Dirtiest Places in Your Kitchen and How to Clean Them Up
The kitchen contains more bacteria than a toilet seat
From the LifeMinute.TV Team
June 12, 2023
While we scrub the bathroom, we could be overlooking the dirtiest place in the home — the kitchen. With all the activities in the kitchen, no wonder it's the germiest place.
Refrigerator
The average-size refrigerator has more than 1,200 bacteria units living on every square inch. The produce drawer is the dirtiest, with more than 750 times a safe number of bacteria.
What to do: Deep clean it at least twice a year. First, remove all contents and discard anything expired. Use gloves and a multi-purpose cleaner to scrub it down. Remove all detachable pieces, such as shelves, drawers, dividers, egg trays, etc., and get into those nooks and crannies. Wipe down food containers before putting them back in the fridge. Place a carton of open baking soda in the fridge to keep it fresh.
Cutting Boards and Countertops
The surface of your countertops and cutting boards take on a lot of germy items such as raw foods, splattered food, groceries, and grocery bags. Countertops can be especially dirty near the sink area because people wipe them down with sponges and cleaning cloths, which have E. coli and other bacteria.
What to do: Use dish soap, warm water, and a microfiber cloth and thoroughly wipe down. Frequently rinse your cloth with clean water as you work, so you are not just wiping dirty water around.
Sink
According to research by the Global Hygiene Council, kitchen sinks have more than 17,000 bacteria per square inch, an ideal place for E. coli to live and grow since it's wet and moist. There are more fecal bacteria in a sink than in a flushed toilet.
What to do: To help ensure a clean and clog-free sink, start with the drain. Pour approximately half a cup of baking soda, then two cups of white vinegar into the drain, and cover with a folded dishcloth to allow the solution to soak and bubble. Wait five minutes, then rinse your drain with hot water. Next, put on gloves and sprinkle powder cleanser or baking soda over the base of your sink, and scrub with a soft scrub brush to rub the baking soda in the direction of the grain. Use a toothbrush to get around the drain hole and other tight spots. Dry the entire sink with a microfiber cloth.
Knobs, handles, and buttons
These surfaces are the most frequently touched in the kitchen, which allows for a lot of cross-contamination. For instance, the kitchen sink faucet handle has 13,000 bacteria per square inch.
What to do: Give the handle — and the entire kitchen door — a good wipe-down every day with a disinfecting kitchen wipe. Remember, kitchen wipes are only good for disinfecting a 3-by-3-foot area. Don't try to stretch it.
Sink Sponges, Dish Cloths, and Rags
Put your sponges through the dishwasher each night. And wash dish rags and cloths in the washing machine.
Small Appliances
Small appliances on your countertops can harbor bacteria such as Salmonella, Listeria, and E. coli. Plus, mold and yeast. The inside can be even dirtier because of the food left behind. Don't forget scissors.
What to do: For most small appliances, such as coffee makers, food processors, and blenders, you can remove parts and wash them in warm water and dish soap, or if safe, you may be able to run them through the dishwasher. Wipe down the outsides of appliances, including buttons that are frequently touched. To clean inside the coffee maker, fill the reservoir with equal parts distilled white vinegar and distilled water. Allow the solution to sit in the coffee maker for an hour, then run a brewing cycle. Next, run two full brewing cycles with just plain distilled water.
Cans and Portable Can Openers
These items travel long distances and are touched by many people before they make it into our homes. Many can contain harmful bacteria, viruses, or parasites, especially if not stored in cool places like the refrigerator. And the can opener blade is often called “the dirtiest inch in the kitchen”— since it's one of the last things people think to clean.
What to do: Always wipe down the tops of cans and containers with soap and water to remove germs before you open them. You can also pour a canned beverage into a drinking glass to avoid sipping from the can.
Cooking Utensils
In a study funded by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, University of Georgia researchers found that produce that contained bacteria would contaminate other produce items through the continued use of knives or graters. These aren’t the only cooking utensils affected. Spoons and forks can transfer germs from one food to another if you are not cleaning them right after using them to handle multiple things.
What to do: Don't leave utensils sitting on the countertop. Designate a place for them after use. For wood utensils, sanitize with hydrogen peroxide for a deep clean. Allow the wooden spoons to soak for fifteen minutes, then rinse away the hydrogen peroxide with water and air-dry the spoons before using them again. If wood utensils develop cracks, throw them away as bacteria can lodge inside cracks.