I once saw a quote that said kitchens are for messes and memories, and I started to reminisce about all the horrible messes I had made while cooking – and how I wished they could’ve cleaned themselves. Kitchens are the one place in our home we can’t go a day without entering because it contains the one thing we all love – food.
Transfer of germs to food during its preparation can be avoided by keeping our kitchens spick and span all the time. Germs are microorganisms such as bacteria or fungi that cause diseases.
Walking into your kitchen and seeing it spotless can help free your mind and make you think clearly. It can also reduce the risk of contracting food-borne illnesses. Today, I will be walking you through some ways to make your kitchen hygiene a 10 out of 10.
1. Wash your hands with soap and water regularly
Let’s start with the basics. Good hand hygiene is something everyone should practice, especially in their kitchen. Other than our mouths, our hands are one of the body parts we use most while cooking.
Also, rinsing your hands under running water is not considered washing your hands. It may make them feel clean, but that may not be the case. Using soap removes the germs living on the palms of our hands.
Soap molecules cling to the pathogens and oils on our hands, so water can easily wash them away. Next time you are washing your hands, wet them, apply a generous amount of soap, scrub every inch of them for 15-30 seconds, and rinse them under running water.
Avoid using standing water as it may be contaminated, and counter the effects of the soap on the germs by introducing new germs to your hands.
2. Clean the sink after washing the dishes
You wash your dirty plates full of oil and food waste in your sink and think it will be clean after just a rinse? Definitely not! It may look clean, but scouring it with soap and a sponge reserved for sink cleaning alone will do a better job of removing germs.
Using the same sponge for dishes to clean your sink is not advised, as it can cause bacteria and germs to spread through cross-contamination.
To remove moisture and hinder bacteria growth, ensure you squeeze the sponge and let it dry. If you are willing to go the extra mile, you can soak the sponge in vinegar for 5 minutes or pour boiling water over it.
3. Take the trash out daily
Trash not disposed of daily allows microbes to grow and feed on the rotting food, producing a stench. The rotting food attracts flies, cockroaches, and other insects and makes for an uncomfortable cooking environment.
It might feel stressful to take it out daily, but the disadvantages of not doing it outweigh the benefits, if any. If you constantly forget, set a particular time to handle it, and keep to it. After a while, it will become a habit.
4. Do not store wet utensils in an enclosed cabinet or drawer
If you still place your kitchenware in drawers immediately after rinsing, it is high time you stopped. The water left on the utensils will create a damp space in the cabinet for bacteria to live rent-free.
Over time, mold and mildew will start to grow and cause the wood used in making the cabinets to become warped. Wood warping causes the wood to become deformed, thereby damaging it.
A simple way to avoid the extra cost of fixing warped kitchen cabinets or drawers is to leave washed dishes and utensils in a rack to air dry before storing them.
5. Change your kitchen towels regularly and always wash them with warm water
A study published in the Journal of Food Protection showed that bacterial growth was high on dish towels. Kitchen towels are utilized in cleaning all kinds of surfaces harboring bacteria.
Therefore, it is essential to use separate towels for different cleaning purposes like dishes, countertops, hands, and so on. Also, keep multiple towels for cleaning each surface and change towels after using them 2-3 times.
After using a towel to clean up a mess, soak it in warm water with soap, wash it, and dry it out.
Make sure to follow these tips the next time you step into your kitchen!
Author’s Bio:
Sharon Adigwe is a front-end developer and health enthusiast. She enjoys writing on a vast range of health topics to enlighten people. When she’s not coding or writing, she’s probably watching her favorite shows.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/sharon-adigwe-xx/ – LinkedIn profile
