Think you’ve really cleaned your kitchen? Think Again! Your kitchen is loaded with hotspots where all manner of bacteria are growing and thriving every day. The National Sanitation Foundation (NSF) released a list of nine places in the kitchen you need to be worried about.
Do you seem to suffer frequently from stomach issues? Well, the reason for this could be in your kitchen.
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Do you have a vegetable compartment in your refrigerator? NSF scientists found refrigerator vegetable compartments to be one of the “germiest places” in test homes. Germs found included Salmonella and Listeria as well as yeast and mold. Gross!
Listeria is a genus of bacteria that can cause foodborne illness. The most common type of listeria infection is listeriosis. Listeria is found in soil, water, and plants. It can also contaminate processed foods, such as hot dogs, deli meat, soft cheeses, and unpasteurized milk.
Salmonella is a genus of rod-shaped, gram-negative bacteria of the family Enterobacteriaceae. Most infections are due to the ingestion of food contaminated by feces. Typhoidal Salmonella serotypes can only be transferred between humans and can cause foodborne illness as well as typhoid and paratyphoid fever.
These are clearly not things one wants in their refrigerator. So, NSF reminds you to remove the vegetable compartments and clean them thoroughly on a regular basis.
They also found that refrigerator meat compartments are one of the top hiding places for germs. In addition to yeast and mold, both Salmonella and E. coli were found.
E. coli (Escherichia coli) is a type of bacteria that lives in the intestines of humans and animals. Most strains of E. coli are harmless and even helpful, as they aid in digestion. However, some strains can cause illness, including food poisoning, urinary tract infections (UTIs), and respiratory infections.
So, be sure to clean that compartment too.
Do you even know what a blender gasket is? Also sometimes referred to as an o-ring, this is a rubber seal that sits between the pitcher and the base of a blender. It creates a watertight seal that prevents leaks when the blender is in use. And it too needs to be cleaned – a lot.
NSF found Salmonella, E. coli, yeast and mold on blender gaskets.
In fact, anything made from rubber is a problem from rubber spatulas to food storage containers with rubber seals.
All manner of germs were also found on can openers. So clean these regularly too. And this is probably a good reason to use manual ones and not electric that are harder to clean.
Do you have a refrigerator with a built-in water dispenser? Sorry, but this could also be a reason for having a “stomach bug” a lot. NSF said “the dispenser proved to be a concern for both yeast and mold, which can be a significant problem for individuals with allergies.”
And the same holds true for refrigerator ice dispensers, which were also found to be contaminated with yeast and mold.
You may also want to rethink using a knife block. While they are great space savers and sit conveniently on your countertop, they were found to hold yeast and mold.
