How to Clean an Office Water Cooler

Office water coolers serve many functions, from break place to a place to congregate with co-workers while enjoying a cool drink of water. The office water cooler is not only a forum for gossip, it can also be a harborer of thousands of bacteria. Keeping your office water cooler clean is just one small step you can take to keep your co-workers healthy and should be a procedure you practice each time you change out the bottle or about every six weeks, depending on which occurs first.

Instructions

• 1

  Put on gloves and safety glasses.

• 2

  Mix a solution of one teaspoon bleach to one gallon of water in a bucket. Place sponge into solution.

• 3

  Unplug your water cooler to prevent electric shock.

• 4

  Remove bottle from water cooler, as well as cooler top and baffle if your model includes them. Wipe cooler top and baffle using the sponge and bleach solution and set aside.

• 5

  Pick up sponge and wipe down the inside of the cooler reservoir. Let set for two minutes, then flush with four gallons of tap water, taking care to drain waste water into a bucket.

• 6

  Reassemble water cooler and plug back in.