Cleaning anything is often associated with dread and disgust. From cleaning chores as a child to cleaning for employment, keeping surfaces clean is an important practice. Besides our bathrooms at home, kitchens are another unclean site due to foot traffic, pet exploration and lots of food preparation. Foodborne bacteria, the type which makes us sick, cannot be seen, tasted or smelled. The bacteria get transported when contacting cutting boards, utensils, countertops and food. To start the new year out right, here are the steps to fight bacteria.

Start with clean hands. Nothing new here, but a necessary first step. Wash your hands with warm water and soap for at least 20 seconds. After chores or auto work? Wash longer. First, wet your hands with warm running water and use soap while rubbing your hands together to make a lather. Scrub well on surfaces and in between fingers, then under your nails. Twenty seconds is the “Happy Birthday” song twice. Next, rinse your hands well under running water. Drying hands with a paper towel is best.

In a 2014 study published in Food Protection Trends, 65 percent of consumers did not wash their hands before starting meal preparation. To get into this habit, add hand soap to your kitchen and bathroom sink. The list of when we should wash our hands is long and includes before eating; before, during and after preparing food; before and after treating a cut or wound; before or after caring for someone who is sick; after handling uncooked eggs or raw meat, poultry or seafood (or their juices); after blowing your nose, coughing or sneezing; after touching an animal or animal waste; after touching garbage; and after using the toilet.

After cleaning, sanitize surfaces to add an additional layer of precaution to kill germs. Mix a solution of 1 tablespoon of unscented liquid chlorine bleach and 1 gallon of water in a reusable spray bottle. Apply to surfaces and allow to stand for several minutes. Air dry or pat dry with fresh paper towels.

It is always a good time to start a new health practice. Consider improving your cleaning and sanitizing practices to keep everyone food safe at home, work, school and anywhere you have food.

Source: fightbac.org

Julie Buck, EdD, RDN, is a registered dietitian, food safety and health educator employed at the University of Idaho Extension, Bingham County. She can be reached at 208-785-8060 or jhbuck@uidaho.edu.