Which areas of the kitchen should you pay particular attention to when cleaning the kitchen? Here is some useful information and tips!
Although most people pay attention to hygiene, not everyone knows which areas they shouldn't neglect when cleaning the kitchen. There are surprising places where several germs accumulate and pose a health risk. Even if you carefully wash your cutlery and wipe down your kitchen countertops or other food preparation surfaces, there are still corners that are a haven for microorganisms like bacteria. To prevent possible risks and maintain cleanliness in your kitchen, you can find out more about them below.
What measures should you take to improve kitchen cleaning?
As one of the most heavily used rooms in almost every home, a clean kitchen requires appropriate regular cleaning. Even if you are a perfectionist in your approach, you may miss certain parts or hard-to-reach areas of the kitchen space. In this way, dirt, dust or pathogenic bacilli collect there over time, or in damp conditions ormolds growing on fruits, which will only become more difficult to remove. Therefore, it would make sense to incorporate these places into your cleaning routine so that kitchen cleaning can produce optimal results.
As for the usual suspects that you need to clean regularly, these are sticky kitchen floors, dirty dishes and kitchen sinks or kitchen appliances such as burnt ovens anddirty refrigerators. However, some items and corners are often overlooked, including everyday cleaning tools and most used cooking areas. Some common examples include cupboard door handles, kitchen sponges, and reusable cans or bottles that you come into contact with on a daily basis. In addition, germs such as Salmonella or Escherichia coli, as well as viruses, are common in the kitchen. They can survive on surfaces for days, weeks or even months. Therefore, you should focus on the following when cleaning your kitchen to prevent possible cross-contamination and other problems due to contamination.
How should you properly clean and disinfect your kitchen?
To get into the habit of cleaning some of the affected areas, you can wipe them down in the morning while your coffee is brewing or youBreakfast like oatmealsoaking. The first and easiest step is to start wiping down the refrigerator every day. This is a kitchen appliance that often lacks hygiene, but that's completely normal since you store food in it and use it often.
For this reason, frequent kitchen cleaning that includes such refrigerators can be rather a difficult task. If you also constantly open and close the door, the temperature of the refrigerator will fluctuate. This can lead to increased moisture formation and resulting contamination.
In addition, food often rots in refrigerators and mold develops. Frequently touching your door handle and other parts with dirty hands also creates the perfect conditions for bacterial growth. It's best to try to give the device's surfaces a quick wipe every day with a disinfectant wipe. And since fruits and vegetables retain their freshness when unwashed, it is advisable to store such foods unwashed in the refrigerator so that they do not spoil quickly.
Meat and packaging are also among the culprits when it comes to contamination in the refrigerator compartment. Therefore, make sure you wash the refrigerator compartments and drawers weekly to avoid future contamination. Food residues or bacteria often remain there, which pose health risks. Also dust the device every day to prevent dust from accumulating and then becoming sticky due to splashes of grease or other dirt. Carry out a thorough cleaning of the refrigerator with disinfectants at least once a month, also cleaning its internal parts.
Why keep dishwashing sponges, kitchen towels and cleaning tools clean?
The second most potentially dirty items in the kitchen are sponges and towels. But do you actually replace them regularly enough to prevent possible contamination and germs? You probably don't, as kitchen towels that you use to wipe your dishes and hands are also often overlooked when cleaning the kitchen. You should therefore replace kitchen sponges and towels with new and clean ones as often as possible as they contain a lot of bacteria.
When it comes to dish brushes and other cleaning tools, cloths or kitchen utensils that you use to remove food residue, these are also breeding grounds for germs. Therefore, try to treat brushes of any kind with disinfectant every evening. It is also advisable to dip a scouring pad in bleach diluted with water and toss rags in the washing machine after each use. Unfortunately, such fabric kitchen utensils also contain a high number of bacteria if you do not wash and disinfect them properly. If you use such products, you should wash them with hot water after each time you prepare food or clean. Many of them can easily be thoroughly disinfected in the dishwasher after each use.
Kitchen cleaning in and around the sink
Several scientific studies suggest that another kitchen area prone to contamination and bacteria formation is the kitchen sink. This can therefore quickly become dirty both inside and around the edges. In about half of the cases, researchers have found elevated levels of the bacterium Escherichia coli, which causes serious infections and illness, in such locations. Therefore, sinks should be disinfected every time after preparing potentially contaminated food sources and at least once a week.
You should also clean your kitchen sink thoroughly every week using a suitable cleaning product. In order to do this both effectively and gently, it is recommended to choose a disinfectant that is tailored to the respective location and material. So if you have always missed this, you should also add this cleaning task to your checklist. Many people don't pay attention to it, but this is a constantly used area where dirty food and dishes are washed. Even if the kitchen sink often appears to be shiny, invisible bacteria and accumulations of dirt can adhere to it.
Keep kitchen countertops and other surfaces in the kitchen clean
Any work surfaces in the kitchen area are definitely one of the places that are easily overlooked and forgotten when cleaning the kitchen. However, you'll be preparing or serving food every day, which is why it's important to pay special attention to each surface. You should also take other influencing factors into account, such as open windows or handbags left on shelves. The latter are personal items that you travel with every day and use in a variety of places. All of this can significantly increase the risk of disease transmission through contact with kitchen work surfaces that have not been properly cleaned.
If you keep in mind that kitchen surfaces quickly become dirty, you will definitely prevent some health risks, although it is easy to forget this in the busyness of everyday life. Even the most diligent people leave residue on their carefully maintained kitchen countertops, leave dirty cutting boards on them, or open the refrigerator with dirty hands. For this reason, you should not neglect this cleaning job, which is not particularly complex. To do this, you can get disinfectant wipes or a disinfectant spray and wipe the surfaces before preparing food or at least once a day. Also try to get to corners, edges under small appliances or stoves, as there is also a lot of dirt hidden there. However, you should avoid using kitchen sponges or used tea towels when cleaning your kitchen for the reasons described above.
Don't forget cutting boards when cleaning the kitchen
Typically, kitchen utensils such as cutting boards are also a favorite collection point for many germs. However, many of them are difficult to clean because they have numerous cuts and cracks, which also create suitable conditions for bacteria to multiply. Additionally, rinsing your cutting board under hot water is usually not enough. Instead, it is recommended to clean such kitchen utensils and cookware in the dishwasher after each use. Just make sure that the materials they are made of are dishwasher safe.
Wooden boards in particular can harbor germs in the tiny gaps and corners that arise after just one use. It is therefore best to get at least two separate cutting boards; you should use them for fruit and vegetables and for meat. In this way, you significantly reduce the risk of cross-contamination during food preparation. Also try rinsing each one with warm, soapy water after use. Then dry the cutting boards completely with a paper towel or a clean kitchen towel. Avoid simply draining them as mold and bacteria develop in humid conditions. You can also opt for cutting boards that can be put in the dishwasher for a thorough cleaning.
Properly clean small appliances such as blenders and coffee machines, as well as kitchen utensils
When cleaning the kitchen, we often forget appliances we use every day, such as coffee machines, toasters, mixers, etc. But these small appliances found in most kitchens are another area of activity for bacteria. This also applies in particular to the water tanks of coffee machines, which remain uncleaned for months and could cause the growth of germs or mold. Additionally, clean water left in a warm and humid environment such as a coffee maker can also create a perfect environment for mold, bacteria and yeast to develop.
There are also some small appliances that require thorough cleaning every time after use, such as blenders. At least try to disassemble and clean them thoroughly once a week. Many of their components are dishwasher safe, while others can be easily rinsed with warm, soapy water without any problems. Apply this cleaning technique to kitchen utensils such as cups, can openers, or measuring spoons.
Some other kitchen gadgets you should consider when cleaning are pepper and salt shakers, pepper mills and spice jars. They collect grease and dirt from the food they touch every time you cook something. It is therefore advisable to wipe such items with disinfectant wipes and clean them weekly.
Take knobs, buttons and any handles into account when cleaning the kitchen
Any button or light switch can be a hotspot for bacteria and dirt buildup because you come into contact with it every day. Even if you have washed your hands, these areas can still harbor tons of germs as well as sticky accumulations of dust and dirt. Do you remember the last time you thoroughly cleaned a light switch or the knobs on your oven? Even if this rarely happens, you should also pay attention to small details like this when cleaning the kitchen. You don't need to clean these areas every day, but once or twice a month would be enough.
Since every kitchen appliance has some kind of control panel, buttons or handles that you touch every time you use it, it would make sense to clean them properly. Therefore, try to wipe areas such as touchpads or around knobs and handles once a week and not overlook them when cleaning the kitchen. This is especially true if you often come into contact with it while cooking or handling raw foods. In addition, you should also disinfect the handles of cupboard doors, large or small kitchen appliances and other touch panels and then wipe them with a clean kitchen towel or paper towel.
Clean other kitchen items such as reusable bags, bottles and cans
To reduce the risk of cross-contamination, every time you use a resealable bag or plastic container like lunch boxes or water bottles, be sure to clean them too. Otherwise germs can grow in or on it, which in turn increases the health risks. Regularly try to clean such products properly by completely disassembling them and placing them in the dishwasher. However, most of them can also be rinsed off with warm, soapy water. As for reusable bags or lightweight plastic containers, you can even wash them in the washing machine too. Also try to keep shopping bags separate and use each one for specific foods.
Now you could see that thorough kitchen cleaning is essential for maintaining hygiene and health. Additionally, you should also consider that insects or pets can get into every corner of your kitchen. In some cases, you may also be dealing with cockroaches, ants, mice, moths, flies, and other pests in the kitchen area. The presence of pets and insects in the home can therefore reduce hygiene and increase the risk of cross-contamination of food with bacteria. If you are a pet owner, you should therefore regularly clean all surfaces in the kitchen area that your pet passes through every day.
Also read:How to clean sticky extractor hood? Follow these simple instructions!
