Myth #1 Floors and stove tops are the most unsanitary surfaces in your kitchen! While kitchen floors and stovetops often accumulate dirt and grime, the surfaces that are most likely to spread food-borne illnesses are your sink and sponge. These areas are used for a variety of tasks, such as cleaning raw chicken juice off cutting boards and rinsing E. coli and other germs from Romaine lettuce leaves. However, many people do not properly clean and disinfect these tools and basins, providing an ideal environment for germs to multiply. To prevent this, it's important to regularly clean, dry, and disinfect your sink and sponge. Germs struggle to survive on dry, clean surfaces, so consider washing your sponge in a washing machine or switching to washable and reusable dish rags. Additionally, at the end of each day, clean your sink with soap and water and give it a final mist with a spray bottle of diluted bleach water (1 tsp bleach per quart). By doing this, you can effectively shut down the breeding ground for germs in your kitchen.
Myth #2 You can clean stainless steel appliances with just polish!
It may be hard to accept, but it's important to know that using Stainless Steel Cleaner and Polish alone may not be enough to effectively clean your appliances. These products may contain oils that can lubricate some dirt, but they lack the detergents and disinfectants needed to remove dirt and germs. Additionally, the polymers and waxes in these products can create a film that traps any remaining dirt, making it easier for new dirt and germs to stick and grow. To avoid this, it's important to clean your appliances with a quality, disinfecting, all-purpose cleaner that is safe for stainless steel before polishing. This will ensure that the surfaces are truly clean and reduce the need for excessive use of polish. Additionally, it will help to prolong the life of the polish, saving you money in the long run. Remember, clean before you polish for a more effective and hygienic cleaning.
Myth #3 Your kitchen cabinets don’t need to be cleaned that often!
It's unclear how this belief started, but it's important to note that kitchen cabinets, particularly the handles, are often overlooked surfaces that can be a breeding ground for germs. These surfaces are frequently touched, whether it's from a child with a runny nose opening a cabinet for a snack or a cook handling raw meat and opening a cabinet for an ingredient. Furthermore, steam and oils from cooking can also settle on cabinets, leaving a layer of grime. To combat this, it's important to give your kitchen cabinets a thorough cleaning with a quality disinfecting all-purpose cleaner, focusing especially on the handles, on a weekly basis. If you have greasy build-up on wood cabinets, a wood-safe degreaser can be helpful to remove it. By cleaning your cabinets regularly, you can prevent the buildup of germs and grime.
Myth #4 Quickly spraying and wiping countertops with disinfecting cleaners is good enough!
Properly using disinfectants is a crucial step in keeping your kitchen clean and germ-free, but many people are not aware of the correct methods. Simply spraying and wiping off disinfecting cleaners will not effectively kill germs. According to the instructions on the bottles, most disinfectants require at least 60 seconds of contact time to sanitize and up to 10 minutes for full hospital-grade disinfection. However, people not leaving the disinfectant for the required time is leading to the development of stronger germs, commonly called superbugs. To avoid this, it's important to wipe down your counters and leave the disinfectant on for the recommended time, at least 60 seconds, before wiping it off. This will ensure that all germs are eliminated, and you are not contributing to the development of superbugs.