Everyone understands the importance of proper handwashing, but there are some things you are doing that are spreading more germs. It is apt to say that the world has collectively learned how imperative proper handwashing is as everyone is doing their part to keep themselves safe and stop the spread of germs during this pandemic. There is a good chance that you are spending more time in the kitchen cooking tons of meals and you are living a locked-down life, and it is in the kitchen where you just might be making mistakes. This is where you are handling foods. So, it’s the correct time to rectify the habits which you may be following unknowingly.
How we break down exactly what you might be doing wrong in the kitchen.
7 Hand Hygiene Mistakes That You Should Avoid:
- You are not washing your hands enough: It is important to wash your hands before, during, and after preparing the food. So, if you need to wash your hands before you begin cooking your dinner or lunch, you need to ramp up it a bit. Just think about the packages, which contain the food items which you need to cook and prepare your foods, that you touch along with your actual food, kitchen tools, appliances, etc. Yes, that’s a whole lot of germs around. So, you need to wash hands often, particularly before you cook the food, while you are cooking, after you complete cooking, and before you eat the food.
- You are not washing your hands for the right amount of time: A quick rinse before you start cooking is not so fast. You should scrub your hands for 20 seconds after lathering up soap every time you wash your hands. Particularly, if you know you are touching food that you know you are going to eat, make sure that you are washing hands for the right amount of time.
- You are lathering up soap first: The best to wet your hands is to hold them under or in the clean water first before applying soap. So, going for the soap with dry hands and then adding water is not proper. Lookup for more tips and make sure you rinse your hands before lathering it.
- You are touching your faucet right after washing your hands. So, you are washing your hands for 20 seconds and then you reach the faucet to turn it off so you can get cooking. Well, then you made your hands germ-infested again. See faucet handles are containing harmful bacteria and if you touch it right after washing your hands, your hands are bound to get germ-infested again. The best thing to do after washing your hands is to grab a paper towel first and use that to turn off the faucet.
- You are not cleaning your hand towels. Using the same towels to dry up the hands, dry up the dishes, and, perhaps, even dry up the spills on the countertops is only going to make you spread more germs. Not only you are going to make sure that you have different towels for these different scenarios but also you need to wash these towels regularly, as 49% of kitchen towels are tested with bacterial growth. You don’t want them to sit around the kitchen wet either!
- You are touching your face while cooking: If you find yourself touching your face while cooking, this is 100% going to spread unwanted germs. If you wish to remind yourself not to touch your face, perhaps, wearing gloves right after you wash your hands and before you start cooking can be helpful.
- You are cross–contaminating your gloves: Using the same pair of gloves to clean the vegetables that you just used while chopping up meat is not done. Germs can spread leading to food-borne diseases. It’s due to cross-contamination which you should avoid when you are in the kitchen. And, using the same pair of cleaning gloves over and over without cleaning the gloves isn’t ideal either. It is best to switch out gloves and properly dispose of them along with cleaning reusable cleaning gloves.
Take care in the kitchen and make sure that you clean the gloves and your hands perfectly and then handle the foods to stop the spread of the germs. Make sure that you are using the right products for cleaning and disinfecting. Cleaning means the removal of the germs and dirt from the surfaces. It does not kill the germs, but it lowers the risk of spreading infection. Disinfecting means using the chemicals to kill the germs on the surface. You need the right product to kill the germs. If you can’t find it in the local store, do a DIY diluted bleach solution, and don’t forget to wear your gloves. Make sure that you are disinfecting daily. Disinfecting only kills germs on the surface. Killing the germs after cleaning can lower the risk of the spread of the infection
During the pandemic, it is important to disinfect your kitchen daily. Remember, disinfecting does not remove germs but it can lower the risk of getting sick. Most importantly, make sure that you wash your hands after disinfection. Believe it or not you are supposed to let the disinfectant sit for a while before wiping it. You have to allow the disinfectant sprays to kills the germs and viruses. Remember, use it as directed.
Make sure that you clean yourself and have a bath every day and use a hand sanitizer, which will help you get rid of all the bacteria and germs that multiply and keep all the bacteria at bay. Cleaning is the first step of sterilization. Make sure that you clean all the things in your house and disinfect them thoroughly to make sure that you are away from all germs and bacteria. Follow these helpful habits in your daily life to make your life healthy and germ-free.
