Your kitchen is where you prepare and serve food, so it can often be quite dirty.
If you leave your kitchen in a less than a clean slate, you’re compromising the safety of consuming the food that you serve and prepare there. Thus, you must know how to clean the dirtiest places in the kitchen.
Here are eight tips on which parts of the kitchen are the dirtiest and how you can clean them.
Countertops
Your kitchen countertops are subject to plenty of usage from various things, not just items that you use in the kitchen.
Some people even sit on their kitchen counters. Of course, you also have to count the number of times you prepped food on your kitchen counter. If you don’t keep the counters clean, you risk transferring the germs onto the food you prepare.
The key to taking care of countertops is to clean them daily. It would help if you were cleaning after every use. You should also try and have kitchen countertops that are non-porous so that food and other things don’t seep into your countertops.
All you need to clean the countertops would be dish soap, warm water, and a microfiber towel. Once you clean the countertops, please leave it to air dry.
Refrigerator
Since you use the refrigerator a variety of food items, you should take the time to clean it.
The best way to keep your fridge clean is to avoid cross-contamination. It is also essential to be vigilant when it comes to potential spills inside the refrigerator. If anything spills, clean it up as soon as you can instead of leaving it there.
Aside from the usual cleaning, you should also make sure that you disinfect your refrigerator. You can use white vinegar to help you.
White vinegar is excellent because it helps sanitize and disinfect. At the same time, it helps get rid of any foul odor. If you think it’s too potent, you can water it down and put it in a spray bottle.
Knife block
If you don’t know or have never cared for your knife block, don’t be surprised if it’s one of the dirtiest and germ-ridden items in your kitchen right now.
Knife blocks made out of wood are especially vulnerable because mold and yeast can grow if you put even wet knives back in the block.
All you need to clean a knife block would be soap and water. Ensure that you take the time to scrub the inside of the knife slots.
To thoroughly get rid of germs, soak the block in a gallon or more of water and a tablespoon of bleach. Once you finish soaking it, let it air dry but hang it upside down.
Cutting board
Cutting boards also need your care and attention, and you’re probably not disinfecting it as often as you should be.
If you use your cutting board to cut raw meats, you can risk infection and cross-contamination if you don’t clean it. You should especially clean it if you have a wooden cutting board that can soak up the juices of the food you’re slicing.
Much like the knife block, you should also use soap and water to wash the cutting board after every use. To disinfect it, you should use the bleach and water combination and soak it there. Let it air dry after washing.
Kitchen sink
After you wash your dishes, make sure that you wash down your sink, so you don’t encourage the build-up of food debris and germs.
Of course, now and again, make sure that you flush your sink drains with vinegar combined with baking soda.
Dish sponge
Speaking of your kitchen sink, your kitchen sponge is probably the dirtiest thing in your kitchen.
At Maid Sailors Home Cleaning Services NYC, we understand that you can only do so much cleaning and sanitizing your used sponge. Hence, we advise that you replace the sponges every week.
If you don’t want to keep several sponges on hand, you should get a set of kitchen towels or rags for washing dishes instead. You can wash them easier than sponges.
Dishwasher
Your dishwasher can collect food particles and other debris after every wash. Thus, you have to make sure that you clean and disinfect it as well.
One helpful tip would be to put a mug filled with white vinegar at the top rack of your dishwasher.
Run your dishwasher on its normal cycle, and it should help get rid of other debris that stayed in your dishwasher.
Reusable containers
Your reusable containers in the kitchen also need a cleaning session, especially after each use. If you’re reusing items, no matter what it is, you should always clean it up before using it.
If you’re reusing grocery bags or containers, make sure that you give them a good cleaning. They still accumulate germs, dirt, and bacteria, so it would be a mistake to use them as is without cleaning them.
Also, wiping them down isn’t enough to get rid of the germs and bacteria. You also need to wash them, including your reusable grocery bags, to be completely rid of these harmful items.
Sometimes, food storage containers will get challenging to remove stains if you leave them for a while. Thus, it would help if you cleaned your food storage containers as soon as you finish using them.
Final Thoughts
Now that you know how to better care for your kitchen, you’ll keep a clean and healthy kitchen.
Remember that keeping your kitchen clean isn’t only about making it look nice, but it’s also for your health and safety in the long run.
Aside from that, it will make your kitchen and the items in it sturdier and last longer.
