The funny thing about germs is that they are invisible. You can look around your home and not spot a single sign of dirt, but germs, well they are different. Even when your kitchen looks spic and span clean, germs are lurking where you least expect to find them. Knowing where to look will help you keep ahead of their bacteria-spreading plans so you can avoid common ailments like food poisoning. Here are five surprising places where germs can be found according to the National Sanitation Foundation.
1. Your fridge vegetable crisper
How many times have you reached into your vegetable crisper to find a soggy bag of something rotten? Because fruits and vegetables are so perishable, it is easy to over purchase and leave something tucked under everything else where it can start to go bad. This is just one of the reasons your crisper drawers are fodder for germs. Another reason is that bacteria such as Salmonella and Listeria can trickle down from meat stored above. Your drawers are also a good place for yeast and mold to hang out.
Cleaning Tip: To help keep crisper drawer germs at bay, make it a point to wash them out at least once a week using warm soapy water. You can also wipe them down with a microfiber cloth every day to keep them extra clean.
2. Your fridge meat bins
Another drawer and another spot for germs. If you think fruit and vegetables are bad, meat is even worse. Meat can bring bacteria into your kitchen just about anywhere, including your cold fridge and freezer. It is nice to think that cold temperatures will kill germs, but unfortunately this is not the case. Raw meat and lunch meats can both leak juices that can contain Salmonella and E. coli. Your meat drawers can also harbour yeast and mold.
Cleaning Tip: Just as we suggested for your crisper drawers, you can reduce germs in your meat bins with a thorough cleaning. Here, you might want to be even more diligent with more frequent cleanings. You should also always store cooked meats and raw meats in separate drawers to avoid the risk of cross-contamination. If you don’t have a fridge that allows for this, consider keeping your deli and cooked meats in a sealed container.
3. Your blender parts and can openers
Small appliances are handy kitchen tools, but they are real culprits when it comes to germs. When it comes to your blender and can opener, they have some tight little spaces ideal for germs. And it’s not just electric can openers. Your hand-held openers are just as likely to collect germs as your electric openers. In fact, hand-helds can be even worse, as you tend to use them and then toss them back in the drawer with your washed utensils. All of these kitchen tools can carry germs, including the usual suspects like Salmonella, E. coli, yeast, and mold.
Cleaning Tip: To keep on top of the germs, always make sure you take apart your blender and wash every piece just like you do for your dishes. Make sure you are using warm soapy water. You should also wipe down your electric can opener after use with an antibacterial wipe, paying close attention to the area that attaches and opens the can. Your hand-held opener can be tossed in with the dishes, including the dishwasher if you’re lucky enough to have one. All of these items should also be thoroughly dried to avoid damage.
4. Your rubber and wood-handled spatulas
This might seem like an odd one for the list, but these rubber tools are the perfect surface for germs including E. coli, yeast, and mold. This is often because they have two parts where germs can hide. Even when cleaned, they can still be hiding germs.
Cleaning Tip: To be safe, always take them apart before you try to clean them. This way you will get into all the nooks and crannies. A dishwasher is perfect if they are dishwasher safe because it will give them a good blast of germ-killing heat. Spatulas with wooden handles will have to be washed with warm soapy water by hand.
5. Your rubber-sealed food storage containers
Any kitchen worth its weight in gold will have a good selection of glass or plastic storage containers with rubber seals. This is a must if you want to keep food locked and loaded for freshness. However, they are also the perfect place for germs to hide. Underneath those air-tight seals, there can be all kinds of germs including Salmonella, yeast, and mold. This is because they tend to have a lot of crevices that might be hard to reach even when they are tossed into the dishwasher.
Cleaning Tip: To get to those sneaky germs, rubber-sealed food storage lids should be soaked in hot soapy water before washing by hand. If you have a dishwasher and your containers are dishwasher safe, you can also give them a quick rinse before putting them through the cycle. The seals are the main area where germs can hide, so if need be, consider using something to get into those crevices (such as a toothpick) so you can get anything that’s stuck under the rim.
Food Poisoning Symptoms
If you don’t think it’s worth all the effort, consider the symptoms of food poisoning:
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Watery or bloody diarrhea
- Abdominal pain and cramps
- Fever
You can live with these symptoms for a few hours or a few days. If you have kids, you know you don’t want to be dealing with the clean up from food poisoning!
Although you will never get at all those microorganisms living in your kitchen, a thorough cleaning can help reduce the odds of getting sick. The cleaning team at Maid4Condos has your back. Click here to schedule your cleaning today!
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