Let’s be honest, we are never thrilled to have to clean the kitchen, but apparently, it is the ‘germiest room in the home’, so it should be our priority to have it sparkling at all times!
According to Cleaning Experts:
“The kitchen is a central room in anyone’s house and is often the most used. It can however, be the most dangerous as the surfaces, utensils, and cloths contained in the kitchen can harbor many serious, sometimes lethal germs that can have a very negative effect on health. “
To understand the potential risks of an unhealthy kitchen, read on:
— “Many food items have the potential to be contaminated with salmonella. This type of bacteria can not only be found in meats and animal carcasses and passed to humans through the meat not being cooked thoroughly but from contact with contaminated hands, surfaces, utensils and even from places such as door handles and buttons if they have been touched by a contaminated hand.
— Listeria is another type of bacteria that is carried in animals. It can be brought into the domestic environment by purchasing foods that are contaminated. The bacteria can then be passed between people and objects by cross-contamination.
— E-coli is yet another germ that can be found in food products. Though rare, this can also be fatal in some people. Again it is spread through contamination of hands, surfaces or utensils
Bacteria can breed at an alarming rate and within just a few hours, enough bacteria may have been produced to cause very serious illness. “
Lisa Yakas, a senior project manager for NSF International, which does product testing and certification, explains:
“For a normal, healthy person, these things might not affect them that much. But certain kinds of people, such as the elderly, pregnant women, children, and individuals with compromised immune systems, may be more seriously impacted. Those types of people could all be in our homes, and they are the most susceptible to these organisms, so we just want to bring this to light, make these areas known, so that people can start cleaning these areas.”
However, cleaning the kitchen should no longer be your nightmare, as it can be done in a simple and safe way, without the side-effects of the chemicals used in commercial cleaners and detergents.
The following nifty tips will help you clean the kitchen in an almost effortless way:
1. Deodorize Smelly Kitchen Towels with Baking Soda and Vinegar
Mix vinegar and baking soda in the washing machine to get rid of the odors from the kitchen towels.
2. Clean Grill Grates with Onion
Rub a half onion, peeled, back and forth over the grates of a hot grill to clean them.
3. Clean a Scorched Iron with Salt
Spread a few tablespoons of table salt on a soft cloth and rub the heated iron until you clean the scorch mars. Then, rub with a damp cloth.
4. Sanitize Sponges in the Microwave
Zap the sponges in the microwave for 2 minutes in order to kill all the microbes that accumulate on them.
5. Unblock Stinky Drains with Baking Soda and Vinegar
Mix vinegar, baking soda, and hot water, and pour the solution down the drain to loosen up grimy sludge and get rid of the unpleasant odors.
6. Make the Microwave Sparkle by Zapping Vinegar
Heat a bowl o water and vinegar in the microwave for 10 minutes, and then wipe the inside.
7. Kill Germs in Your Coffee Machine
Mix water and vinegar in equal amounts, and fill the water chamber. Run the machine until the solution has passed through, and repeat once more with plain water.
8. Freshen Up the Garbage Disposal with a Lemon
Cut a lemon in half, and shove it in the garbage disposal to eliminate the bad odors.
9. Clean Baking Trays and Dirty Pans with Lemon
To clean the grease off the pots, pans, dishes, and cookie sheets, soak them in some hot water with fresh lemon and baking soda.