From wiping down the counters daily to keeping up with the dishes and more, you might think that you’re covering all of the essential steps to have a clean, sanitary kitchen.
However, some of the dirtiest places in your home are in your kitchen, and you might be overlooking them when you clean. What are the 9 dirtiest places in your kitchen?
Why Your Kitchen Might Be Dirtier Than You Think
Your kitchen has many nooks and crannies that you might not easily reach or even think about when you clean. There are also numerous high-touch surfaces in the kitchen that most people don’t clean regularly.
You might assume that some areas are clean if they don’t look or feel dirty. However, kitchens are often teeming with bacteria like E. coli, salmonella, and others. You won’t always see the filth, but you can rest assured that it’s there.
The Unexpected Germ Hotspots
To have a truly clean kitchen, you need to cover all of the obvious areas as well as the areas that you might not always think about cleaning. These are some of the top unexpected germ hotspots in kitchens.
1. Kitchen Sink
The kitchen sink and garbage disposal opening come in direct contact with all types of food waste and liquids. This even includes raw meat juices, raw eggs, and other concerning substances.
Like your counters, these areas should be cleaned daily using soap and warm water. On a weekly basis, sanitize them with bleach or a combination of vinegar and baking soda.
2. Sponge and Dishcloths
Your kitchen sponge and dishcloths are used to clean many areas of your kitchen, but they can also harbor bacteria, mildew, and more. When they’re dirty, your efforts to clean with them backfire. Instead of cleaning the counters, you spread more germs across them.
Dishcloths should be laundered daily. Your kitchen sponge can be sanitized by placing it in a bowl of water and microwaving it for several minutes. Even with regular cleaning, the sponge should be replaced weekly.
3. Cutting Boards
Both plastic and wood cutting boards are prime spots for germs to grow. With use, they develop deep grooves from knives that make sanitizing them more difficult.
Cutting boards must be sanitized after every use. When they get deeply grooved or have other signs of damage, they must be replaced.
4. Refrigerator Handles and Shelves
Both the interior and exterior of your fridge should be cleaned routinely. For the door handle, sanitize this high-touch area weekly.
Inside the fridge, clean crumbs, spills and other visible filth as soon as possible. Your refrigerator should also be deep cleaned at least two times per year.
5. Stove Knobs and Control Panels
The stove knobs and control panels are frequently touched while cooking. However, unless they are visibly dirty, they are rarely cleaned.
Stove knobs can be removed and cleaned in the dishwasher regularly. In addition, wipe down the control panel each time you clean the stovetop and counters.
6. Countertops
Countertops are high-touch surfaces, and they also come in direct contact with your food and the utensils you use to make food.
Always sanitize counters after preparing each meal and snack. Weekly, remove the small appliances and other items stored on the counters to do a more thorough cleaning.
7. Coffee Maker
The interior of your coffee maker is a dark, wet area that is ideal for bacteria and mold to grow. In addition, hard water residue can leave behind limescale, which can taint the flavor of your coffee.
Clean the interior of your coffee maker every few weeks using distilled white vinegar. You can run a few cycles of vinegar through the machine to clean the tubing and other components that you can’t reach.
8. Microwave Interior
The inside of your microwave will grow filthy from food splatters, spills, and crumbs. The debris creates a funky odor in the microwave that can permeate throughout your kitchen.
Remove all grime from the microwave after each use with a soapy, wet cloth. You’ll also need to deep clean your microwave monthly.
9. Trash Can
Even with the use of plastic trash bags, the interior of a trash can will grow dirtier over time. You’ll find spills, crumbs, and more here.
Trash cans are riddled with germs and can smell disgusting, so they need to be cleaned each time you deep clean your home. The easiest way to clean your trash can is to take it outside and clean it with dish soap and the water hose.
If you aren’t regularly cleaning and sanitizing these areas, your kitchen may be teeming with a startling amount of germs. Our goal at TidyHere is to provide you with a healthier, cleaner living space without hassle. Contact us today to book a kitchen or full-home cleaning service with our hardworking cleaning team.
