A Guide To Proper Kitchen Hygiene A Guide to Proper Hygiene | Page 4

can also be the dirtiest room in your house. Before your sister-in-law starts telling the story of
the day she opened your refrigerator and discovered a block of cheese covered with inch-thick
mold, expect the unexpected by getting your kitchen in shape and keeping it that way.
4. Extend the Life of Your Appliances
The kitchen is appliance central in most homes, and we aren’t just talking about the big stuff.
Your garbage disposal, range hood, dishwasher, toaster, coffeemaker, food processor and other
appliances will all work more efficiently when they’re clean. Efficiency means longer life. When
a vent or filter is dirty, an appliance has to work harder to do its job. It will usually work hotter,
too. That means a shorter useful life for that electric knife or electric potato peeler than if you’d
kept it clean. Will a little dust or grease destroy all of your countertop gadgets? No, but the
effects are cumulative, and prolonged neglect will do more than make your appliances a little
sticky and unsightly.
5. Manage Food More Efficiently
Kitchens are all about food storage and preparation, and having an effective and consistent
food maintenance strategy is a good idea. Foods like milk turn relatively quickly, and keeping
your fridge clean and organized will help you keep track of food stores so you can use them
before they spoil. When the inside of your refrigerator looks like it might be ripe for a visit from
the health department, don’t expect to be able to monitor or control what goes on in there.
Decaying food will produce odors and sometimes bacteria that can escalate the decline of other
foods, and when you leave spills in place, you risk creating problems with cross-contamination.
The cupboard is another spot to keep an eye on. Although canned foods may be relatively
indestructible, baking powder, spices, nuts and other products should be monitored. If you
know the freshness date on that loaf of whole wheat bread is about to elapse, you may be able
to turn it into breadcrumbs before it turns green and fuzzy. While you’re checking around, keep
a lookout for insect activity and vacuum up any flour or other food crumbs or dust. Spilled,
spoiling and neglected food can breed legions of bacteria and encourage insect invaders. If
you’re waiting for the next holiday to mount a cleaning campaign, your bread may go moldy
and a thriving community of weevils could move into your flour, dried pasta and other
packaged foods in the meantime. Food is perishable, and using it to its best advantage requires
regular cleaning and maintenance.
6. Be Safer
Avoid accidents by clearing clutter. Cleanliness isn’t just an aesthetic concern. It’s about safety,
too. Drips on the floor from yesterday’s margarita disaster could cause someone to take a
tumble, and that oil slick on the stove from taco night may start a grease fire. The kitchen is one