A kitchen is considered the heart of any home! While it’s a place that ensures the good health of all the family members, it can also be a surprisingly dangerous place where more germs are accumulated than any other area of your house, including the bathroom. Hence, keeping your kitchen spick and span at all times becomes extremely imperative to your family’s well-being. Let’s learn how to keep your kitchen neat and clean, making it free of germs and bacteria all the time.
Wash Your Hands Thoroughly:
This is the most important kitchen hygiene rule that must be followed at regular intervals while cooking and preparing your meals. Always wash your hands properly with an antibacterial soap and water before you touch anything in your kitchen. Doing so will help you prevent the transfer of potentially harmful bacteria to the food.
Make Gloves and Aprons Your Best Friends:
To prevent your clothes from getting soiled and your soft skin from coming into contact with detrimental chemicals, always wear a clean, well-fitted kitchen apron when you’re working in the kitchen area. Additionally, keep a good selection of oven mitts on hand to avoid possible skin burns while you’re pulling hot vessels out of the microwave oven. Needless to say, both aprons and oven gloves are a great way to help you maintain kitchen hygiene.
Sanitize Your Rubbish Bin:
While it’s advisable to always keep a dustbin in your kitchen, never forget to sanitize it frequently using a medically prescribed chemical like Dettol, Phenyl, etc. Make sure your trash bin has a lid to hold foul smells in as well as it comes with a foot pedal for opening and closing. Also, if possible, sprinkle some baking soda around the bin to prevent germs from spreading around the kitchen.
Avoid Cross Contamination:
Cross contamination is one of the main and most common causes of food poisoning. It happens when two different types of food come into contact with each other. The best way to avoid cross-contamination in your kitchen is using separate chopping boards and utensils to prepare your meals. This will prevent the transfer of bacteria from one food to another.
Never over-fill your Refrigerator:
This is a common mistake that most of the women make almost every day. Stacking up your refrigerator too much with a lot of unnecessary foods do nothing but cause it not to work to its full potential. Also, by over-filling your fridge, you’re at the higher risk of having your foods coming into contact with each other, which further leads to cross contamination. So make sure there is enough room for air circulation inside after you put something in your fridge.
Clean Up Spills Promptly:
While you’re working in the kitchen, it’s easy to spill a thing or two. Whenever this happens, make sure to clean up the spill as soon as possible. Cleaning up spills immediately after they happen not only helps you prevent potential accidents but also saves you a lot of time while cleaning the kitchen. Remember, even a small amount of water, food or grease on the floor can cause you a slipping hazard.
Clean Your Kitchen Periodically:
Make it a habit to regularly deep clean kitchen counters, floors, curtains, glass or tough corners to keep your kitchen dust and germs free. Use hot water to clean kitchen utensils and a disinfectant to clean the areas you touch often. Make a schedule to clean all of your kitchen appliances, which is a perfect place for germs and bacteria to breed. Also, don’t forget to replace dish cloths and kitchen towels at regular intervals of time.
Tie Your Hair and Cut Your Nail:
Before you enter the kitchen, tie your hair properly using a tight bun or pony to ensure they will not fall into the food. You can alternatively wear a hair net to keep hair from contaminating food. As well, cut your fingernails and always keep them clean. As the area underneath the nail is a great breeding ground for bacteria, it’s extremely hygienic to work in the kitchen with long nails.
