Spring Clean Your Way to a Safer Kitchen

Spring Clean Your Way to a Safer Kitchen When you are shaking off the winter with spring cleaning, it's a great time to target harmful bacteria that can lurk on kitchen surfaces and even in your refrigerator. Some cleaning tips you should practice year round to make your kitchen and your meals safer include: Your counters may look clean, but bacteria may be hiding all over your kitchen. Remove bowl and use hot water and dish soap to wipe down the microwave interior. Dry with a fresh paper towel. Rinse with a damp cloth; dry with a clean cloth. When done, throw away the towel. If you use cloth towels, wash them often in the hot cycle of your washing machine. After thoroughly washing surfaces with hot water and soap, you can sanitize them with a diluted chlorine bleach solution or a disinfectant kitchen cleaner. If you use kitchen sponges, replace them frequently. Bleach solutions can lose their effectiveness over time, so discard unused portions after one week. A clean and dry kitchen helps fight bacteria and protect you and the rest of your family from foodborne illness. Rid your fridge of spills, bacteria, mold and mildew. Disinfect your drain and disposal by pouring in an ideal solution of 3/4 teaspoon chlorine bleach per quart of water. Kitchen towels and sponges provide a moist environment for bacteria to grow. To tackle bacteria, mold and mildew, clean interior refrigerator surfaces with hot water and soap. While you cannot see or smell foodborne bacteria they are everywhere, and they especially like moist environments. Manufacturers recommend against using chlorine bleach, solvent cleaning solutions, or abrasives as they are able to damage seals, gaskets and linings. Food particles get trapped in the drain and disposal, creating the perfect environment for bacterial growth. Use a mixture of 3/4 teaspoon liquid chlorine bleach per quart of water (or one tablespoon bleach per gallon of water). Microwaves often get overlooked in day-to-day cleaning, but you can get your microwave clean with just a few steps. Let the solution stand on the surface for several minutes, then rinse with cold water and air dry or pat dry with fresh paper towels. Spring Clean Your Way to a Safer Kitchen Trade News selected by Local Linkup on 10/05/2012