Maintaining a clean kitchen may be easy living on your own, but even then, missing some spots is possible. Cleaning habits are great to implement in your daily lifestyle, like daily vacuuming, cleaning the bathrooms and wiping countertops. However, life can get tough sometimes, so you’ll be behind schedule with your cleaning chores.
When this happens, the risk of contaminated areas around the house can increase because germs and dust can seriously damage your health if you’re unaware of it. The kitchen and bathroom are the main dangerous zones because they’re high-traffic rooms where Salmonella or Staphylococcus Aureus can appear in time.
The kitchen may be suspected of developing more germs and causing more trouble since it’s where cross-contamination with food occurs. So, let’s see what areas you should focus on to avoid health problems and handle cleanliness.
Countertops
Wiping the countertops is the easiest kitchen chore, as you only need to use a wet cloth to remove all the dirt. Still, you may not realise how dirty it can really get, even if it seems clean when you place certain things on them. Indeed, bright colours make it obvious when they’re greasy or stained, but if you’ve got your units in darker shades, it’s impossible to figure out the cleanliness of the countertop.
When you put the outside shopping bags on top of them or let food sit for too many hours, the countertops can be the perfect place for bacteria to build up. And since you place your hands on them daily, getting infected can be easy. Hence, make sure to clean them properly by removing all appliances when wiping them down entirely, and use a sanitising solution. You only need a cloth and a disinfectant spray that can be homemade with white vinegar, rubbing alcohol and your favourite essential oil.
Knobs and handles
The places you touch with your hands most often, such as door handles and replacement kitchen cabinet doors, can be one of the most infected in the house. That’s why we’re encouraged to wash our hands often because this is how we can minimise the chances of getting sick or having problems due to weak immune systems.
For example, if you just arrived home and are in a hurry to leave again, you might not have the time to wash your hands before touching handles, and you can get them infected. However, even if that’s not the case, knobs and handles can still be full of germs, so it’s best to wash and disinfect them weekly. For instance, if you’re cooking raw meat and touching it, Campylobacter, Salmonella, and Yersinia can be spread around the kitchen. A clean cloth and a store-bought or homemade disinfectant will do the job.
The sink
The sink may seem like one of the cleanest places in the kitchen due to the continuous running water. Unfortunately, there are a lot of microbes around the drain and in the areas where the counter joins the sink. Water is not enough to eliminate them because all kinds of waste get thrown in the sink.
Ideally, you should disinfect the sink after each meal preparation, especially after handling meat. Dishes should be washed after each use, but even once per day is better than letting them rot in the sink. Remember to clean the handles and faucets and everything around the sink because water splashes everywhere. Disinfectant wipes are great if you’re in a hurry, but you could get a professional sink cleaner to remove all the germs from contaminated food.
The refrigerator
You may wonder why the refrigerator is triggering germs since food is kept in closed Tupperware. At the same time, we know that germs spread faster in warmer climates, so the cold air in the fridge should help us.
Still, the way you store food and the cleaning frequency matter here because a closed and humid space is ideal for bacteria to spread. For instance, we know that unwashed fruits and vegetables will last for longer, but the contamination risk is high due to residues. In this case, it would be best to clean the drawers more often to avoid build-up.
Meat can also leak, with fluids accumulating on the drawer surface, while packaged products have been contaminated during the storing and transporting processes. Hence, it’s best to wipe the drawers as often as possible and take them out monthly for a thorough cleanse with warm water and a mild detergent.
The cutting boards
There has been an internet craze on TikTok on how people clean their wood-cutting boards or what are the risks of using them for butter boards. Many have realised how dirty cutting boards really are, comparing them with seat toilets, while others are mocking how others clean them with boiled water and lemon.
Despite all these opinions, the truth is that cutting boards are considerably dirty, significantly, when we cut raw meat on them. Ideally, it’s best to have separate cutting boards for meat, dairy and fruits and vegetables to minimise cross-contamination.
Cutting boards must be washed after every use with hot water and soap. But the most crucial step is to let them dry because wet cracks in a wooden cutting board are the ideal place for germs to get crazy. Although wood is the best material for cutting boards due to its antimicrobial properties, you may also look for stone or porcelain products, which are more durable. Moreover, Polyethylene-based cutting boards are durable and nontoxic, but if they get deep scratches, bacteria will inevitably expand over time, so they’re not the most sustainable choice.
Bottom line
Some people love cleaning their kitchens, while others despise it, but what matters is that the kitchen can become a dangerous place if not cleaned and disinfected correctly. It’s recommended to maintain a basic level of cleanliness in the kitchen by doing minor daily chores. Still, sometimes you must focus on specific areas to eliminate the possibility of bacteria spreading and triggering health problems.
