Even if they look clean, sinks can get really gross — Tetro says the bathroom sink accumulates fecal matter (from washing your hands after you use the bathroom). Also, bacteria from food, like E. Coli and Salmonella, can contaminate the kitchen sink, especially if you've been handling raw meat.
According to WebMD the kitchen sink serves as a feeding grounds for illness-causing bacteria, including E. coli, salmonella, and Staphylococcus aureus that can easily get on your hands or spread to foods. I don't know about you but that's enough for me to clean my kitchen sink after each and every use.
Breeding grounds for bacteria
However, dirty dishes are simply ground zero for bacterial growth – they can multiply rapidly and spread from the sink to other parts of your kitchen at an alarming rate. The sooner you do the washing up, the faster you can stop the spread!
Hygiene expert, Lisa Yakas, has revealed to Bon Appétit that we should be disinfecting our kitchen sink at least once a week. If you have been handling raw meat or scrubbing dirty potatoes in the sink, however, you'll need to up your cleaning game and get scrubbing immediately.
To keep microorganisms from populating your sink, you should wash and disinfect the sides and bottom at least one a week, says Lisa Yakas, microbiologist and Senior Certification Project Manager of Food Equipment at NSF International.
Out of sight may be out of mind, but lurking down the various plug holes in your home is a myriad of germs. According to research carried out by the Global Hygiene Council , kitchen sinks have over 17,000 bacteria per square inch while a further 13,000 can be found around the handles of the tap.
Spills and trash get taken care of on an as-needed basis every day or two. Vacuuming and mopping should happen at least once a week. Clean carpets every three to six months. Living rooms and bedrooms should be attacked at least once a week.
A home's kitchen sink carries more bacteria than both the toilet and the garbage can, Gerba's research found. "There's more fecal bacteria in a sink than there is in a flushed toilet," Gerba told "Today." "That's why dogs drink out of the toilet. They know better than to drink out of the kitchen sink," he joked.
Cleaning gets rid of grease, food particles and dirt, and it can lift a lot of bacteria buildup. But it isn't enough to kill off all stubborn germs, and it might spread them around further. Properly disinfecting your sink is the only way to guarantee you vanquish all viruses and bad bacteria.
How Often Should You Clean Your Shower? Koch advises cleaning your shower weekly, but don't worry, it doesn't have to be a serious deep clean every time.
Dirty dishes in the sink is a free meal for days for fruit flies. Once you invite them into your sink to feast on food scraps on those dishes, they'll get down into the gunk in your kitchen drains. They'll breed there, they'll fly up at your face when you go to wash your hands.
Letting dishes pile up
Bacteria can stay alive for up to four days on your used dishes and spread through the kitchen.
Tuesday, April 26, 2022. Having still water in your sinks can be troubling as well as unhealthy. The water could bring a foul odor and even host disease-causing bacteria within the house. Therefore, it is crucial to ensure that water flows steadily for a clean and healthy environment.
Start by coating the wet sink in baking soda and adding a little dish soap and hot water to your sponge. Whenever you scrub a sink, start with the sides of the basin and work your way down, pushing any grime directly into the drain. Keep adding soap and water as needed or until the surface is scum-free.
At worse, they can harbor serious bacteria like Salmonella. Studies have shown that sponges are the dirtiest object in your house—including the toilet.
Giving your sink a wipe after use will prevent germs and grime from building up. Use a damp cloth with a washing up liquid solution or an anti-bacterial spray. Always clean your sink after preparing raw foods and rinse away liquids like tea which might stain lighter coloured sinks.
If you're looking to disinfect your kitchen sink, vinegar is also your answer. White vinegar can kill bacteria without presenting the same risks as chemical cleaners. To clean your sink with vinegar, mix up a solution of equal parts vinegar and water in a spray bottle.
"There's more fecal bacteria in your kitchen sink than there is in a toilet after you flush it," said microbiologist Charles Gerba, known as "Dr. Germ." But if you flush with the toilet lid up, you can be spreading fecal material more than six feet.
The key to disinfecting your sink and faucet is to carefully read the directions of your cleaning agent. (FYI, his favorite for this use is Clorox multi-surface cleaner with bleach). A lot of people aren't aware that many cleaning products need to sit for 10-15 minutes in order to kill the germs and viruses.
Kitchen rags, towels and sponges are notorious for bacterial contamination. The sink drain, sink and countertops are also frequently contaminated. Cutting boards, coffee filters, the dishwasher and fridge seals are also top locations for contamination.
The dirtiest spot in your bathroom isn't the toilet. An experiment done by SafeHome showed that the top two places with the most germs are your shower curtain and floor. The results showed that toilets, which most people perceive to be the dirtiest part of a bathroom, are actually 60 times less dirty than your shower.
Most homeowners sweep and mop, vacuum, clean the bathroom, and dust furniture once a week. Cleaning kitchen counters and sweeping high-traffic floor areas are usually done on a daily basis.
Washing your bed sheets about once a week ensures they always stay fresh. Plan to add this task to your weekly cleaning schedule to help reinforce the habit. Keep in mind that you don't necessarily need to wash sheets the same day as you strip your bed.
Mop Frequently
High-traffic areas, like kitchens, bathrooms, hallways, and entryways, require weekly mopping. Infrequently used rooms, such as formal living areas or guest rooms, can be mopped every other week, or even once a month, so long as they're vacuumed once every seven days to remove dust and grit.