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It is very important to keep your kitchen clean while cooking. You must clean everything in the kitchen like cutting-boards and counter-tops.

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It is important to keep a kitchen clean and dishes safe to eat on. It is also important to wash vegetables when cooking because bacteria can spread from the outside to the inside as you are cutting.

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Why it matters

Illness-causing bacteria can survive in many places around your kitchen, including your hands, utensils, and cutting boards.

Unless you wash your hands, utensils, and surfaces the right way, you could spread bacteria to your food, and your family.

Follow these top tips to keep your family safe

Wash hands the right way-for 20 seconds with plain soap and running water.

Washing your hands the right way can stop the spread of illness-causing bacteria.

Here's how to do it:

And when to do it:

Wash surfaces and utensils after each use.

Bacteria can be spread throughout the kitchen and get onto cutting boards, utensils, and counter tops. To prevent this:

Wash fruits and veggies-but not meat, poultry, or eggs!

Did you know that-even if you plan to peel fruits and veggies-it's important to wash them first because bacteria can spread from the outside to the inside as you cut or peel them?

Watch "Clean" Video

Learn "clean" tips for preventing food poisoning

Additional Resources:

Cleanliness Helps Prevent Foodborne Illness (USDA)
Everything that touches food should be clean: hands, surfaces, cutting boards, utensils, everything.

Washing Food: Does it Promote Food Safety? (USDA)
Tips for meat, poultry, eggs, fruits, and vegetables.

Lifelong Food Safety: Clean (FDA)
Part of the series on Food Safety to Moms to Be.

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Illness-causing bacteria can survive in many places around your kitchen, including your hands, utensils, and cutting boards. Unless you wash your hands, utensils, and surfaces the right way, you could spread bacteria to your food, and your family. Washing your hands the right way can stop the spread of illness-causing bacteria.

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It's a new month and time for a new cleaning task. How did January go for you? I heard from a number of you who cleaned your sinks, windows, and lights. A couple of you didn't clean those things but were motivated to do some other kitchen cleaning that really needed to be done. I'm glad we can help motivate each other. I know it helped me to hear back from you.

I finished January's tasks by cleaning the two ceiling fans with lights in my kitchen. I removed the glass globes and washed them, and I dusted and washed the fan blades.

About my kitchen sink, a few of you suggested baking soda and vinegar. I tried that and it did clean the sink well, but did not remove stains. I have ordered Bar Keeper's Friend and am waiting for that to arrive. Several people suggested it and I have read good things about it also. We'll so how it goes.

(not my kitchen - image via office.microsoft.com)

February: Clean Your Cook Top and Oven
Stoves can be very dirty places. For a deep cleaning, I suggest you remove all the pieces that can be removed and clean them well. This includes parts of your burners as well as knobs. I have a smooth top stove and have found that the product Sears sells to clean it works very well. I'm sure there are others also. I use it regularly, but it doesn't take much so a bottle lasts a long time.

My oven doesn't tend to get too dirty, but one reason I wanted to do this job in February is so I can use the self cleaning feature and not mind the heat it produces. If you don't have a self cleaning oven, you'll just have to use some elbow grease. Remember to clean the outside as well as the inside, and don't forget the drawer under your oven if you have one. I use mine to store skillets and pot holders. I need to go through what's in there and declutter it as well as clean it.

If you have a range hood or fan over your cook top, that should be cleaned as well. They tend to collect grease and dust so have your grease cutting cleaners ready.

If you have a free standing oven/stove, I suggest you pull it out and clean the outer sides of it as well as your cabinets, walls and floors in the place where it sits. Now don't do this unless you have some help and can do it without harming yourself or your floor.

Some microwaves, like mine, are mounted over the stove and act as a range hood. If that's the case, you could clean just the underside of the microwave. Mine is new so I'm going to skip that. Microwaves and toaster ovens will be cleaned another month, but if you finish this early, you could certainly move on to them.

What are your favorite cleaners for this kind of job? I'll tell you about one of mine in next week's kitchen tip.

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Keeping a Clean Kitchen: Cook Top & Oven | Gluten-Free Homemaker

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It's a new month and time for a new cleaning task. How did January go for you? I heard from a number of you who cleaned your sinks, windows, and lights. A couple of you didn't clean those things but were motivated to do some other kitchen cleaning that really needed to be done.

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Keeping your kitchen safe from harmful diseases and bacteria are a big concern. You have to make sure your kitchen is organized by making sure there is no risk of falling and assess for hazardous materials. Make sure you store foods under sanitary conditions and dispose of garbage.

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S almonella... E. coli... C. botulinum... These ominous words have been making headlines. Contaminated or tainted food can have devastating-even fatal-consequences for healthy individuals. Imagine the risk when a frail, elderly, or medically compromised person comes in contact with any of these bacteria. In long-term care environments, the facility kitchen is ground zero in preventing the spread of foodborne illnesses, which is why surveyors pay close attention to kitchen sanitation. Proper food storage and handling, proper maintenance of kitchen equipment, and the health and cleanliness protocols of kitchen staff are all areas to consider. The added bonus is that a clean kitchen is, ultimately, a safe kitchen. This article takes a look at what can be done to ensure that every precaution is being taken to keep your residents safe.

Begin With the Basics

Proper and frequent handwashing may be the simplest-and most immediate-way to operate a sanitary and safe kitchen; however, enforcing rules and making sure all staff members follow the policies and procedures of handwashing can be challenging. Every facility is required to have written policies and procedures in place related to handwashing, hygiene, and the health of foodservice workers. You cannot stress the importance of handwashing enough to your staff; they must be educated on proper handwashing techniques according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines (available at http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/PDF/rr/rr5116.pdf). One way to ensure proper handwashing is to have employees demonstrate their handwashing technique every month. Use a checklist to ensure that every step is followed. Instruct kitchen staff to use a paper towel to turn off the faucet to avoid contaminating their freshly washed hands.

Besides correct handwashing, the overall health and hygiene of your employees is critical. To maintain a safe and healthy kitchen environment, monitor staff for any signs or symptoms of illness (e.g., vomiting, sneezing, or diarrhea) that may cause food contamination and educate staff on the importance of reporting symptoms to supervisors.

Organize the Kitchen

Efficient organization is an important key in kitchen sanitation and safety. Tour and assess the kitchen and pantry areas with this question in mind: Is the kitchen organized, sanitary, and free of physical hazards? Follow the steps below when touring the kitchen to ensure it does not present health and safety hazards.

Assess the environment for hazardous materials. There will always be hazardous materials in the kitchen (e.g., disinfectants, surface decontaminate cleansers, germicides, antimicrobials, bleach, hand sanitizers, and even dish soap). You need to know what could happen if these materials are handled incorrectly or by the wrong person. Once you have identified the potentially hazardous materials in your kitchen, you can develop effective policies and procedures to avoid possible negative outcomes. Store any hazardous materials in a separate, locked cabinet, away from foods. Read labels and product informa-tion on all products, especially non-foods and cleaning agents.

Make sure the poison control telephone number-(800) 222-1222-is clearly posted, and confirm that your material safety data sheets (MSDS) information is easily accessible. All of this information should be covered and logged during employee orientation, as well as during any employee in-services or training.

Look for obstacles or conditions in the area that could contribute to or increase the risk of a fall. Examples include clutter, electrical cords, and slick or cracked flooring. Encourage kitchen workers to wear slip-resistant shoes. A quality brand of slip-resistant footwear will help prevent your kitchen employees from slipping in greasy residue that may remain even after a thorough cleaning of the spill.

F371: Store, prepare, distribute, and serve food under sanitary conditions

Observe cooking, cooling, and storage of food. The 2005 Food Code from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA; available at http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/fc05-toc.html) offers recommended food cooking, cool-ing, and storing times and temperatures, and sanitary guidelines.

Subject potentially hazardous foods (e.g., milk, eggs, and poultry) to continuous time/temperature controls in order to prevent the rapid and progressive growth of infectious or toxigenic microorganisms.

Sanitize food preparation dishes, utensils, and equipment according to recommend-ed FDA guidelines.

Monitor food storage in the kitchen and in food storage areas to prevent contamination.

F372: Dispose of garbage and refuse properly

Keep areas used for both clean food transport and garbage disposal (e.g., hallways, elevators, and loading docks) free of debris, foul odors, and waste fat.

Cover waste receptacles when transport-ing them from the kitchen to the dumpster.

Make sure waste containers are in good condition with no leaks and garbage is placed in dumpsters or compactors with lids or otherwise covered.

Organization plays a key role in fire safety. Inspect the kitchen for potential fire hazards and make any needed repairs immediately. Fire hazards can include old, worn, or frayed electrical cords; overloaded electrical outlets; and natural gas leaks. Make sure the fire extinguisher is charged, tested, and operational at all times and positioned in a central, easily accessible location. Fire drills, including the evacuation procedure, should be performed on a routine basis, on every shift, and include all employees.

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S almonella... E. coli... C. botulinum... These ominous words have been making headlines. Contaminated or tainted food can have devastating-even fatal-consequences for healthy individuals. Imagine the risk when a frail, elderly, or medically compromised person comes in contact with any of these bacteria.

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Germs are everywhere! Especially in a kitchen. Little do most people know, the kitchen stove is very dirty. While cooking on the stove, things like grease, and pasta sauce or anything else that pops gets on the stove. Don't forget about the refrigerator! Dust builds up in the creases of refrigerator, and at least once in awhile we forget about the month old leftovers that stink up your fridge. The sink! dirty dishes, food scraps, and thawing meat are left in the sink. CLEAN YOUR KITCHEN AND DO IT RIGHT!!!

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Homemade ways to make your kitchen sparkle! These are easy hacks by Rachel Ray to show how you can keep your kitchen clean. These are ways to keep your kitchen clean and save tons of money.

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When the bathroom gets really gross, or the kitchen is covered in greasy grime, it can be comforting to use a harsh chemical to get rid of the mess. We've been conditioned to think the more toxic the chemical, the better it will clean.

However, harsh chemicals can be bad for the air inside the home. Studies have shown links between stay-at-home moms and higher cancer rates due to inhalation of toxic chemicals (http://www.non-toxic.info/Health_Statistics.htm). Also, dumping all those chemicals down the drain is terrible for the water supply. The toxic substances found in many household cleaners are not adequately removed by sewage treatment plants. Once the water leaves the plants, it is returned to the water supply.

All good reasons to ditch those chemicals, and start cleaning our homes like our grandmothers did. They really do work, and I promise your house will smell fresh and clean.

As with any cleaner, if something is precious to you, test a small spot before cleaning, so you don't ruin you favorite things.

One more thing. Go buy yourself a stack of bar rags, or cut up some old clothes or tablecloths, and get rid of those paper towels. There's really no need for them. A lot of natural resources goes into making those towels, and they don't work any better than a plain old rag. When the rag gets gross, just throw it in the wash with the rest of the laundry. Not only will you be saving trees, you'll be saving money too.

Four an all-purpose household cleaner, try one of these:

For a more heavy duty cleaner:

2 tsp. Borax (found in the laundry detergent isle)

4 tbsp. white vinegar

1/4 tsp castile soap

3 cups hot water

Mix in a jar to create a paste. Spread over the desired surface and clean with a sponge.

Disinfecting cutting boards

Rub a half lemon on the surface. For tough stains let the lemon juice sit for a while, or rub in a little salt.

Laundry:

1 cup peroxide in the wash instead of bleach.

Fabric Softener: 1 cup vinegar to the laundry. Just add to rinse cycle, or in the fabric softener compartment.

Or 1/4 cup white vinegar

2 cups water

Wipe with a rag like you would for a store bought cleaner.

Wood:

Equal parts water and vinegar plus 15 drops pure peppermint oil.

Carpet cleaners

Use equal parts vinegar and water. Spray on the stain and let sit several minutes. Clean with brush or sponge and soapy water.

For greasy spots:

Sprinkle corn starch onto grease. Wait 15-30 minutes. Then vacuum.

For tough stains:

1/4 cup salt

1/4 cup borax

1/4 cup vinegar

Rub paste into carpet and leave for a few hours. Then vacuum.

Metal Polish

Aluminum: using a soft cloth, clean with a solution of cream of tartar and water.

Brass or bronze: polish with a soft cloth dipped in lemon and baking-soda solution, or vinegar and salt solution. Use a drop of ketchup on tarnished spots.

Chrome: polish with baby oil or vinegar.

Copper: soak a cotton rag in a pot of boiling water with 1 tablespoon salt and 1 cup white vinegar. Apply to copper while hot; let cool, then wipe clean. For tougher jobs, sprinkle baking soda or lemon juice on a soft cloth, then wipe. You could also apply a little ketchup on a soft cloth and rub over tarnished spots.

Silver: line a pan with aluminum foil. Add two tablespoons baking soda. Place silver in pan and fill with hot water. Let sit. For really tarnished pieces, buff with a cloth.

Remember cleanliness is next to godliness, or something like that...

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Make Your OWN Household Cleaners - Rachael Ray

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When the bathroom gets really gross, or the kitchen is covered in greasy grime, it can be comforting to use a harsh chemical to get rid of the mess. We've been conditioned to think the more toxic the chemical, the better it will clean. However, harsh chemicals can be bad for the air inside the ...

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Measures one should take to prevent an unclean kitchen

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Measures one should take to prevent an unclean kitchen

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1.Wash all kitchen surfaces before cooking.
2. Wash dishes before using for food.
3.Clean floors and kitchen appliances daily to make sure they are sterile.
4.Wash hands before preparing meals.
5.Rinse off fruits and vegetables before cooking them.

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Reduce food poisoning risk with four easy steps.

The 2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans outlines four basic food safety principles: CLEAN, SEPARATE, CHILL and COOK. These principles directly align with the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics' four simple tips to reduce the risk of food poisoning.

CLEAN - Wash Hands Often

Coupled with the importance of hand-washing, the Dietary Guidelines reminds consumers to thoroughly wash all kitchen surfaces, including appliances, reusable grocery bags, and all produce (even if you plan to peel and cut before eating). For example, the insides of microwaves often become soiled with food, allowing bacteria to grow. By washing both the inside and outside, including handles and buttons, food poisoning may be prevented.

Proper hand-washing may eliminate a large percentage of food poisoning cases and significantly reduce the spread of the common cold and flu.

Wash hands before, during and after meal preparation, after using the bathroom, after changing diapers and after handling pets and pet waste.

Wash hands in warm, soapy water for at least 20 seconds.

Don't forget to keep surfaces clean, including shelves, counter tops, tables, refrigerators and freezers.

SEPARATE - Keep Ready-to-Eat Foods Separate from Raw Meat Poultry, Seafood and Eggs

When juices from raw meats or germs from unclean objects accidentally touch cooked or ready-to-eat foods such as fruits and salads, cross-contamination occurs.

Prevent cross-contamination by keeping raw meat, poultry, seafood and eggs separate from ready-to-eat foods.

Use two cuttings boards: one strictly for raw meat, poultry and seafood; the other for ready-to-eat foods including breads and vegetables.

Wash cutting boards thoroughly in hot soapy water after each use or place in dishwasher. Use a bleach solution (one tablespoon bleach in one quart water) or other sanitizing solution and rinse with clean water.

Discard old cutting boards that have cracks, crevices and excessive knife scars.

CHILL - Refrigerate Promptly to 40 Degrees Fahrenheit or Below

Refrigerate foods promptly and at a proper temperature to slow the growth of bacteria and prevent food poisoning.

Make sure your refrigerator is set below 40°F and freezer is at or below 0°F.

Keep a refrigerator thermometer in your refrigerator and check it regularly.

Refrigerate perishable food as soon as you get home from the store.

Refrigerate all leftover foods from a meal within two hours. When outdoors and the temperature is 90°F or warmer, that time is reduced to one hour.

Store foods in small, shallow containers (two inches deep or less).

Use or discard opened packages of luncheon meats or spreads within three to five days. Consume by the "use-by" date on the package.

Thaw food in the refrigerator, under cold running water, or in the microwave right before cooking.

Marinate foods in the refrigerator, not on the counter.

COOK - Cook to Proper Temperatures

Fish, seafood, meat, poultry and egg dishes should be cooked to the recommended safe minimum internal temperature to destroy any potentially harmful bacteria.

Always use a food thermometer to check the doneness of meat, poultry, seafood and dishes containing eggs.

Reheat leftovers to at least 165°F. Older adults should reheat all deli-style meats.

Boil a meat marinade for several minutes if you plan to re-use it.

Use the following quick internal temperature guide:

Beef, veal, lamb 145°F (with 3 minutes of rest time)

Pork 160°F

Poultry 165°F

Ground beef, veal, lamb 160°F

Ground poultry 165°F

Finfish 145°F or until flesh is opaque and flakes with a fork

Shellfish cook until flesh is opaque throughout

Eggs yolk and white are firm, not runny

Casseroles, egg dishes 165°F

Leftovers 165°F; boil liquids (soup, gravy)

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Reduce food poisoning risk with four easy steps. The 2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans outlines four basic food safety principles: CLEAN, SEPARATE, CHILL and COOK. These principles directly align with the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics' four simple tips to reduce the risk of food poisoning.

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leave kitchen cleaner than you found it sign

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Leave Kitchen Cleaner Than You Found It Sign - Notice Signs, SKU: S-5858

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Premium quality Leave Kitchen Cleaner Than You Found It Sign. Lowest prices guaranteed. Web's No.1 supplier of Notice Signs. Free shipping. Quick delivery.

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wikiHow is a "wiki," similar to Wikipedia, which means that many of our articles are co-written by multiple authors. To create this article, 68 people, some anonymous, worked to edit and improve it over time. Together, they cited 10 references.

wikiHow marks an article as reader-approved once it receives enough positive feedback. This article has over 528,438 views and 80% of readers who voted found it helpful, earning it our reader-approved status. Learn more...

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Cleaning the kitchen may seem a daunting task. Break it up into manageable sections, add some great music and you'll be coasting your way through the cleaning task. Scroll to Step 1 and let's get started. Wipe the burners. You have to...