees gather, make sure to have signage posted reminding your employees to wash their hands often, particularly before and after handling food. As a reminder, we should be washing our hands frequently throughout the day scrubbing for at least 20 seconds with soap and water (recommended by the CDC).

Have Hand Sanitizer Stations Available

For the time’s when employees don’t have access to soap and water to be washing their hands often, it’s important for your spaces within your business to have hand sanitizer stations available for employees to use. The CDC recommends “an alcohol-based hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol.” It’s important to coat your hands with enough sanitizer that covers all surfaces. Once applied rub your hands together until dry, this should take about 20 seconds or so.