The Anti-bacterial Kitchen

A well tended kitchen goes a long way toward providing a happy and healthy quality of life for ourselves and our families. I have basic information and some suggestions to share with you on how to keep your kitchen safe and healthy.

The foe we most often do battle with in the kitchen is bacteria. To win this battle it helps to know your enemy.

         Bacteria is a multi-system organism, not unlike ourselves. They consume and digest, poop and off gas, bear young to whom they pass DNA changes which helps them to survive environmental changes and they die leaving a dead carcases behind which is food for other bacteria. Bacteria do not have suckers, claws or pointy feet to grip with nor do they fly or jump. They spread easily by contact such as going from a hand to a doorknob to another hand or by being smeared along a counter with a bacteria laden sponge. They need water to thrive and are moved around easily by water. If bacteria are allowed to thrive, they colonize quickly and are then able to work together to protect their group. They create a slick, protective film over themselves. You've probably felt a slick spot at some time, maybe behind the faucet or under the veggie bin in the fridge as you are wiping along. This protective barrier can take the brunt of the cleaner and the swipe you take at them and leave a few of the bacteria behind unharmed. They will have experienced a glancing blow of the cleaner you've used and can pass on a DNA change to offspring which strengthens them against the same chemistry next time they are exposed to it.
   
        The keys to defeating bacteria are;
* do not let them colonize by thoroughly cleaning often and
* keep their numbers down by depriving them of the one thing they must have, water.

      It is recommended that we not wash raw meat before cooking because under a quickly running faucet, the water splashes all round, on your clothes, arms, the counter, the sink and the clean dishes in the drainer by the sink. What bacteria there was on the raw chicken, for instance, is now likely to be everywhere the water splashed and they are now all wet and ready to be spread further with every touch and drip. Kill bacteria on meat by cooking it thoroughly. 

          Knowing that bacteria are so easily moved, we can use this knowledge to our advantage. Removing the bacteria is required for the usual maintenance cleaning like wiping the counter during the day. Killing the bacteria is for deeper cleaning events like at night when the kitchen is cleaned one last time for the day or if you feel something is really bacteria laden, like a meat cutting board for instance. To keep your kitchen sink and counters bacteria free does not require fierce chemistry; it requires thoroughly wiping and rinsing the surfaces and rinsing the cleaning cloth or sponge, most importantly, leaving them as dry as possible after every use. Always wring out any cleaning cloth or sponge with all your might, any water left behind on counters, sinks and in the cloths and sponges will provide a place for bacteria to thrive. Washing your hands, cutting boards and wiping counter tops with a clean dish cloth or sponge with only mildly soapy water are key to keeping bacteria under control.  When you pull out the antibacterial cleaners, make sure you rinse well. Do not leave any dead bacteria carcasses or any lingerers if the surface has been colonized and is slick feeling. Try to use the least intense antibacterial cleaners you can since you do not want to breed a more powerful strain.  

      Knowing that bacteria needs water to survive, keep your kitchen sink, sponge and dish cloths as dry as possible. Use clean dish towels often and hang till dry the used ones destined for the laundry basket.  To keep your kitchen sponge and dish cloths bacteria-free, I suggest you daily pour boiling water on them or put them wet in your microwave for two minutes. Then, let them cool to the touch and wring them out. Each evening when I clean the kitchen one last time for the day, I put the kettle on for tea, filling the kettle full. I fill my teacup, then I pour the rest of the boiling water over the kitchen sponge and douse the entire kitchen sink with it. Boiling water is a great non-toxic antibacterial. After is has cooled slightly, I wipe it dry with my sponge. Then, I squeeze the cooled sponge with all my might, leaning the sponge against the faucet instead of laying it down, so that air can circulate around it and dry it further. If you use a dish cloth; sanitize, wring it as dry as possible then hang it so that the air can circulate around it so it will dry.

     Bacteria growth is dramatically slowed down when chilled in the fridge. Let leftovers cool before refrigerating so that the fridge isn't overtaxed having to cool hot food, but do not let food set out for over two hours, whether on a picnic table or on the stove as leftovers. Packaging leftovers in an air tight container helps the food retain it's moisture and flavor but it is the coldness that keeps bacteria from spoiling the food. I recommend that fresh fruits and vegetables be soaked for 5 or 10 minutes in a dishpan of cool water with a splash of vinegar added to stop bacteria growth. I soak our fresh produce in about 1/2 cup of vinegar to 3/4 gallon of water. I have used a tablespoon of salt and the juice of half a lemon to a gallon of water to soak produce in, also. Both solutions effectively eliminate bacteria from the produce when followed by a quick rinse and thorough drying. This will keep your fruits and vegetables from succumbing to bacteria and going bad for much longer than if unwashed and even longer if you refrigerate them after washing. For more information on refrigerator safety go to my post from January 18th, 2013.  Refrigerator Rules

Thanks for reading.