How to Help Your Tenants Keep Pests Out of the Kitchen

Do you get frustrated when an employee leaves dirty dishes in the community kitchen sink? What about team lunches? Somehow, no one manages to clean up the leftovers. Maintaining a clean office environment is everyone’s responsibility, especially if you don’t want pests to make your workplace their new home.

And as a property manager, you only have so much control – your influence doesn’t always extend to the kitchen habits of your tenants’ employees.

Resilient invaders, pests are attracted to businesses and office buildings for easy access to food, water, and shelter. Their strong sense of smell helps these pests detect food odors that we may not even notice.

When it comes to managing pests, proactive steps are your best bet to help maintain a pest-free office environment. Should you or a tenant spot a pest in the office, notify building management immediately so that your licensed pest control professional can be contacted. Share these simple tips with your tenants to prevent pests from invading your office hot spots:

• Immediately clean dishes and place food in tightly sealed containers – uncovered food can quickly attract pests.

• Clean all surface areas like counters in the kitchen at least once a day.

• Wipe all spills as soon as possible, including water.

• Use trash bags in all trash cans and take them out as soon as they’re full.

• Set a schedule to throw away old food in refrigerators – we advise at least once a week.

Pests do not discriminate, so an infestation is possible no matter the type of office building you manage. Make sure every tenant does their part to maintain a clean office, and download our pest education tip sheet for more tips on pest prevention.