|
|||||||||||
 |
Healthy You Archives |
Protecting Your Health
Germs in the Kitchen A sparkling-clean kitchen is a pleasing place to spend time—but more than that, it’s your best defense against bacteria that could affect your family’s health. You needn’t be an obsessive housekeeper to achieve a clean kitchen. The key points to remember are these basics:Wash your hands. Use warm soap and water. Wash your hands often when you work with food, especially if you alternately handle raw meat or fish and other foods, like vegetables. Wash your hands after you sneeze, cough, blow your nose or touch your face, says Alex Endres, general manager for food services at Lehigh Valley Hospital and Health Network. “People don’t realize how often they touch their hair or mouth,” he says. Keep counters and sinks clean. Wipe up spills on any surface immediately. Before rinsing vegetables in a sinkful of water, make sure the sink is thoroughly washed and disinfected. Before setting food on a counter where you’ve cut up meat or chicken, clean it with disinfectant. Don’t let sponges or dishcloths get icky. “It doesn’t matter whether you prefer a dishcloth or sponge—either works fine—but use a clean one every day,” Endres says. “Keep a small pail of water and disinfectant to drop your dishcloth or sponge into between uses.” Another option: one-time-only disinfectant wipes. Scour cutting boards. “Bacteria breed in the crevices made by knives,” Endres says. Use a hard plastic board for cutting meat and vegetables. Wash it with hot water and disinfectant soap immediately after use, and especially before using the board for something else. Wooden boards are fine for bread. Make those dishes shine. Dishwashers do the best job of disinfecting, especially if you always use the heated dry cycle. If you don’t have a dishwasher, let the dishes air-dry. “If you need to dry a plate, use a clean dish towel and not the hand towel everyone uses,” Endres says. Be a germ detective. “Look for places that harbor bacteria,” Endres says. Inspect the ceiling of the microwave oven, where bits of food often get stuck. Clean the surfaces of your stove. In the refrigerator, wipe up milk drips and wash out the crisper drawers, especially if vegetables have decayed. Regularly wash the dish drainer and silverware holder—good breeding grounds for germs.
Want to Know More about kitchen cleanliness? Click here for detailed tips or call 610-402-CARE. This page last updated 2/12/08 04:08 PM
ARTICLE TOOLS:
|
 May June 2005 Eating Healthy
Staying Fit
Caring for Mind and Body
Just for Women
Just for Men
Raising a Family
Heart of Healthy You
Protecting Your Health
Coping with Illness
Aging Well
Keeping Up to Date
Weight Control
|
|
||||
|
|
|
||||||
