A Guide To Proper Kitchen Hygiene A Guide to Proper Hygiene | Page 5

spot where water, high heat, electricity and sharp objects all come into close proximity, and the
best way to control this potentially dangerous environment is by keeping it clean and
organized. No one plans on starting a kitchen fire, slipping on dribbled maple syrup or dropping
the blade end of a greasy knife on a toe. Keeping the kitchen clean may help you forestall
calamity so you’re never the guy who has to spend a day at the emergency room because of a
silly kitchen accident.
7. Take the Hassle out of Kitchen Prep
Cooking is a lot easier with everything out of the way. It’s dinnertime and you’re exhausted.
This morning’s dishes are on the counter where you plan to chop onions, and the sink is full of
salad debris that never made it into the disposal. In order to get a meal together, you’ll have to
clean out the kitchen first. While you’re cursing whoever left the sponge full of pasta sauce,
you’re thinking of ways to cut a few seconds from dinner prep so you can get off your aching
feet. If this sounds familiar, you’ll probably acknowledge that cleaning when you’re tired or in a
hurry isn’t good cleaning. If you’re plagued by sticky countertop residue, raise your hand. Hasty
cleaning probably takes more time in the long run, too. One good countertop cleaning — you
know, the kind where you take everything off the counter and do the job right — may take 10
minutes. Having to drag a rag around your countertop appliances, the mail basket, and the
bread box twice a day for a hurried cleaning could pile up a lot more minutes by week’s end. If
you get into the habit of cleaning regularly, you’ll save a few steps and keep your frustration
meter out of the red zone.
8. Save on Food Costs
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.
9. Set a Good Example for Your Children
You may think all those cereal boxes cluttering your kitchen countertops and the dishes you use
directly from the dishwasher instead of putting them away first are a compromise move that
you’ll get a handle on when life is less hectic. The fact is that whatever you’re doing — or not
doing — is making an impression on your children. They won’t love you any less if you never
clean out the ice-dispenser tray, but they may adopt your less desirable cleaning habits later in