Diamond Author
Think the bathroom is the dirtiest place in the house? It is not. The kitchen is the dirtiest place and the refrigerator door handle is the dirtiest item. The handle gets smeared with visible food and invisible bacteria. Dish cloths and sponges can harbor harmful bacteria as well and bacteria spread easily.
Do you use the same dish cloth for days? Do you wipe your kitchen counters with a sponge? If you answered affirmatively to these questions you need to take action to prevent the spread of harmful bacteria, including Salmonella and E coli.
According to "An Ounce of Prevention Keeps the Germs Away," a booklet published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), kitchen counters should be cleaned regularly with a disinfectant. The CDC's advice: "When cleaning surfaces, don't let germs hang around on cleaning cloths or towels!" Instead, the CDC says you should use paper towels, clean dish towels, or disposable sanitizing wipes.
"Dangers of an Unclean Kitchen," an article on the Cleaning Expert website, also discusses the dangers of dirty dish cloths and sponges. "These items can hold more harmful bacteria than anywhere else in the house," the article notes. To prevent the spread of bacteria, dish cloths, towels and sponges should be used only once and laundered in hot water.
Some consumers are zapping dish sponges in the microwave to kill bacteria. Jennifer Warner discusses this trend in a WebMD article, "Microwave Kills Germs in Sponges." Microwaving a damp sponge on high power for two minutes does kill bacteria. But you have to do it right. "Be careful in removing the sponge from the microwave because it will be hot and should not be handled after zapping," she warns.
Some consumers are zapping dry sponges in the microwave and, as you might imagine, the sponges catch on fire. The "New York Times" details this practice in "The Claim: You Can Disinfect a Kitchen Sponge in the Microwave. Journalist Anahad O'Connor says zapping damp sponges in the microwave "can pose a safety hazard.' A simpler solution, according to O'Connor, is to throw the sponge out and buy a new one.
I like fabric dish cloths and wash them, along with dish towels, every day. We live in a hard water area and, though we have a softener, kitchen linens become drab. When this happens, I toss them in the rag bag and buy new ones. To avoid cross-contamination, I never mop up floor spills with the dish cloth. Here are more ideas to help you keep a clean kitchen.
* Color code cloths, one color for the sink, another for counters and floor spills.
* Wipe down counters with disinfectant approved by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
* Discard kitchen linens that are ripped or frayed.
* Try antibacterial dish cloths and replace them after 40 washings.
* Be extra careful about kitchen cleanliness if someone in the family is ill.
These steps will help to keep your kitchen clean and your family safe.
Copyright 2010 by Harriet Hodgson
About this Author
Harriet Hodgson has been an independent journalist for 30+ years. She is a member of the American Society of Journalists and Authors, Association of Health Care Journalists, and Association for Death Education and Counseling. Her 24th book, "Smiling Through Your Tears: Anticipating Grief," written with Lois Krahn, MD is available on Amazon.
Centering Corporation has published her 26th book, "Writing to Recover: The Journey from Loss and Grief to a New Life" and a companion journal with 100 writing jump-starts. Hodgson is a monthly columnist for the new "Caregiving in America" magazine, which resumes publication in August. She is also a contributing writer for the Open to Hope Foundation website. Please visit Harriet's website and learn more about this busy author and grandmother.
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