Cleaning the kitchen: what are the dirtiest kitchen objects?
The following list of the dirtiest kitchen objects may surprise many of you. It will probably give you the urge to promptly clean your kitchen with a fine-toothed comb. It might also encourage you to maintain your knives and other kitchen utensils on a daily basis!
A recent study published in Medwell Journals provided a list of kitchen objects that contained the most bacteria. The following article only covers the kitchen, however, it is interesting to note that the smartphone is home to a higher concentration of bacteria than the toilet bowl!
Sponges
Thoroughly cleaning your kitchen will not be very effective if you do not replace your sponge on a regular basis. The kitchen sponge was ranked the dirtiest object in the house and was found to contain billions of bacteria - more bacteria than the contents of your trash can. The solution is to change your sponge regularly or disinfect it – there will be more on this subject at the end of the article.
Dishtowels
Dishtowels also contain many germs even though they come in contact with food pathogens less than sponges do. Be sure to use a clean dishtowel when cleaning the kitchen!
Refrigerator drawers
The drawers of the refrigerator are also high on the list of hot spots for bacteria. Very often food is stored in the refrigerator without being sufficiently covered. When cleaning the kitchen it is very important to remember to also clean the refrigerator.
Clean your refrigerator with a mixture of hot water and baking soda. Use this mixture to scrub the walls and the interior and exterior of the drawers. In order to effectively fight against the proliferation of microbes, it is recommended that you clean your refrigerator once a month.
The sink
A simple sponge is not sufficient for cleaning a kitchen sink. Even if it appears clean many microbes are present in your kitchen sink. In order to disinfect your sink, wipe it down with antibacterial wipes immediately after doing the dishes.
Kitchen knife maintenance and bacteria removal
Knives are one of the most commonly used kitchen tools when preparing meals. One should not neglect to clean them carefully as certain germs and viruses contained in foods can be spread by unclean knives and may cause food poisoning.
Assiduous kitchen knife maintenance
If you are used to working with kitchen utensils that are dishwasher safe, then there is no need to worry. However, if you don’t have a dishwasher or its use is not recommended for your knives, rinse them carefully and gently dry them with a soft cloth. Contrary to stainless steel kitchen knives, the blades of carbon-based knives can be easily corroded so be sure to dry them well.
Maintaining different kinds of knives
All contact with water is harmful for stainless steel and carbon-based kitchen knives. Clean them with a rag. Try not to purchase knives with wooden handles, as low-end knives of this type often leach water and other residue between the blade and the handle.
If you have purchased high-quality knives with wooden handles this will not be a problem. Conclusion: in order to properly clean a kitchen, one must also maintain one’s knives on a regular basis.
Most germs and bacteria are harmless, but some can be transferred to your skin or find their way into your mouth or nose, increasing the risk of illness. The majority of food poisoning cases come from germ contamination during food preparation.
If you clean your kitchen efficiently and regularly – including your knives, cutting boards, blenders, etc. – you will greatly reduce the number of bacteria present in your kitchen.
Cleaning the kitchen: how to get rid of all bacteria?
There is no secret to having a clean kitchen, you simply need to adopt good cleaning habits. If you are not that keen on cleaning, some adjustments in your lifestyle should be made!
First clean the sponge, then the rest of the kitchen!
Let us return to the subject of the sponge. One should remember to clean the sponge before washing the dishes. The simplest way to clean a sponge is to dip it in a watered down bleach solution approximately every 2 days. This will kill a large number of germs.
Another solution is to change sponges regularly. After 3 days of use the sponge will already contain a high number of bacteria.