Germs are everywhere – except in the sterilizers maybe, and there are several places in our kitchens that harbor these unseen but deadly organisms.
How do germs get into Kitchens? Germs enter the kitchen from outside the house often when we bring in uncooked food and fruits from the grocers or markets. Germs enter in when we are slicing that turkey or chicken or other uncooked/unprocessed animals. They come in from our own unwashed hands touching some kitchen utensils. These are some of the several ways that germs could come in to the kitchen. In rare occasions where there are pests hidden in some areas of the kitchen, they can also carry around germs. Pests carry a host of different germs on their bodies.
What are the effects of kitchen germs? Most of the food we eat passes through the kitchen before it gets to the table. It is very easy for food to get contaminated during preparation. Ingesting germs is not good and could be dangerous depending on the type of germ and the strength of the victim’s immune system. Have you ever had some serious nausea or stomach upset? It could be due to an infection as a result of taking in germs with food or water.
Cleaning up or disinfecting the kitchen requires knowing the areas that really harbor these unseen dangers. At least knowing who the enemy is and where they are hiding makes the battle easier to win.
What is the gadget that everyone in the house often touches when they come into the Kitchen? If you guess is the refrigerator, then you are very right. When you step into the kitchen and are thirsty or just want something to drink, you touch the refrigerator. It is also very likely you will be touching it with unwashed hands too. The handle of the refrigerator door is a very usual germ hideout.
There are several cleaning agents that can be used to regularly clean this germ hideout. Take time to clean it just as you do clean your plates and cups. It could be a thorough wipe or wash with disinfectant every other day. Encouraging your household to was their hands before touching anything in the kitchen will at least reduce the contamination risk and also give an awareness of kitchen hygiene.
This leads to another very dirty hideout. The tap (faucet) control. When we need to wash our “dirty” hands, we use these same hands to turn on the tap. In the process of doing this, we may unintentionally spread the germs on our hands onto the faucet control. The germs stay there until they are thoroughly washed off. A little effort at cleaning and disinfection the faucet regularly will also protect our kitchens from danger.
Your own hands carry germs from one end of the kitchen to the other. You should also take time to thoroughly wash your hands before settling down to cook in the kitchen. Endeavor to make use of a good soap solution to wash your hand very well.
When you wash your hands in the kitchen, what do you use to dry it? Hand towels are of course the most likely, but are they really clean too? Disposable towels maybe a good idea for your kitchen in your drive to make it safer and free of germs. You are assured that your clean hands won’t be messed up again from the towel which may have been used a multiple number of times.
It may not be a bad idea to pour hot water (well that is my own idea) down into the kitchen sink. I think this helps to clean the sink and kill some of the germs we keep washing down into it from time to time. Remember kitchen utensils and food items often fall into the sink or we place them there by ourselves. They should also be kept very clean so that we would not have them contaminated.
Spending a little effort now and then on our kitchen clean up and taking it as important as our kitchen remodeling and renovation efforts will do our health and the health of our family members so much good. Often prevention may be better than a cure.
