Kitchens are clean, right? You wouldn’t prepare all your food and snacks in a germy environment, so they must be sanitary. Unfortunately, much more bacteria linger in your kitchen than you would like to believe. From kitchen counters to dish rags, here are some of the most germ-infested places in your kitchen and how to clean them:

Sponges: You use sponges as a tool to sanitize dishes, but sponges themselves can harbor coliform bacteria—the family of bacteria that includes E. Coli. Here are two tricks for keeping coliform bacteria out of your sponge:

• Mix ¾ cup of bleach with a gallon of water and soaking the sponge for 5 minutes.
• Microwave your wet sponge for 2 minutes.

Sink: Again, kitchen sinks are thought to be clean because, well, that’s where you clean your dishes. However, sinks are one of the dirtiest places in your kitchen and can contain all kinds of bacteria—including salmonella.  Always use a disinfectant spray immediately after handling raw meat, and let the cleaning solution sit as directed in order to kill the most bacteria possible. Here are some more sink cleaning tips.

Dishrags: The moisture of a wet cloth is a perfect environment for bacteria to multiply. Some experts suggest changing your dishrags daily. If that isn’t realistic for your household, change out your dishrag at least once a week.

Kitchen Counter: Countertops are found to contain various forms of bacteria, including E. Coli, largely because people use bacteria-infested cloths and sponges to “clean” their kitchen countertops. Avoid spreading germs from one dirty place to another by using disinfectant and paper towel or a fresh cloth.

Cutting board: Cutting boards, due to their crevices and moisture, are a perfect place for bacteria to thrive. To really limit spreading bacteria, experts recommend you use one cutting board for raw meats and another for veggies and fruit. Keep your cutting board bacteria free by using a mixture of baking soda and water. If it’s a plastic cutting board, use a bleach solution. The goal is to kill the germs and bacteria deep in the knife marks of the wood or plastic.

Maintaining a truly clean kitchen is hard work—from sponges to countertops, there are a lot of things to keep germ-free. Contact Exceptional Cleaning for a free quote today.