kitchen sanitation

The kitchen is the heart of the home since it is here where food is prepared and cooked for everyone to enjoy. However, it is also one of the places where germs tend to accumulate which cause food borne diseases. Contact surface, chopping boards, and kitchen equipment are among the places where bacteria tend to live. This is why it is important that you practice proper sanitation at all times to help reduce your chances of suffering from food borne diseases.

Kitchen sanitation is a must if you want to keep your family healthy all the time. If you are in charge of preparing meals then you need to practice these two sanitation methods as frequently as possible as they reduce the risk of exposing yourself as well as your family from any food borne diseases. These are all applicable in cleaning at home and are guaranteed to reduce build up of bacteria particularly in places where they tend to appear the most. Just follow these two and you’ll have a clean and bacteria free kitchen in no time.  Here are the best sanitizing methods that you can do at home to avoid food-borne diseases

  • Heat – There are three ways to sanitize kitchen surfaces. The first one is by introducing steam to the surface at temperature schedules like 170 degrees F for about 15 minutes or you can use 200 degrees F for 5 minutes. Hot water is the second method used and it is customarily used in most food establishments. The higher the water’s temperature is the less time it will take for the microorganisms to be destroyed. If you’re going to clean a three-compartment sink, you need to heat the water up to 171 degrees F at least. The last sanitizing rinse for dish washing machines should be at 180 degrees F. After your kitchen utensils are cleaned, expose them to these temperatures for 30 seconds. The last method to sanitizing is using hot air which should be at 180 degrees F and should be done for 20 minutes.
  • Chemicals – There are various chemical cleaners that can help sanitize your kitchen. Most homeowners use water and chlorine when it comes to sanitizing their kitchen surfaces and equipment but you can also use quaternary ammonium or iodine depending on your preferences. Of course, you need to know the right concentration to use based on where you will use them so you don’t damage your kitchen equipment using these chemicals.

Following these two sanitizing methods is a must if you want to avoid suffering from any illnesses caused by poor food handling. Raw ingredients such as meat and poultry do have bacteria in them which is why you need to observe correct kitchen practices to prevent the germs from spreading. Washing your hands is probably the simplest form of kitchen sanitation and one that you should always practice before you prepare your meal, during, and after cooking. It is always better to practice good hygiene in the kitchen as this is one of the hotbeds of germs in the house.