Kitchen cleaning is something I do just about everyday.  Wiping down the counters and rinse out the sink after every meal.  Germs have no business or place in my kitchen.  Spritz wipe, Spritz wipe, then toss the towel out and I am done.

Then I had to go and read about the  sneaky places germs like to hide.  Germs hide?  Really!  Germs, I read, seem to  make it a point to hide from all the cleaning that is done in the kitchen.  

“In a study conducted by the NSF, 36 percent of kitchen items tested contained E. coli; 36 percent contained salmonella; 14 percent were contaminated with listeria; and 100 percent of the items harbored yeast and mold—43 percent at levels high enough to be a serious concern.”

Oh, My!  Dialing 1.800. BLEACH!  YUCK!

The following are some of the places germs  like to hide in or on.

Refrigerator Drawers –  We all know how your refrigerator can get nasty dirty.  I am always wiping it down.  Still cannot understand how it gets so messy but it does.  However, the refrigerator drawers tend to stay a little cleaner, and now I am learning they can be contaminated with salmonella, listeria, yeast and mold.  Cleaning away those germs is easy just wash with warm soapy water and rinse away.

Kitchen Sink- Now this I can understand why germs hang out here.  Everything goes down the kitchen sink.  To clean the germs out of the sink you disinfect with a solution of water and bleach. Every Day!  Hope this solution doesn’t hurt my stainless steel sink.

Can Opener – Now this is another deadly germ carrier.  This little gadget needs to be cleaned  in the dishwasher after every use.  If you don’t have a dishwasher then clean with warm soap and water.  Remember after every use.

Rubber Spatula – If spatula comes apart take it apart and wash in dishwasher or by hand in good old fashion warm soapy water.  If it does not come apart, wash the same, but make sure you pay attention to the areas that meet.  Food can creep into the groove.

Salt and Pepper Shakers – Yup, these can be really grossly germ infected.  You would need to wipe them down with a disinfectant every time used.  Why I hate to using salt an pepper shakers in restaurant…

Knife Block –  Clean the set periodically to prevent  yeast and mold from thriving. You will also need to remove the knives, turn the knife block over to remove any loose debris, and then clean the knife block in hot soapy water using a small brush in each of the slots.

Last but not least are those nasty sponges.  Clean you sponge by microwaving it frequently.  Nuke them germs right out of that sponge.  Now don’t forget your dish towels and rags.  Change and wash them regularly.

Yes, germs are hiding in the most interesting places.  Germs are sneaky but they can never out sneak a spritz and a wipe.