Your kitchen is the heart of your home—but it can also be a hotspot for germs if not properly maintained. From countertops to cutting boards, germs can quickly spread and contaminate the food you prepare. If you’ve ever wondered how to keep your kitchen free from germs, you’re not alone. In this article, we’ll share 7 practical and effective tips to help.
How To Keep Your Kitchen Free From Germs
Your kitchen might look neat and clean, but it could still be hiding harmful micro-organisms that cause foodborne illness. Is your kitchen safe and free of germs? The answer depends on how well you clean and disinfect high-touch areas—including stylish surfaces like Italian kitchen cabinets, which can collect fingerprints and bacteria just like any other material. If you’re looking for practical ways on how to keep your kitchen free from germs, start by cleaning all surfaces with warm water and dish soap or a store-bought cleaner to remove dirt and grease. Then disinfect with diluted bleach (1 teaspoon per cup of water, made within the past 24 hours), or use an EPA-registered disinfectant—look for “EPA Reg. No.” on the label. Most disinfectants need a few minutes to work, so always check the instructions. Be sure to disinfect your faucet handle daily, your sink weekly, and wipe down fridge and cabinet handles, including your Italian kitchen cabinets, at least once a week to maintain a truly germ-free kitchen.
To keep your kitchen clean and your family and guests healthy, follow these simple tips.
Wash your hands with soap
Proper handwashing is one of the most effective steps for preventing bacterial growth in the kitchen. While many people understand its importance, actual habits often fall short. In one study, all 30 participants agreed that washing hands after handling raw meat was “very important”—and yet, only 70% actually did so when preparing a hamburger. Another study involving 100 adults found that 62 skipped rubbing their palms together or washing between fingers, and 47 didn’t even use soap. These small oversights can lead to bacteria spreading across surfaces, including countertops, utensils, and even the handles of modern kitchen cabinets—making consistent, thorough handwashing an essential part of kitchen hygiene.
Clean your cleaning tools
When thinking about what are some ways to keep your kitchen clean and limit bacteria, don’t overlook your cleaning tools. Sponges, dish brushes, and dishcloths are often among the most contaminated items in the kitchen. In one study, Campylobacter was found to survive for a full day in all types of sponges tested, while Salmonella lasted up to seven days in two out of three—both bacteria commonly linked to raw poultry.
What to do: Assign each cleaning tool a specific task. Use a dedicated brush or sponge for washing dishes, a cloth solely for wiping countertops, and a separate towel for drying clean hands. To reduce bacteria, sanitize your cleaning tools daily. Soak brushes in a diluted bleach solution (one teaspoon per cup of water) and allow them to air dry. Microwave wet, non-metallic sponges for two minutes, and wash dishcloths with bleach in the washing machine. These small steps not only help keep your kitchen safe but also maintain the hygiene of high-touch areas like handles and surfaces around your contemporary kitchen cabinets.
Keep your countertops clear of unnecessary items
You may love how your collection of olive oil and small-batch vinegars looks lined up next to the stove, or your mother’s vintage KitchenAid mixer, but the more stuff you have on your kitchen custom countertops, the harder it is to clean, and the harder it is to clean, the less likely you are to do it thoroughly.
The more stuff you have lingering on your kitchen countertop, the harder it is to keep your kitchen clean.
If you’re wondering how to keep your kitchen free from germs, keeping only the items and appliances you use all the time on the counter is a good start. Clean around, behind, and under them regularly. Also—don’t neglect the backsplash!
Prevent cross-contamination and cleanliness tips
Knowing how to keep your kitchen free from germs starts with understanding what to rinse and how clean your sink really is. Rinsing raw poultry or pre-washed greens can spread bacteria across your sink and countertops. Similarly, soaking leafy greens can transfer germs from one leaf to another. Even if your dishes look clean, grease and grime can linger in the sink. Spray it down with an organic cleaner and wipe with a sponge dedicated to cleaning sinks and counters—not the one used for dishes. When planning your kitchen, it’s essential to consider how every step of food prep can impact cleanliness.
Researchers found that 25% of salads prepared by people who rinsed raw chicken ended up with bacteria, and 20% of salads from those who didn’t rinse the chicken also got contaminated. Those who didn’t rinse likely contaminated their sinks by rinsing their hands after handling raw poultry or placing salad ingredients in the sink. Inadequate handwashing or improper cleaning of surfaces can spread harmful germs.
What to do: After handling raw meat, poultry, seafood, or eggs, always wash your hands and disinfect the sink. Keep raw meats separate from foods that don’t require cooking. For instance, don’t use the same cutting board for vegetables that you’ve used for raw meat. These steps help prevent cross-contamination and keep the area around your traditional kitchen cabinets safe from harmful bacteria.
Clean up messes immediately and store food smartly
When it comes to how to keep your kitchen free from germs, cleaning up cooking messes right away is key. After a busy day, it’s tempting to leave spills like grease or sauce for later, but this can lead to a buildup of sticky residue and attract dust, flies, or other pests. To avoid this, take a few minutes to wipe down your stovetop with hot soapy water or a kitchen cleaner. If you’ve spilled something, use a hot pad to remove the burner and clean underneath. This will prevent long-term buildup and keep your cooking space cleaner.
Storage matters too. A study of 100 homes found that in 97 of them, raw meat, poultry, or seafood was stored in ways that allowed them to leak onto ready-to-eat foods, increasing the risk of cross-contamination. To prevent this, set your refrigerator to 40°F and make sure there’s enough room for air to circulate. Keep raw items wrapped securely or in a sealed container, preferably in a separate drawer or on the bottom shelf, to prevent any leakage. These simple practices will help ensure your kitchen is as safe and clean as possible, whether you’re in your indoor kitchen or outdoor kitchens.
Clean every surface
You might not do it every day, but in the course of your regular kitchen cleaning, make sure not only to wipe up crumbs and spills, but to disinfect every surface in your kitchen, including stove and oven knobs, the face of your microwave, oven, and other kitchen appliances. Periodically, you’ll also want to clean the vent hood, cabinet handles, light fixtures, baseboards, and any decorative accessories or pictures.
Make it a habit to properly clean your kitchen sink every time you wash the dishes.
Every surface in your kitchen can attract and harbor germs, and if you look really closely, you’ll see that they do. Make it a habit to properly clean your kitchen sink every time you wash the dishes. Knowing how to keep your kitchen free from germs involves cleaning every corner and high-touch area to ensure your kitchen, including your Faro & Quadro Kitchen, is hygienic and safe for cooking and dining.
Change your dishtowels regularly
Kitchen towels are a great way to transfer nasty bacteria from one part of the kitchen to another. They often stay damp, are used multiple times before they’ve had a chance to fully dry, and are sometimes used for multiple jobs, such as drying hands, drying dishes, wiping counters, or cleaning up spills. When thinking about how to keep your kitchen free from germs, it’s important to consider how towels can contribute to preventing bacterial growth in the kitchen. To mitigate the spread of harmful bacteria via your kitchen towels, change them regularly, even multiple times per day. Also, we suggest using separate towels for drying hands and drying dishes. We like cotton towels for drying our hands and find that a good-quality linen towel is better for drying dishes since it won’t leave tiny threads all over your glasses. If you’ve used a towel for cleaning up a mess in the kitchen, throw it directly into the laundry hamper to be washed. Masca Laccata Kitchen offers a sleek, easy-to-maintain design that minimizes areas where bacteria can thrive, making it a great choice for those prioritizing cleanliness.
Conclusion
To wrap up, how to keep your kitchen free from germs involves consistent cleaning practices, being mindful of food handling, and using the right cleaning tools. By implementing habits like regularly disinfecting surfaces, properly storing food, and managing kitchen towels, you can effectively limit bacterial growth. So, what are some ways to keep your kitchen clean and limit bacteria? It’s as simple as staying diligent with daily cleaning and following safe kitchen practices.
