You probably already know that your sink is one of the dirtiest places in your kitchen—and your dish sponge is just as bad. You might have heard horror stories about microwave filters, and you know that you need to be regularly cleaning your Keurig and blender.
But did you know there are several other places in our kitchens that are just as talented at collecting dirt and growing bacteria? Here are four of the dirtiest places in your kitchen that yo0u might forget about—and how you should be cleaning them.
1. Refrigerator Vegetable and Meat Drawers
In 2021, the National Sanitation Foundation reported that vegetable drawers were “one of the one of the germiest locations in test kitchens,” containing salmonella, listeria, yeast, and mold. Meat drawers were just as bad, harboring both E. Coli and salmonella.
According to Rosemary Trout, program director of culinary arts and food science at Drexel University, meat drawers are particularly susceptible to dangerous bacteria, “especially if you store raw meat that’s not sealed or covered well.” (And no, trying to stretch ripped, shrunken plastic wrap back around a half-empty container of chicken thighs doesn’t count!) Lunch meat can also be an issue—it can “contain listeria...and staphylococcus...if not handled properly.”
How do we guard against such bacteria? Trout says that “cold temperatures slow bacteria growth,” so making sure that both vegetable and meat drawers are below 41℉ is key. She also suggests doing “daily maintenance by removing any...drippings and recommends deep cleaning these drawers “every other week...with hot soapy water, and air-dry(ing) them thoroughly before putting them back in the refrigerator.” Sounds like a pain? Maybe. But you might sleep better knowing there’s not an army of bacteria threatening your asparagus.
2. Spice Jars
I know this sounds crazy, but hear me out. In November 2022, the Journal of Food Protection published a study finding that spice jars had the highest and most concentrated levels of cross-contamination in home kitchens. Skeptical? Just take a minute and think about when you tend to reach for your spice jars. Maybe it's right after you touch raw chicken or beef? Or after handling raw vegetables that have been stored in the potentially-contaminated refrigerator drawers (see #1 above)?
The contamination doesn’t end outside the jars, either. “Sometimes people sprinkle a dried spice from a jar with hands that have just handled raw food product,” Trout says. In other words, many of us are unthinkingly contaminating the spices inside the jars too. I don’t know about you, but hearing that is enough to make me a) start cleaning the outsides of my spice jars regularly with hot soapy water and b) pre-measure my spices into little containers before the raw meat or vegetables even leave the refrigerator.
3. Handles, Knobs, and Dials
Makes sense, right? Whether it’s the handle of the refrigerator, the knobs on the cupboard doors, or the stove dials, we touch these areas thousands of times each week without even thinking about it. And, according to Trout, although these surfaces are usually “constructed with smooth, durable materials...(that) can be antibacterial,” they still run the risk of collecting bacteria such as salmonella, listeria, and staphylococcus, not to mention norovirus. Any time that these surfaces are textured, the risk is even greater.
Conscientious scrubbing is the best way to ensure these surfaces stay clean and sanitary. Trout recommends cleaning them daily by scrubbing with “hot soapy water” or bleach– although she’s quick to caution that bleach can be tricky as it “can leave a residue and stain clothing”! And speaking of frequently-touched surfaces...
4. Countertops
This shouldn’t be a surprise. Counters are the surfaces we use the most. Everything touches them, from our hands to our cutting boards to the bottoms of the grocery bags that may or may not have been on the floor of your car on the way home from the supermarket. In 2021, a study of 10 households in Houston, Texas found over 52 different foodborne pathogens present on countertops, including E. Coli. The same survey found that in many of those households, the counters were often “cleaned” using the dish sponge from the sink, which is a totally ineffective tactic, since that same sponge often contained high levels of bacteria.
We may not be using the dish sponge to clean our counters, but it’s likely we’re not cleaning them as regularly or thoroughly as we should be. Rosemary Trout comes through again with some cleaning advice. “Keeping [countertops] free of both food and non-food items can help,” she says. She also recommends washing them with “hot soapy water” before sanitizing with “bleach or other home cleaner.” How frequently should we be doing this? “At least daily,” Trout says, “and in between uses to avoid cross-contamination between any raw and ready-to-eat products.” When was the last time you moved all of your appliances and scrubbed down your countertops with hot soapy water?
Whether you’re a germaphobe constantly wielding a bleach bottle or a little more laid back, it’s smart to be aware of kitchen cleanliness. The next time you grab that 2 o’clock Diet Coke from the refrigerator, take a second look at the door handle. Maybe it’s time to grab a (fresh) kitchen cloth and run some hot soapy water.
