Is Your Kitchen Germ-Free?

The heart of your home - your kitchen - appears spotless; but look closer. Your kitchen may be a cesspool of germs - billions of them. They've made themselves right at home.

Think of every area of your kitchen, from each piece of fabric to the surface of your hands, and you can probably assume germs are there.

In our daily lives, we are constantly exposed to microorganisms. They are all around us - in the air, water and soil. They are also carried by people and animals. Some are good and some are bad. We have good ones hard at work in our digestive tracts, for instance. Others, such as certain strains of E. coli, can cause food poisoning.

Washing your hands, the cutting board and the countertop are good steps, but there's more you can do. Here are some ways to keep yourself and your family safe.

• Wash your hands with hot, soapy water (for at least 20 seconds) before and after handling food and after using the bathroom, changing diapers, or handling pets. Thoroughly scrub hands, wrists, fingernails, and in between fingers. Rinse and dry hands with paper towels or a clean cloth.
• Use paper towels or disposable cleaning cloths instead of sponges or wet cloths. Moist materials allow germs to grow. If you prefer to use a sponge, throw it away if it smells bad or looks dirty.
• Use paper towels for one task only. Wiping down a spill on one surface and then cleaning another with the same towel can spread bacteria.
• Wash your sink, especially if you are using it for different functions while making your meal - like thawing chicken, preparing veggies and washing utensils.
• Replace your wooden utensils. These can develop cracks, where bacteria can hide. The same is true for cutting boards.
• Disinfect the surfaces that you'll be touching while you prepare your meal. Do this before you begin to cook. Clean door and cupboard handles, faucets and trash cans.
• Wear rubber gloves when working in the kitchen. Germs can grow in cuts in your hands and can get into food.
• Use a different spoon if you want to taste food that you are cooking.
• Cover your mouth when you sneeze or cough, and turn away from food, dishes, utensils and drinking glasses. Wash your hands after you sneeze or cough.
• Use hot, clean, soapy water to clean your pots, cutting boards, dishes, utensils, and countertops.
• Clean your can opener. This is an excellent place for germs to hide and grow. Make sure you wash your can opener in hot, soapy water.
• Clean inside your microwave and fridge regularly. Wipe up spills immediately, clean refrigerator surfaces with hot, soapy water, and, once a week, throw out perishable foods that should no longer be eaten.
• Keep your countertops clean. They can become highly contaminated. Wipe them down regularly with clean cloths. Periodically, kitchen sanitizers can be used for added protection against bacteria. You can also use one teaspoon of liquid chlorine bleach per quart of clean water to sanitize surfaces. The bleach solution needs to sit on the surface to be sanitized for about 10 minutes to be effective.

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External Source Food and Drug Administration

This article was reviewed and updated June 2007.

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