Recent research found that Americans added three hours and 12 minutes on average to their weekly cleaning routine since the start of the coronavirus pandemic. But even this extra time doesn’t always cover everything that needs cleaning, and this study highlighted three germ-carrying kitchen items we usually forget to take care of.
1. Kitchen Towel
The survey involving 2,000 Americans showed that most have one unhygienic habit that can mess up all the deep cleaning you’ve been doing in your kitchen—using a dirty hand towel.
Namely, only 11% of the participants replace their towel more than once a week. Unfortunately, the towel’s texture and dampness make it a bacteria haven.
2. The Rubber Gasket on a Blender
If you’re one of the many that opt for the “shortcut blender wash”—the one with the rotating blade and plastic base attached to the jar, the National Sanitation Foundation (NSF) says you’re doing it wrong. Blenders proved to be the third-germiest kitchen item in their yearly test!
So short washing even the top personal blenders on the market is the perfect way to grow something else in addition to your muscles with a protein smoothie, and you’re not going to like what it is.
Namely, the rubber gasket you’ve failed to take off and clean separately can be a breeding ground for the usual parasite suspects: Salmonella, and E. coli, on top of the mold and yeast found in partially cleaned blenders.
3. Knife Block
The dark and damp knife-box slots can harbor yeast and molds, NFS found. It doesn’t matter if you’re using the best-quality knife sets, their smooth surface is perfectly capable of transferring germs from raw foods to the storage box, so it needs to be regularly cleaned. Of course, it goes without saying that knives should be washed with warm water and soap after every use.
