University Kitchen Hygiene: Tackling The Issue

As we head into October, we are beginning to see students return to campuses to start their university life whether as a fresher or a seasoned student. After almost two years of online learning for some, the social aspect of sharing a living space with friends or completely new people is an exciting prospect. 

However, with the ever present Covid-19 still lurking around, a lot of universities and local governing bodies are expressing the importance of University Kitchen Hygiene within student accommodation, with some interesting facts coming out to nudge students to make more of an effort at remaining clean and safe during this new term.

It’s not that bad, is it? 

Anyone who has been to university has either heard of stories of disgusting kitchen etiquette or had to live the nightmare themselves. 

With the majority of first year students having to choose halls for their first accommodation they are forced into a situation with around 4 other people on average to embark on this new adventure. 

Although the premise seems fun, meeting new people and living away from home, the reality of it is far from glamorous, especially when it comes to the kitchen. As it is a shared living space, everyone is very quick to point the finger in the other direction when it comes to keeping the area as clean as possible. 

Dishes are left in the sink, bins left overflowing with old food and the surfaces caked with mess from Freshers Week months on from when they took place. 

Students prefer to live around the mess than sort it out with the fear that if they clean up once, they will be expected to do it every time, which is normally the case. 

Tackling the issue

So as students head to their new stomping ground, what can be done to ensure that the shared space stays clean? 

The Food Standards Scotland (FSS) has devised a checklist in which students are being asked to follow in order to protect the welfare of all students returning to their 19 universities and 29 colleges. 

The list itself doesn’t stop at just maintaining the kitchens utilities, but also upholding a healthy diet that is easily lost during your time at university, with the appeal of junk foods forever at the forefront of your mind as the first taste of freedom kicks in. You can read into specifics here.

Kitchen cleanliness rules

Coming from someone who has braved three years of university and came out of the other side with a degree and zero bouts of food poisoning, here are a few tips which I tried to stick by during my time away from home in order to uphold university kitchen hygiene.

• Create a cleaning rota: Everyone should be happy to partake in this as you avoid a lot of arguments with new friends, and it is easy to penalise the people who aren’t pulling their weight.
• Wash up as you go: The amount of times you will find yourself without a glass or plate because they’re stacked up in your room or the sink is criminal. Once you use something its best to just wash it up on the spot, and save you and your flatmates the hassle in the long run.
• Group shopping: Rather than purchasing all by yourself and fighting over fridge space, its best to do a group shop so you know what belongs to who and expiry dates line up, meaning nothing is left festering in your fridge for months on end causing a biohazard issue that no one wants to deal with. 

How we can help

With these tips in mind, it’s always good to know there are alternate options out there if things really are not working out in your new living space. CBS Cleaning offer end of tenancy cleans and regular cleaning services to landlords and universities who are looking to crack down on hygiene issues this coming academic year.