Around the house: healthy kitchens

(not my kitchen - but I do have yellow walls like this photo!)

I was reading a magazine the other day and it listed 10 health hazards in our kitchens.  Here they are (my comments are in italics).  How does your kitchen rate!  I failed on a few points

• Open fridge: loses heat quickly.  Minimise opening and ensure it stays below 5 degrees (Pass - this is tricky with children around! Much easier now that they are all grown up - but sometimes DH will stand in front of the fridge door wide open at midnight or even later looking for a snack - he has a habit of waking up in the middle of the night feeling a bit peckish)

• Dirty dishes, trays in sink: They should be washed immediately. (Pass - I have a "thing" about dirty dishes - just ask my children - I wonder how immediately "immediate" is!)

• Washing-up brush and sponge: They should be kept dry and replaced regularly.  Replace sponge weekly. (Guilty, don't replace weekly - but do pour boiling water over them to "kill" bugs! Not sure if this makes any differences)

• Soap:It should always be available at the sink (Pass - I have a soap pump near the sink)

• Tea towel: Replace after each meal.  Wash and dry, preferably in daylight (Fail badly - I do not replace my tea towels after every wash - I don't own that many!!  I do dry them in the sunshine when they are dried outside)

• Frozen meat: Always defrost in fridge (Pass - I do this, generally overnight - but I also use the microwave)

• Cartons of eggs: Sourced from a farm, with feathers attached, they should be washed (Pass - Not an issue - buy from the supermarket, so never wash)

• Spilt sugar on workbench: Attracts pests and should be always wiped clean immediately. (Pass I do this - but my son doesn't (fail), I know when he has made coffee as I find sugar on the bench - but no pests have ever invaded!!)

• Bench joints: Should be sealed to avoid pests (Pass - not an issue - all very sealed - we don't get pests in our kitchen)

• Exhaust fan: Check regularly for pests.  This is one of the first things a restaurant food inspector examines (Pass - my DH does this and cleans it for me)

Have they missed anything?

~oOo~