Your countertops and sinks are common touchpoints that come into contact with your hands, food and everything else in your kitchen.
If these surfaces are rife with bacteria or other contaminants, that’s going to be a problem. One contaminated surface in your kitchen could quickly spread pathogens to another. You could prepare a dish on an unclean surface and get sick, and then spread disease to your loved ones.
This spring, as you’re decluttering your house and deep-cleaning your cupboards, take time to make sure that your most-used surfaces are spotless (and safe).
Here’s what you need to know.
The Contaminants that Colonize on Your Common Kitchen Surfaces
From Salmonella to Staphylococcus aureus, there are entire species of microbes that tend to line the surfaces we touch daily. These unwanted guests can cause a whole host of unpleasant diseases and symptoms.
Fortunately, the fix is simple. One of the best ways to avoid food poisoning is to establish a level of cleanliness that keeps you confident about your common surfaces.
In the kitchen, you need to be aware of cross-contamination and the typical surfaces that can hide invisible pathogens. When you’re cleaning your kitchen, remember to target each of these areas with an effective all-purpose cleaner for a comprehensive sweep:
- Your phone or tablet
- Your handles (sink, drawers, refrigerator and oven)
- Your sink
- Your countertops
There’s a reason that effective and thorough cleaning is a crucial part of the foodservice industry. Professional and personal kitchens alike are perfect breeding grounds for high levels of contamination. Adopting some of the habits that pro chefs use in their kitchens to keep everything compartmentalized and clean can contribute to a safer atmosphere in your home. For example:
Don’t touch anything in your kitchen unless it’s strictly necessary. Economize your movements and reduce the number of surfaces that you might cross-contaminate. Leave your phone elsewhere, turn on lights and music before you start cooking, and use voice activation whenever possible to control your tech once you’ve started food preparation.
Wash your hands thoroughly. The CDC recommends washing your hands before, during and after food preparation. Whenever you touch a new food or surface, wash your hands; we recommend using an antibacterial hand soap. Scrub your hands for at least 15 seconds to make your skin as clean as possible. Worried that all of that washing is going to dry out your hands? That’s why we recommend the MicroGold® Waterless Hand Soap; it’s an alcohol-free moisturizing, antibacterial soap providing efficacy and comfort.
Dedicate time to cleaning effectively before, during and after food preparation. There’s no such thing as being too safe when you’re handling food. Keep your All-Purpose Cleaner within hand’s reach to make sure your surfaces are clean and safe before beginning. Take a minute to wash off surfaces as you work with different ingredients (particularly poultry or raw meat), and don’t leave the washing up for the next day — as much as possible, tackle it immediately. (Trust us: You’ll sleep better knowing your kitchen is clean and germ-free.)
Keep Your Kitchen Clean and Ready-to-Go with the MicroGold® Suite of Products
Having smart products on standby to keep your kitchen spotless is our go-to strategy. This spring, concentrate on stocking your shelves with effective cleaners that remove contaminants from your environment instead of simply moving them around. We recommend an all-purpose cleaner that cleans AND kills viruses and bacteria. And to make sure that your hands don’t transfer unwanted microbes from surface to surface, use a moisturizing, antibacterial hand soap.