How to Properly Clean, Sanitize, and Disinfect Your Kitchen
Cleaning your kitchen is important for everyday life to reduce risk of foodborne illnesses, but it is especially necessary during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or CDC, recommends (1) cleaning visible dirt; then (2)disinfecting to prevent germs – including bacteria and viruses. Cleaning the surface before disinfecting includes removing dirt, smudges, and food that harbor the germs; however, this will not be sufficient to kill the germs, bacteria, or viruses that grow in those mediums. As such, disinfecting is a necessary correlary to basic cleaning.
Although disinfecting is more important now than ever, during the Coronavirus pandemic, it is important year-round to prevent food poisoning and also throughout flu season.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, certain cleaning supplies such as Clorox wipes are very difficult, if not impossible, to find in stores. But there are alternatives – this list includes many cleaning products that are believed to be effective in combating the Coronavirus. Among the products that you could use instead of Clorox wipes are (1) diluted household bleach, (2) rubbing alcohol, and a (3) myriad products that says ‘disinfectant’ on the label as well as include an EPA registration number.
Consumers are also warned to use diligence in monitoring access to their kitchens. If someone who is sick or not feeling well, enters a kitchen and touches any surfaces, someone should disinfect what they touched. In general, people need to be disinfecting all high contact places, including surfaces that are often touched. High contact places can include: doorknobs, handles, drawers, facets, light switches, tables, chairs, and counter tops. A very important thing to remember when disinfecting anything is that the person cleaning should always wear gloves, preferably disposable gloves that can be thrown away after each use.
