The kitchen, whether at your work or in your home, is one of the most utilized areas of any building. Of course you know that putting your hand in the sink drain, or underneath the refrigerator or oven is not a good idea. Those places are crawling with germs! But did you know that there are a few other places in your kitchen that aren’t exactly the pinnacle of cleanliness either? What’s even more alarming is that some of the nastiest items in the kitchen are the ones you’d least expect. Like, did you know your knife block carries a plethora of germs? Yep, it’s true. It’s actually one of the dirtiest items in the kitchen.
Knife Blocks
No matter how thoroughly you clean your knife handles, when you’re done cleaning them, they usually go into the deep, dark recesses of the knife block slot. But how is one supposed to clean these thin, seemingly inaccessible spots? It’s actually a lot easier than one might think. What you can do is use an air compressor to loosen any particle buildup, then flip the block over a trash can and knock the debris out. After you’ve cleaned the debris, you can use a thin pipe cleaner doused with anti-bacterial on it and scrub away!
Knobs, Buttons, & Handles
Knobs, buttons and handles are usually get so dirty because people often forget about them. Since they’re constantly being touched, they accumulate all oils, dirts, food stuffs much faster than other parts of the kitchen. Imagine, when you’re cutting up raw chicken or fish and then touching the knob how quickly the germs can spread. The best solution for this is to simply clean all the knobs whenever you clean your kitchen. Use an anti-microbial cleaner to get those hard to clean spots.
Sponges
Sponges of all kinds, especially your dish sponge is not only the filthiest item in your kitchen, but likely the entire office. A recent study found your average kitchen sponge contains roughly 10 million bacteria per square inch, easily blowing your toilet germ’s out of the water. There are a few different solutions to kill the bacteria in a sponge. The first method is to microwave your sponge for two minutes. This method supposedly kills 99 percent of the germs! You can also run the sponge through the dishwasher, but in order to keep it clean constantly, you’d have to do this much more often that microwaving it. Lastly, you can always just buy more sponges since they are cheap!
Can Openers
When one uses the can opener, they typically toss it back into the drawer after they’re done using it. Unfortunately this is not good as the can opener comes into contact with the foods within the container. If it’s not cleaned regularly, the build up can become gross and harbor plenty of germs. What’s best in this situation is to wash the can opener and immediately dry it off after it’s wash so it does NOT rust.
All of these items are often forgot when it comes to the cleaning process, so it’s no wonder they’re on this list. Next time you’re cleaning your home or office kitchen, try to remember these helpful tips! If you’re looking for great ways to make your office and office kitchen more touch-free or just need quality cleaning supplies, be sure to give Business Hygiene a call at (512) 396–3486! We will work to keep your office as clean as possible!