Organization consultant Louise Kurzeka points out important areas to disinfect and how to do it.
- Before disinfecting a kitchen, make sure to clean it first.
- To make your sink sparkle, place paper towels in the bottom of the sink and saturate with bleach. Let it sit for about 230 minutes, then wipe clean.
- Use a plastic nonporous cutting board to cut raw meat so that the juice won't permeate the surface. Clean with hot sudsy water.
- To keep your cutting board free of bacteria, clean once a week with a solution of one quart warm water and one teaspoon bleach. Keep in a spray bottle in the kitchen for quick access.
- Cross-contamination can easily be avoided by keeping a bowl of one teaspoon bleach and one quart warm water off to the side while your cooking. Sterilize utensils after you use it on meat, and always wash your hands after working with raw meat.
- Clean can openers each and every time they are used. Use a toothbrush to get between the working parts.
- Keep hand and dishtowels separate to prevent bacteria from being passed on to clean dishes.
- The recommended water heater setting to effectively kill bacteria is 140 degrees. However, if you have small children, avoid scalding incidents by keeping the setting at or below 120 degrees. In this instance, the best way to sanitize dishes is to hand wash and air dry, even if you have a dishwasher. Air drying is important because of air circulation. If you're concerned about water not being hot enough, add a disinfectant when laundering your dishtowels and cloths.
- Sponges are handy in the kitchen, but their crevices harbor and breed bacteria. If you use sponges in the kitchen, they should be laundered daily to kill the bacteria. An easy way to do this is to just throw them in the dishwasher.
- Clean your drain once a week by flushing boiling water down both sides.
- To loosen debris in the food disposal, throw a couple of ice cubes down it, followed by a citrus rind (orange, lemon), then flush with cold water. Citrus is a natural degreaser.
- Do not use hot water to clean the disposal.
Guests Louise Kurzeka
Organization Expert, Everything's Together Organizing Services
Minnetonka, MN
Phone: 952-939-8080
Website:
www.everythingstogether.com Also in this Episode
