Clean House

This article will serve as an eye opener to all people who spend most of their time in the kitchen and bathroom. Did you know that 20% of food borne illnesses are found in the kitchen. The National Sanitation Foundation said that most diseases such as e coli, salmonella, and listeria are found in the kitchen. Probiologist Lisa Yakas discussed that some kitchen utensils are the main sources of bacteria. We can find these utensils right in our very own countertops. The first one is our blender. They found yeast, mold, salmonella, and e coli in some parts of the blender such as the gasket. Most people don't clean this part of the blender which serves as a breeding ground for germs. We can eliminate the presence of bacteria in the blender by dissembling all parts after use. Wash them with soap and hot water and dry them separately.

The next dirtiest item is the coffeemaker. People consume coffee almost every day. But most people do not clean this gadget. The dirtiest part of the coffeemaker is the reservoir. You put water in the reservoir and where there is water, there are bacteria. After 40 to 80 uses, you put 4 cups of undiluted vinegar, put them in the reservoir for 30 minutes. Then run through it with tap water.

The next item that is surely or probably the dirtiest of them all is the sponge. Believe it or not, this item is the easiest to clean. This the dirtiest spot in the house. You can clean the wet sponge once a day by placing it in the microwave for 2 minutes. If you are using a dish cloth, put them in the washing machine and bleach.

Bacteria can also be found in our utensils drawer specifically the rubber spatula. This gadget may seem innocuous, but the spatula is used for baking and cooking. Some spatulas have a 2 pc design, meaning you can pull them apart. What we can do to clean is to separate the pieces and put them in the dishwasher and wash it with warm water and soap. Another utensil that most people forget to clean is the can opener. The blade of the can opener gets more germs. You can wash or scrub the gadget by using a clean toothbrush and hot soapy water.

The refrigerator is probably the most overlooked appliance that people sanitize. There are four main areas in the refrigerator that need cleaning. These are the meat drawer, vegetable drawer, the ice box, and the insulator seal. The drawers can come out of the refrigerator. You take out all the items and clean them with sponge and mild detergent. The ice box can contain germs even if they breed germs slowly in cold temperature. The insulator seal can be cleaned by wiping off the seal with a sponge. There is a term called cross contamination wherein some food items can drip liquid to some parts of the refrigerator. To prevent this from happening, you can set your refrigerator to 40 degrees and separate your bagged produce from the meat and poultry to prevent the dripping of liquid.

The next room in the house that requires extensive cleaning is the bathroom. Carol Forte, Director of Cleaning Products found out that the toothbrush and the toothbrush holder are the dirtiest parts of the bathroom. Most people flush the toilet without closing the lid. We should make it a habit to close the lid of the toilet while flushing because e coli can spread in the entire room. We should clean the toothbrush holder once a week and keep our toothbrushes sealed.

If you have kids and they bring toys to the bath tub, you should be cautious about the dangers it may cause. Bath toys obviously get wet and trap the water inside making it easy for germs to grow. You can rinse and drain them well and soak it in bleach and water solution.

Shower curtain linings should also be cleaned regularly. They develop soap scums over time and can cause stains and molds. You can take them off and place it in the washing machine in a hot water cycle and bleach it. You can stretch it out and hang it dry because if you don't, it will create molds.

Cleaning is not everyone's specialty, but due to health risks, we should clean our homes and appliances regularly. The kitchen should be the cleanest area in our house because that's where food is stored. Many people get sick because they don't get rid off the dirt in their utensils. The bathroom should also be spic and span at all times because that's where we brush our teeth. If we fail to clean our toothbrushes and its holders, bacteria can easily get into our system through our mouths. I hope these tips will aid people in eradicating bacteria and diseases in their homes.