Homes

This is how often you should clean these 3 things

Keeping a clean kitchen can seem as easy as washing your tea towels, right?

You could be the cleanest person in the world, but I’ll bet that these three kitchen items are still overlooked when it comes to your general, everyday tidy up.

I know I forget about them from time to time!

Eco-bags:

Did you know that you should be washing your reusable bags? Studies have shown that eco-bags can hold large amounts of bacteria, including the very dangerous E.coli. This can be from leaked meat juices, but also from using the same bag to carry things other than food (such as clothes, water bottles, wallets or your phone). Add to that the fact few people think of reusable bags as something that should be washed regularly and you have the perfect storm for contamination.

Luckily, it’s as easy as regularly popping your bags in the laundry to keep them nice and fresh.

Tea towels:

Keeping a clean kitchen can seem as easy as washing your tea towels, right? Not exactly. One of the biggest ways to spread germs when cooking is by cross-contaminating between uncooked meat and other foodstuffs. And a common way this is done? Through the improper use of tea towels. This means that when preparing food, unless you’re mindful, every time you wipe your hands on your towel, you could be spreading unhealthy germs. It’s also done by using the same kitchen towel to wipe down the counter and dry the dishes.

Make sure you have at least three tea towels for the different tasks and keep an eye on how they’re being used.

Dish sponges:

We use sponges to polish the dirtiest spots in our households, and while I’m sure we’re all diligent with the bathroom ones, our dish sponges are often left to sit around for too long before getting a real clean. Porous and moist, these little beauties are the perfect breeding ground for nasty germs.

So to keep from spreading bacteria back onto your dishes and counter-tops, simply pop your sponge into the dishwasher with your dishes. If you don’t use a dishwasher, you can also pour boiling water from the kettle over it (I like to add a few squirts of dishwashing liquid in) and let it sit for a few minutes. It’s also really important to let your sponges dry out properly in-between uses.

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