Workplace Hygiene and Cleaning: How Dishwashers Are Used
- May 27, 2022
- 6 min read
As a result of the health crisis, companies of all sizes are paying more attention than ever to hygiene in the workplace. Lunchtime is a particular focus, as cleaning up after employees’ meals requires proper organisation. Here, we take a closer look at dishwashers and how they are used in the workplace.
Why have a dishwasher in the workplace?
Workplace cleaning is a legal obligation
Cleaning and hygiene are major concerns for companies for two main reasons.
First of all, there is a legal requirement. The French Labour Code states that: “after each meal, the employer must ensure that the dining area or designated space and the equipment installed there are cleaned.”
To verify that workplace facilities comply with hygiene standards, labour inspectors may enter areas intended for employee meals and breaks at any time. Companies are not necessarily informed in advance of these inspections and cannot refuse them.
The second reason is a direct consequence of the current context. The health crisis has made cleaning and hygiene top priorities. Dishwashers are one of the types of equipment companies may consider purchasing to improve cleanliness in their premises.
An advantage for companies without an in-house restaurant or shared staff restaurant
For companies without an in-house restaurant, purchasing a dishwasher becomes particularly useful when employees have access to a microwave, cooking facilities and shared cutlery.
Allowing employees to heat up or prepare their meals naturally goes hand in hand with providing a solution for cleaning dirty dishes.
But what size dishwasher should you choose in this situation?
Dishwasher capacity is measured in place settings. A place setting corresponds to the tableware required for one person’s meal and is based on a European standard used by dishwasher manufacturers.
More specifically, one place setting includes a soup plate, dinner plate, dessert plate, cup and saucer, glass, fork, knife, tablespoon and teaspoon.
Since employees generally do not use a complete table service at work, a standard 12-place-setting dishwasher is usually more than sufficient.
Another advantage of dishwashers concerns companies that have replaced disposable cups with reusable containers. A dishwasher allows mugs, glasses and cups to be cleaned together in a single cycle, helping prevent dirty dishes from piling up in the sink.
Dishwashers therefore have many advantages. But if they do not convince everyone, it may be because they also come with several significant drawbacks for businesses.
More disadvantages than advantages?
A dishwasher does not necessarily guarantee optimal cleaning and hygiene
Who is going to load and unload the dishwasher?
The question may seem trivial, but it is actually crucial when determining whether your newly purchased machine will really be useful.
If you rely entirely on employees to load the dishwasher, start a cycle and empty it afterwards, you may be disappointed.
Feedback from workplaces suggests that employees are often more likely to leave dirty dishes in the sink than put them in the dishwasher.
In a Hello Workplace article about the most annoying habits of office colleagues, “people who never clean their dishes in the cafeteria and never wonder how everything is always tidy and clean whenever they need it” came in 10th place.
As a result, kind-hearted colleagues — often the same ones every time — end up putting the dishes away.
Unfortunately, even this does not necessarily improve hygiene, because storing dishes means employees have to handle the clean utensils.
In practical terms, making the purchase of a dishwasher worthwhile may paradoxically require an additional budget for one or more cleaning staff members to take care of this tedious task. Office cleaning services typically cost between €19 and €25 per hour.
Dishwasher cycles can be very long, and water consumption remains significant
Dishwashers can remain unused for relatively long periods because people generally wait until they are full before starting a cycle.
This can create another problem: food residue may dry onto dishes, making it much harder to remove.
This is one reason why some dishwasher cycles can last up to four hours.
For companies that no longer use disposable cups, this can be highly inconvenient. During the cycle, employees may no longer have access to mugs or glasses for their coffee breaks.
Although hand washing has been shown to consume significantly more water than using a dishwasher, the dishwasher’s own water requirements should not be ignored.
For example, a standard 12-place-setting dishwasher uses around 10 litres of water per normal cycle.
Installing a dishwasher may require building work if the break area is not suitable
Except in specific situations, the most logical place for a dishwasher is in a kitchen.
The plumbing in a kitchen is designed to accommodate appliances requiring water and electricity connections.
Simply plugging a dishwasher into an electrical outlet is not enough. It also needs a water supply and a wastewater outlet.
Three connections are therefore required:
a clean water supply;
an electricity supply;
a wastewater drain.
You also need enough physical space to accommodate the appliance.
In some workplaces, the meal or break area is not equipped to receive a dishwasher. In these cases, plumbing work and alterations to the space may be necessary.
This creates additional logistical requirements and a budget of at least €100.
Additional costs continue throughout the dishwasher’s lifespan
The purchase price of a dishwasher is only the visible part of the overall budget.
Delivery costs, water and electricity bills, maintenance and repairs all need to be taken into account.
Cleaning products must also be added to the list. A professional detergent can represent a budget of around €50 per month. This cost continues throughout the appliance’s entire lifespan, generally estimated at around 10 years, or sometimes seven years depending on the equipment.
The use of detergents also comes with an environmental cost. Certain products contain substances that can be problematic for ecosystems, including chemicals that are bioaccumulative, poorly biodegradable and/or toxic to aquatic organisms.
Is a professional dishwasher or glass washer better than a domestic dishwasher?
A professional dishwasher is generally only worthwhile if your company needs to clean a large quantity of dishes during lunchtime, while a professional glass washer may be suitable if you operate a catering service.
The main advantage of professional equipment is therefore its speed.
Professional dishwashers and glass washers can have total cleaning cycles lasting between 3 and 5 minutes.
This allows dishes and glasses to be cleaned extremely quickly and reused almost immediately.
Apart from this advantage, however, many of the drawbacks remain similar to those of domestic dishwashers.
Another factor to consider is the price of a professional dishwasher. You should expect to pay at least €2,000 for a quality appliance.
Cheaper equipment is more likely to suffer from repeated breakdowns. The benefit of investing in a high-quality machine is precisely to reduce the risk of accumulating repair costs.
If you are considering purchasing a professional dishwasher, here are two factors to consider.
Choose the right dishwasher format
Front-loading – from 40 to 120 place settings
Hood-type – from 100 to 300 place settings
Some professional equipment brands
Krupps
Equipementpro
Adler
Winterhalter
Hobart
Comenda
Capic
Meiko
Looking for an alternative to a dishwasher for cleaning your employees’ mugs, cups and glasses?
Meet auum-S, a hygienic, environmentally friendly and cost-effective solution without many of the drawbacks associated with traditional dishwashers.
auum-S cleans and disinfects a glass using just 10 cl of water and no detergent
Save money and reduce your water consumption with auum-S
Water consumption is now a major environmental issue.
That is why auum-S was designed to preserve natural resources as much as possible.
This innovative and environmentally friendly machine can clean a reusable glass using only 10 cl of water during a 20-second cleaning cycle.
Easy cleaning with one simple, environmentally responsible action
Many household appliances can seem complicated and are rarely intuitive.
Auum-S is different.
Simply place the dirty glass in the designated position, the dome lowers and the cleaning process begins automatically.
The glass comes out clean and ready to use.
With Auum, reusing becomes as simple as throwing away, making environmentally responsible habits easier to adopt.
With or without a water connection, auum-S adapts to every environment
The auum-S solution does not require additional building work when installed in your break area.
Auum-S is a hybrid solution.
It can be connected directly to your company’s water supply, but it can also operate entirely independently thanks to its clean-water and wastewater tanks.
Choose optimal cleaning with disinfection
One challenge for some dishwashers is removing dried residue from drinks, sugar and dairy products.
With auum-S, these residues are thoroughly removed.
Better still, the glass is also 99.9% disinfected.
In addition to removing bacteria, the machine was designed to minimise handling and therefore reduce the spread of germs.
Auum-S has no button that employees need to touch. The technology detects the glass and automatically starts the cleaning cycle as soon as it is inserted.
Choose one of the most environmentally friendly patented solutions on the market
auum-S helps protect the environment from the chemical pollution associated with detergents.
Our patented technology uses steam heated to 140°C, making the cleaning process effective enough to eliminate the need for chemical cleaning products.
A solution employees appreciate, for less than the cost of a disposable cup
Because Auum’s vision is to make reusable solutions accessible to everyone, auum-S is more cost-effective than paper cups or single-use plastic cups.
Recommended by 98% of employees, the machine integrates easily into everyday workplace routines.
Auum-S can be installed in your break room, reception area or open-plan office.
