7 ways to improve your kitchen hygiene

Kitchens are truly the heart of the home, with everyone using the space throughout each day to prepare, cook, and often eat their meals.

No matter the size of your household, your kitchen is bound to get a lot of use – so how can you keep it clean?

We all learn the basics of kitchen hygiene at a young age, such as washing our hands and making sure food is cooked all the way through. Aside from these necessary steps, though, there are plenty of things you can do to keep your kitchen hygienic.

It’s important to optimise your kitchen layout and daily routines to make sure you’re maximising cleanliness and your health – and here are 7 ways to help you do just that.

1) Scrub your sink every day

Just because you’re regularly washing things in the kitchen sink doesn’t mean that the sink itself will magically stay clean. Residue from whatever you’re rinsing can gather in various places and start to build up, along with grime from any dirty dishes you might leave stacked in the sink to ‘soak’.

It’s good practice to clean your crockery and utensils as soon as you’ve finished using them, rather than giving bacteria extra time to multiply.

Once you’re done, you should give the empty sink and draining board a scrub to remove any lingering debris – and don’t forget to sanitise the faucets, too!

2) Store food correctly and safely

Aside from cooking ingredients properly, storing food safely is also an essential part of kitchen hygiene. Most importantly, all food items should be kept in the correct area for their temperature range, whether it’s room temperature in the cupboard, chilled in the fridge, or frozen in the freezer.

You should never leave food out uncovered – always reseal packets and make sure the lids of containers are fully closed before putting them away in the correct place.

To avoid cross-contamination, be sure to store ‘like with like’ and always store fresh meats on the lowest shelf in the fridge.

3) Clean out your fridge and freezer

A key element of safe food storage is regularly cleaning out your fridge and freezer. If you can’t remember the last time you emptied them out and wiped down the shelves and drawers, it’s definitely overdue – so get on it ASAP! Be sure to check product dates and carefully dispose of anything that’s out of date.

Not only is leaving food to go bad wasteful, but it’s also hazardous, as rotten food can gradually contaminate everything else in the fridge or freezer.

To avoid this, and keep more of your food fresher for longer, try giving the fridge shelves and freezer drawers a quick clean every time you do your big grocery shop.

4) Keep waste in closed bins

Your kitchen bin should have a lid that stays closed unless you’re taking the bin bag out or putting a new bin liner in (which you should do as soon as the bin is full). This ensures that rubbish and odours don’t build up inside the bin or escape into the kitchen, and prevents the garbage from attracting pests.

Waste management can be just as crucial as food storage, as you need to store the food waste safely, too.

Never leave food waste lying around to rot, and empty the bins as often as possible. If you have a garden, you could start a compost bin at the bottom to manage organic waste in an eco-friendly way.

5) Use different areas for food prep

One of the biggest risk factors for cross-contamination is using the same surfaces to prepare raw food. If you use the same worktop or chopping board to prepare meat, seafood, vegetables, or dairy products without cleaning it in between, you’ll be transferring bacteria that can make you ill.

This is why, if you have enough counter space, you should create designated areas for different kinds of food preparation, washing your hands between using each one and cleaning them all afterwards.

Even if you don’t, you can still be diligent about washing your cutting board and countertop between uses.

6) Organise your kitchen equipment

An excellent way to keep your kitchen cleaner and limit the spread of dirt and bacteria is to make sure all your kitchen equipment is organised.

Give everything a specific space so you know where to find it easily. This will avoid the need to touch every door and drawer handle and go rummaging through bits and bobs.

Similarly, cluttered counters are essentially a dust farm, so you don’t want to leave anything out that doesn’t need to be there. Investing in smart storage for your food, appliances, and kitchenware will help you to save time, minimise waste, and improve overall hygiene whenever you’re using the kitchen.

7) Wipe up spillages as you go

Last but not least, each one of the previous tips can be made easier by simply cleaning up your kitchen messes as you go along. Don’t leave food debris to fester or stains to sink in – whether it’s your sink, fridge, freezer, cupboard, or counter, wipe surfaces clear as soon as possible and you will have less to worry about.

A practical method for making your cooking areas easier to clean is the installation of kitchen splashbacks – panels made from durable materials that are fitted on the wall behind cookers, sinks, and worktops to catch the splatters that would otherwise stain the walls and potentially lead to the development of mould.

Follow these tips and keep washing your hands to make the most of your hygienic kitchen and enjoy your health to the fullest!