The Dirtiest Room in the Home
- On March 9, 2017
What Room in your Home is the Dirtiest?
Imagine for a moment all the rooms in your home. At this moment, what room would you identify as being the dirtiest? If you said your bathroom, you’d be wrong. It’s your kitchen and it doesn’t matter how clean you think it is, there are some areas that are great places to grow Salmonella, E. coli, Listeria, yeast, and mold.
- Sponges and dishcloths – According to the National Sanitation Foundation (NSF), nearly all sponges and dishcloths are infected with some type of coliform bacteria, which is a family of organisms that include Salmonella and E. coli and indicates fecal contamination. Microwaving sponges and dishcloths on high for 30 seconds will kill 95% of the bacteria.
- Kitchen Sink – With a constant flow of hot water and dishwashing detergent, many assume that washing the dishes is washing the sink also. Even if you are relentless in rinsing all the dirty dishwater down the drain, some residual food particles are going to find a home along the surface of your stainless-steel sink. Look out because your kitchen sink is another great place to find E. coli growing. We advise disinfecting the sink at the end of the day after the last load of dishes has been completed.
- Refrigerator Vegetable Drawer – Store fresh vegetables above the meat drawer to prevent cross contamination. Packages of chicken or fish have been known to leak and cause a potential health hazards. Don’t cut the lettuce with the same knife you used to cut the chicken. Clean the vegetable drawer with a mild dishwashing detergent mixed with warm water and apply with a fresh sponge.
- Refrigerator Meat Drawer – The same preventative and cleaning measures for the Vegetable drawer can be applied to the Meat drawer. Just make sure to store the meat below the foods that you don’t want meat juice to drip on and be diligent to clean any spills.
- Cutting Board – Surprisingly, of the sample selected, the NSF only found 18% of cutting boards to be infected with some type of coliform bacteria. However, a word to the wise, use separate cutting boards for different food types. Dedicate one cutting board for fruits and vegetables and another cutting board for meat to prevent cross contamination. When you’re done with your cutting board, clean with hot soapy water and towel dry because bacteria loves a warm moist environment.
At ServiceMaster Quality Services we’re all about helping you maintain a clean, healthy, and safe environment for you and your loved ones. Restoring peace of mind since 1990 with a company that has been in the commercial and residential cleaning and restoration business from the beginning. To further discuss any of these important issues or just to get a free quote, give us a call at 985-872-1029
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