Kitchens can be considered a “high volume” area in your home, considering food is an important part of our everyday life. With people consistently coming in and out of the kitchen and leaving behind food, spills and dirt, a kitchen can be a place where bacteria and germs thrive. This is why it’s important to make sure you are doing all you can to prevent the spread of bacteria and infection in your kitchen. 

Items That Are Sources of Contamination:

• Be cautious when handling raw meats, poultry and fish/seafood. These items can carry many harmful bacteria and can be linked to disease like, salmonella, campylobacter, shigella, ecoli, etc.
• Look out for unpasteurized cheeses and meats. This can carry diseases like listeria monocytogenes that could be extremely dangerous, especially with pregnant women. 
• Be mindful of where your fruits and vegetables come from. Some fruits and vegetables can carry parasites and organisms, depending on where they where grown. 
• Be aware of anyone that is sick! With things constantly being used and touched in the kitchen it is especially important to be mindful of anyone that is sick, so you can properly disinfect.

Areas to Clean in Your Kitchen

In the kitchen many items and gadgets are consistently touched by people. This is why it’s important to make sure you are consistently cleaning and disinfecting the following: 

• Can openers
• Cutting boards
• Countertops
• Towels
  • Use new clean towels and dish rags every day. 
• Sponges/scrubbers
  • Put sponges or scrubbers in the dishwasher every time you run it. 
• Garbage disposals
  • Scrub the inside of the walls of the disposal with a brush and chlorinated cleansing powder. Let the cleanser sit until the next time the disposal is used. Make sure to do this at least once a month. 
• Sink drains (along pipe under the sink)
  • Every 1-2 weeks you will need to pour 1 cup of hot water in the drain and wait for it to soak up heat from the water. Then pour 1 cup of undiluted chlorine bleach and let it sit overnight. 
• Refrigerators
• Blenders
• Ovens
• Toasters/toaster ovens
• Any other commonly used kitchen gadget/appliance

Tips to Cleaning

• Make sure you know the difference between CLEANING and DISINFECTING
  • Cleaning will just wipe off grease, food and dirt, while disinfecting will actually kill the bacteria, viruses and parasites.
  • Make sure you are using the proper cleaners to make sure you are disinfecting areas properly. Any disinfecting and sanitizing liquids, sprays or wipes will work. 
  • Cleaning before disinfecting is going to be important to make sure none of the food, grease or other buildup will get in the way of disinfecting. 
• Make sure you are drying your dishes properly! Sterilizing your dishes in a dishwasher is going to be the most effective. The least effective way is by using a paper towel or towel, because that will end up spreading bacteria or germs with a constantly used towel. 
• ALWAYS wash your hands before eating, preparing food and after cleaning/disinfecting.
  • Make sure to use soap and warm water. 
  • Wash your ENTIRE hand (front and back)
  • Wash your hands thoroughly for 20 seconds. 
  • Rinse well and make this a habit. 
  • If you decide to use hand sanitizer, make sure to apply the gel around both hands (back and front) and let your hands dry BEFORE touching anything.