The last-minute wipe downs, the cupboard filled with a variety of cleaning goods, and the clearly labelled bins – these are all signs of good kitchen hygiene. Keeping good hygiene has always been an important part of our lives, but the global pandemic has heightened its importance both at home and beyond.
From anti-bacterial products to PPE (and specialist waste) disposal bins and sophisticated recycling programmes, there’s no denying kitchen hygiene has grown in significance in the past year.
While the global pandemic has reprioritised the role of kitchen hygiene, it’s always been important. The kitchen is where we prepare food, meet with friends and family, and even work remotely. For these reasons, it has become the centre of the home for many.
Why is Hygiene Important in the Kitchen?
When thinking about kitchen hygiene, many prioritise wiping down and cleaning surfaces. This is where food is most often spilt, or where a leak might occur. But there’s more to proper hygiene.
From storing food correctly to keeping certain items apart, using correct chopping boards, or even using the proper bins, kitchen hygiene is a more of a process than a chore.
Here are KNB’s top tips for keeping a kitchen clean.
Using Separate Bins.
Depending on where you live in the UK, your bin collection cycle will be different. However, hygiene can be as personal and regular as you make it.
Many households will have a regular waste collection bin and one for recycling. Some homeowners may even have a bottle collection, a food waste bin (or compost), a small electricals collection or something for assorted or specialist waste. This shouldn’t, however, limit how you collect, and dispose of, your household waste.
For example, most areas will have access to a Tetra Pak collection point, which describes where you can collect all your packaging waste, such as milk cartons. This helps to recycle waste separately and sustainably.
You might even have a compost bin in your garden or kitchen. Compost is a collection of food surplus that can be recycled back into gardening projects. As one way to sustainably reuse waste for meaningful projects, you might use biodegradable bin bags or even newspaper. Both options help in the breakdown of waste as part of your compost project.
KNB Pro Tip
If you’re concerned about your waste attracting flies, you can get functional plants such as Nepenthes Alata. As well as looking stylish, you can hang it over, or near, your compost bins that are stored in the kitchen.
This hanging plant will entice any insects, removing them from your kitchen. It’s a clever and sustainable solution that supports the biodiversity of a healthy kitchen and it will also prevent build-up of nuisance flies from affecting your kitchen area.
Regular or Planned Cleaning
Having a regular cleaning cycle ensures that every aspect of your kitchen is cleaned as regularly and thoroughly as it needs to be, especially if better hygiene is your goal. This could be a deep clean completed annually, or it could be planned more regularly.
If it’s proving challenging to track your progress, consider using a spreadsheet or list to make this planning more manageable. This can help you create goals, deadlines and even highlight priorities, such as areas of your kitchen that need more care and attention.
Alternatively, relying on a routine can ensure that your kitchen is clean as a matter of habit. You might, for example, use Monday nights for cleaning cupboards that aren’t used as often. Or aim to reorganise the fridge at the beginning of every month. Creating a routine will ensure every aspect to your kitchen is kept clean regularly.
KNB Pro Tip
Areas to pay particular attention to include:
- Around the hob
- Cooking and prep surfaces
- Surfaces or furniture near any bins or waste
If you’re cooking, especially with a lot of oil, you’ll be amazed about how far it can go up the walls. Using a deep degreaser around those areas can really help, too. Residual grease and other stainable food items can create more than mess, but damage surfaces. So, it’s good practice to target your cleaning at surfaces that are more likely to stain.
Sustainable and Focused Hygiene
With a lot more awareness and recognition around sustainability and kitchen hygiene, there are a few alternatives that you can use.
You might, for example, choose pod-based disinfectants and cleaners. This will not only reduce waste from cleaning products but is a cost-effective solution that can help you keep on top of cleaning.
You can also use natural oils to help clean kitchen surfaces and furniture, such as tea tree, lemon, or lavender. Even regular kitchen cupboard items like white vinegar are perfectly good cleaning solutions for most areas of your kitchen. You can unclog drains with vinegar and bicarbonate soda, and there’s many natural ways to clean without the need for a lot of chemicals.
Homeowners can be both sustainable and hygienic in how they clean their kitchens. In fact, these can often complement one another.
If you’re considering a new kitchen, or maybe want to redesign your space, get in touch with KNB for a free consultation.