Take a mental tour of your kitchen: the stove, the sink and the countertops. Where do you think you’ll find the most germs?
Here are some of the more surprising places and objects where harmful pathogens might be lurking.
Knobs, Dials, and Handles
Most filthy kitchen items get that way because people just forget about them. The knobs, dials, and handles on your kitchen appliances are a perfect example. Oven handles in particular tend to attract oil and grease, which creates a fertile home for passing germs.
Dish Sponges
The dish sponge is not only the filthiest item in your kitchen—it’s the nastiest, grossest, most germ-infested thing in your entire home.There are number of solutions. One popular remedy suggest you simply microwave your sponge for two minutes; it’s been shown to kill more than 99 percent of germs.
Can Openers
Can openers aren’t cleaned as often as other kitchen utensils—or at least not as thoroughly. The problem is that most people use them to pop open a can, and then toss the utensils back into the drawer. Can openers are exposed to food every time they open a can, and that food quickly turns rancid if not cleaned. The solution is simple: Just toss your can openers back in the wash every time you use them.
Cutting Boards
Wooden cutting boards in particular can be happy homes for germs. That’s because they have extremely porous surfaces that serve as defensive fortresses for bacteria. This is especially problematic if you use your cutting boards for slicing up raw meat. Salmonella and other pathogens that live in raw poultry or pork are not to be trifled with. To prevent infection, be sure to wash your cutting boards not just after, but also before using them or just use a polypropylene board to use with raw meat, and a wooden board for everything else. Finally, always store your cutting boards vertically, on their side.
Faucets
You don’t often think to clean the faucet itself, but think about it: It never dries out, and that makes it a veritable all-you-can-eat buffet for germs. To keep it clean, it’s good practice to remove the aerator and douse it in a solution of water and white vinegar. Use that same solution to wipe around the faucet spout. You can use other antimicrobial cleaning solutions to do the same—just be sure to properly rinse out the cleaner before you take a sip of water from the sink.
Towels
Dish towels get dirty really quickly, what with all that dish-drying and subsequent lying around. The lingering moisture becomes an oasis for germs, and those same germs can get passed to your kitchenware the next time you dry a load of dishes. Once again, the solution here is pretty simple: Make sure you frequently send your towels through the wash.
Knife Blocks
You may clean your knives rigorously, but the dark, damp crevices in which they live can be total cesspools. How is anyone supposed to clean such an inaccessible area? Well, there are a few ways. First, you probably want to use some compressed air to blow out any wood residue and buildup, then flip it over a trash bin to remove the loose debris. You can then take a pipe scrubber (or some other thin cleaning tool), douse it an antimicrobial cleaner, and scrub the interior of the knife block. Voila!
