Monday, March 17, 2008

I think the health inspector needs to condemn the office coffee maker

I am by no means an obsessive neat freak nor am I the stereo typical "Suzy homemaker" HOWEVER there are some things that should just be common knowledge. For the girls I directly work with they will know exactly what I am talking about. We have a small kitchenette area on our unit, fridge, microwave, coffee maker and table. This small kitchenette area is, on any given day, a complete disaster looking as if wild animals or small children were allowed to run amuck. Dirty dishes and empty containers get left on the table, items get left in the fridge until they turn into UFOs(unidentified fridge objects) and no one remembers what it was or when it was put in there, and then there is the coffee maker. Only a small few use this coffee pot. While I am a coffee addict I would never drink anything that came from that machine. The pot is cleaned at BEST once a month...as if that wasn't bad enough the old coffee is left in the pot sometimes for DAYS at a time. Our boss has left numerous notes asking to keep the kitchenette clean. Some of us who have been super grossed out by the state of our "break" area have taped notes to the microwave reading "please cover your food when using me" but nothing seems to work. I'm sorry but when GROWN adults need constant reminders to clean up after themselves it is just plain sad. Now it is worthy to note that even though I am old, I am one of the youngest in the department so you can't even chalk it up to not knowing any better. To summarize:1) When you dirty a dish/plate/utensil take it back to the cafeteria or home to be cleaned. DO NOT LEAVE IT ON THE TABLE!!!2) When you are done with the coffee pot TURN IT OFF. Dump out the unwanted remains and at the very least RINSE it!!! Also remember to throw the grounds and filter in the compost bin.3) If you use the fridge, make sure you take things home or throw them out before they become goo in the back for someone else to clean out.4)Take your turn to clean the kitchen area instead of trying to figure out who else worked that you can blame the mess on. Trust me cleaning up after yourself will take far less time and imagination. 5)If you use the microwave cover your food or be prepared to clean it out when your food splatters all over the inside.
Honestly this should be common sense. My 5 year old knows these rules and does a better job following them than these so called adults do.

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