How to Clean the Office Microwave and Fridge (and Keep Them That Way)

That Cleaning Girl · Office Cleaning

Every office has one: a microwave that looks like a crime scene and a fridge nobody wants to open. They're shared, they're used daily and they're nobody's job. Since How to Keep an Office Break Room and Kitchenette Clean covered the break room as a whole, this one zooms in on the two worst offenders.

We see a lot of office kitchens around Waxahachie, Midlothian and south DFW, and the fix is always a mix of one good clean plus a rule people actually follow.

Cleaning the microwave the easy way

Microwave splatter bakes on a little more every time someone reheats chili. The trick is to soften it before you scrub.

• Fill a microwave-safe bowl with a cup or so of water.
• Add a splash of white vinegar or a few slices of lemon.
• Heat it until the water boils and the window steams up.
• Leave the door closed for several minutes so the steam can work.
• Carefully remove the bowl, then take out the turntable.
• Wipe the ceiling first, then the walls, then the floor of the microwave.
• Wash the turntable in the sink and dry it.
• Clean the inside of the door, the seal and the outside, including the keypad and handle.

Skip anything abrasive. Scouring pads can scratch the interior and make future splatter stick harder.

Cleaning the outside of the microwave

The keypad and handle are touched by everyone, many times a day. Wipe them with a damp cloth and a little cleaner sprayed on the cloth, not directly on the keypad, so liquid doesn't seep inside. Check the top of the microwave too. It's a favorite spot for napkins, salt shakers and dust.

Cleaning out the office fridge

A full fridge clean is a bigger job, so it helps to plan it.

• Pick a time when the fridge is at its emptiest, like the end of the week.
• Give a heads up so people can take anything they want to keep.
• Empty everything out. Toss anything expired, unlabeled or mysterious.
• Take out removable shelves and drawers and wash them in warm, soapy water. Let cold glass shelves warm up first so they don't crack.
• Wipe the inside walls, ceiling and floor of the fridge.
• Clean the door seals, where crumbs and drips hide.
• Dry everything, put it back and return the food that survived.
• Wipe the outside, the handle and the top.

An open box of baking soda on a back shelf helps absorb smells between cleanouts.

The freezer

Office freezers turn into ice cave graveyards of frozen lunches from last year. Clear them out on the same schedule as the fridge, maybe less often. If frost is building up, it may be time to defrost it on a Friday afternoon with towels underneath.

The cleanout rule that saves everyone

The real secret to a clean office fridge is a rule, posted on the door:

• Everything gets a name and a date.
• Anything left after a set day and time gets thrown out, no exceptions.
• Shared condiments get checked once a month.

Pick a day that works for your office. Friday afternoon is popular because nobody wants to leave food over the weekend. Once people know the rule is real, they start taking their leftovers home on their own.

Who should do what

Your team can handle the cleanout rule and the daily wipe of spills. A regular cleaning visit can handle the rest. We clean the microwave inside and out and wipe the outside of the fridge every visit. A full inside-the-fridge clean is an add-on you can schedule on a rotation, like once a month, so it never gets bad. Food decisions stay with your team; we won't throw away something that isn't clearly part of the cleanout.

Smells that won't quit

If the fridge still smells after a cleaning, check the drip pan underneath if you can reach it, the drain hole at the back of the inside, and the door seals. These spots hold old spills long after the shelves are clean. A wipe with warm water and a little baking soda usually does it.

For the microwave, a lingering smell usually means something is still stuck on the ceiling or behind the turntable. A second steam round with lemon slices and a careful wipe of the vent area normally clears it up.

If a smell keeps coming back no matter what, the fridge itself may be the problem: a failing seal or a drain line that's clogged. That's a job for an appliance repair person, but it's worth knowing so you're not scrubbing the same shelves every week for nothing.

Keep it simple

One good deep clean, a posted cleanout rule and a regular wipe-down are all it takes. The microwave and fridge go from the most avoided appliances in the office back to just appliances. To have them handled on a schedule along with the rest of your space, see our office cleaning services.