The Perils Of A Dirty Kitchen

Still not convinced that a thorough cleaning of our kitchen is the way to go? Do you think that the inspirational ability of a clean kitchen motivating someone to cook more is overrated? Well then, let us consider the dangers you face every time you step foot in there.

CROSS CONTAMINATION

Would you like it if a raw chicken jumped up and rubbed itself inside your bowl before you ate cereal? Probably not, and yet in the average kitchen, people break down their chickens about three feet from where they keep their plates. This number drops dramatically when those plates are unwashed and crowding your counter tops. And while it's extremely unlikely that the aforementioned raw chicken will start molesting your plate, the message is clear; a dirty kitchen increases the chances of raw, old, and decomposing food coming in contact with whatever you're making. As does whatever unpleasantness that food happens to be carrying, like Salmonella, E. Coli, Listeria, and other such nastiness.

"But I keep them properly refrigerated and cook my meat all the way through!" you might say. Well, that's definitely a good start, but tell me, did you wipe down every surface that your meat touched? Did you throw your other ingredients on the same cutting board as your meat without cleaning it first? Did you cut or debone your meat? In each of these circumstances you're leaving a residual of your meat that is now at room temperature and very much in the danger zone. And anything that touches those surfaces becomes a potential source of food poisoning, which I think we can all agree is pretty unpleasant.

CLEAN FLOORS


Good rule of thumb, if you can see what's making your floor dirty, then it'll probably feel pretty gross and if you can't, then it's going to be ridiculously dangerous. There's always the risk of pouring water all over the place, and most kitchens keep things like oil and butter on hand, things that are pretty transparent should they land on the floor. All it takes is moving a little too quick through your kitchen to cause a slip, and considering the amount of counter top space available, cause some pretty serious damage to your person. Taking a mop to your floor once a week should be bare minimum! Three or four times a week is far more ideal, if not every single day.

Oh, and if you're floor happens to be this wet, it should go without saying that cleaning up should be priority one before anything else. Do remember that most of the appliances in your kitchen run on electricity, and we all know how well electricity and water get along.

SHARP THINGS


Isn't this a fun looking picture? Now imagine sticking your hand in this sink while your attention is diverted. Slashing your hand wide open is, generally speaking, a bad idea. And you're certainly going to lose your enthusiasm for cooking should this happen......which it shouldn't, because you're going to keep your kitchen clean right?