It’s True: Clean Kitchens = Better Health
We can all agree that maintaining kitchen cleanliness is important. No one wants to spend time in a grimy kitchen: not family, guests, or even hosts themselves. But keeping a clean kitchen is about much more than just creating a visibly clean space that limits embarrassment. When you clean your kitchen, you support everyone’s health. Here are the top 5 ways keeping a cleaner kitchen will lead to better health:
1. A deep clean helps to prevent cross-contamination and the spreading of bacteria, including food-borne diseases. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control says that there are more than 75 million cases of food borne illness in the United States every year, including things like Salmonella and Listeria.
2. When you keep grime out of your kitchen, you’ll keep pests away, too. By removing pests’ temptation to pick up crumbs and leftovers , you’ll eliminate your need for trapping unwelcome visitors.
3. It will keep you – and your family – safe from accidents. When you address drips on the floor, oil splatter on the stovetop, and put away sharp objects immediately, you’ll avoid potential disasters.
4. Deep cleaning your kitchen has some incredible calorie-burning benefits. As you eliminate grime you’ll increase your strength, so put in that elbow grease. With every scrub, you’re working off your mealtime indulgences.
5. Last, but certainly not least: as you cut out grime, you’ll lower stress levels. A clean kitchen brings peace of mind. Plus, you’ll sleep better, knowing that that nagging chore isn’t waiting for you as soon as you wake up.
As an added bonus, the longer you keep your kitchen clean, the more likely you’ll be to actually use it. Meal prep is no fun when your cooking area is overpowered by grime. And, the cleaner your cooking area, the more likely your diet will also get a clean up.
The benefits are clear, but if you’re not sure how to stay on top of your kitchen cleaning, keep reading.
Light cleaning is relatively easy to stay on top of. A quick wipe here. A little scrub there. But it’s the deep cleaning that will make the difference. Consider adding these 5 steps to your kitchen routine and you’ll feel the physical benefit:
1. Keep your own hands clean. Your palms pickup particles every time you handle something, especially perishable foods. And that doesn’t mean just after you’re done handling your ingredients. Wash your hands before you start prepping, throughout the meal prep (i.e. any time you rub your nose or handle raw meat), and as soon as you’re finished.
2. Keep the prep area fresh, too. Use hot, soapy water every time you use a cutting board. And once it’s filled with deep cuts, toss it. Bacteria loves to hide in those crevices. Aside from the cutting board itself, always wipe down every utensil and appliance used, down to the spoon rest.
3. Beyond the more obvious prep equipment, take the time to clean out things like your garbage disposal, range hood, dishwasher, toaster, coffeemaker, and food processor on the regular, down to every corner.
4. Keep household cleaners away from food prep areas. It might seem counterintuitive, but only food-grade cleaners are safe in an active kitchen space. This really applies to any non-food items. Keep dirty purses, mail, and towels far away from any foods.
5. Take care of your food even well after mealtime. Don’t keep any leftovers for more than a few days, and if it looks questionable, don’t even consider keeping it. Prevent spoilage
Do your part to prevent things like Salmonella, pests and smells from entering your kitchen with routine thorough cleaning.
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