With COVID-19 still going strong, many families remain stuck at home. This means our kitchens are receiving more foot traffic than usual.
It doesn’t take an expert to point out why this is a bad thing. If you’re not serious about sanitizing your kitchen, it may become a playground for germs. COVID-19 can live on surfaces for three days, which is plenty of time to come into contact with it.
Not sure how to keep your kitchen germ-free? Here are 3 kitchen safety tips that should get you started.
1. Keep the Kitchen Clean
If you haven’t disinfected your kitchen in a while, do so now. It’s a two-part process, and neither part takes too long.
Start by using soap and water to clean the floor, dinner table, microwave, and countertops. Use EPA-approved cleaning products for wood and granite materials. This doesn’t kill germs, but it does get rid of stains, sticky spots, and similar messes.
If you have specialized cleaning equipment, make use of it as well. For example, here’s how to get drinking glasses clean by using a cleaning station. Once you’re done with that, sanitize these areas with disinfecting liquids or bleach.
While you’re cleaning, you’ll want to wear disposable gloves. This is the best way to avoid contracting the virus on your skin. If you didn’t use gloves, wash your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds after you’re done.
2. Follow Food Hygiene Rules
Eating safe food is another key part of kitchen security. If you’re preparing food for yourself and others, you must avoid contamination.
The two key principles are to cook your food thoroughly and keep your utensils clean. Make sure that the raw materials are safe for consumption. You should also keep your food at safe temperatures: either above 60°C or below 5°C.
Finally, you’ll want to store your cooked and raw food separately. This is particularly true for raw meat and fresh produce. The best way to store raw food is in covered or sealed containers at the very bottom of your refrigerator.
3. Don’t Go Overboard
Every time you come back from the grocery store, you’ll want to reduce the chances of the virus spreading. That said, you shouldn’t do anything out of the ordinary.
For example, rinsing fresh produce under the tap is still a key part of kitchen safety. This doesn’t mean you need to dip it in a sanitizing solution as well. According to experts, there are still no known cases of produce transferring COVID-19.
If you buy cereal, canned goods pasta, and other packaged foods, move them to an airtight container. Then, get rid of the packaging. The germs can survive on cardboard for up to 24 hours.
More Kitchen Safety Tips
By following the above tips, you can do your part in keeping the outbreak under control. For maximum kitchen safety, prepare home-cooked meals as often as possible. This is the ideal chance to make recipes you didn’t have time for before.
Looking for other kitchen cleaning tips that could help you in quarantine? Want to make sure that you’re disinfecting your house often enough? Check out our How-To section!
