The Top Dirtiest Places In The Kitchen
Even if your kitchen looks like an ad for “Mr. Clean,” it could be dirtier than a cesspool!
Here are the top kitchen germ spots you need to beware of. This comes from our friend, microbiologist Dr. Charles Gerba:
First: Your kitchen sink could be the hottest E.Coli hang-out around! Dr. Gerba says a wet and moist sink is the perfect breeding ground for bacteria. It feeds on leftover food in the drain, and dirty dishes in the sink. The fix: Clean your sink with an E.Coli-blasting disinfectant product once a week, like a diluted bleach solution.
Then, gross alert: Consider your cutting board a bacteria board! A University of Arizona study found that there’s 200 times more bacteria on a cutting board than a toilet seat. That’s because most people lightly rinse off their cutting board instead of scrubbing it clean. Poultry and raw meat can leave behind dangerous bacteria, like salmonella. So, Dr. Gerba suggests getting 2 cutting boards, one for meat and another for vegetables, so there’s zero cross-contamination.Also, always scrub a cutting board or pop it in the dishwasher after you use it.
When’s the last time you thought about the bottom shelf of your refrigerator? You might want to start thinking about it, and cleaning it a lot more! Studies show that the bottom shelf is the germiest location in the fridge, because moisture and condensation drips down from the upper shelves. And that can quickly contaminate any food stored down below. The fix: Completely clean the bottom shelf every three weeks with a powerful disinfectant.
Here are the top kitchen germ spots you need to beware of. This comes from our friend, microbiologist Dr. Charles Gerba:
First: Your kitchen sink could be the hottest E.Coli hang-out around! Dr. Gerba says a wet and moist sink is the perfect breeding ground for bacteria. It feeds on leftover food in the drain, and dirty dishes in the sink. The fix: Clean your sink with an E.Coli-blasting disinfectant product once a week, like a diluted bleach solution.
Then, gross alert: Consider your cutting board a bacteria board! A University of Arizona study found that there’s 200 times more bacteria on a cutting board than a toilet seat. That’s because most people lightly rinse off their cutting board instead of scrubbing it clean. Poultry and raw meat can leave behind dangerous bacteria, like salmonella. So, Dr. Gerba suggests getting 2 cutting boards, one for meat and another for vegetables, so there’s zero cross-contamination.Also, always scrub a cutting board or pop it in the dishwasher after you use it.
When’s the last time you thought about the bottom shelf of your refrigerator? You might want to start thinking about it, and cleaning it a lot more! Studies show that the bottom shelf is the germiest location in the fridge, because moisture and condensation drips down from the upper shelves. And that can quickly contaminate any food stored down below. The fix: Completely clean the bottom shelf every three weeks with a powerful disinfectant.
