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There is perhaps no chore more dreaded than cleaning your kitchen. That’s partially because of all the moving parts involved—managing the cleanliness of four or more appliances at once is a feat unto itself—but also because no one really tells you how to do it. Like, how long do you actually need to scrub a dish for it to be clean?!
It’s an important question, because there’s more at stake than just creating an aesthetically pleasing space at your next dinner party: Kitchen cleaning mistakes can put you and your culinary area at risk of both minor and major inconveniences—from bad smells to food poisoning.
We consulted microbiologists to get to the bottom of common kitchen cleaning questions and confusion, so you never have to stress unnecessarily about germs on your cutlery again. While the truth is that you’re probably making a number of little mistakes—like a wrong dishwashing water temp, or using the same sponge for…ever—they say that you only need small solutions to right the way. So consider this your crash course on all things kitchen cleaning. We can’t offer a diploma, but we can give you peace of mind.
You’re probably well aware of the disinfectant properties of heat, but that doesn’t mean your dishwashing water needs to feel like lava. According to Bill Sullivan, PhD, Showalter professor in microbiology and immunology at the Indiana University School of Medicine, it’s actually better if it’s not scalding. “You don’t want to burn your hands or use water so uncomfortably hot that it makes you rush and do a shoddy job,” he explains.
If you’re only using hot water to clean your dishes, the ideal temperature range is between 105 degrees and 140 degrees Fahrenheit, microbiologist Jason Tetro, author of The Germ Code and The Germ Files and scientific educator at the University of Alberta, tells SELF. But he also notes that rarely, if ever, will you only be using water to do a job like this. Soap or detergent, plus the act of scrubbing and the friction it creates, are equally important to the process, he says.
In fact, as long as the water is soapy, Dr. Sullivan says there isn’t an absolute need for it to be warm in the first place. Warm water can help to loosen up food stuck remains, make soap lather more easily, and make the cleaning process more efficient in general, but it isn’t required for sanitizing dishes. They’re safe to use as soon as no more organic matter remains, and sometimes you’ll need to soak them in super hot water to get all that gunk off (more on that in a bit), but usually a bit of H2O, some suds, a little elbow grease is more than enough to remove harmful microbes, he says.
Dr. Sullivan says the sink is actually one of the dirtiest places in the kitchen. “The sink is used to wash dirty dishes and to prepare food before it’s cooked, and often contains food debris and plenty of moisture, which are inviting conditions for foodborne germs to thrive,” he explains.
Basically, if harmful bacteria are already present in your sink, it’s that much more likely they’ll make their way onto your seemingly clean dishes, too. “If you were taking a bath, you’d choose a clean tub over a dirty tub,” he explains.
There’s also an important distinction between cleaning and disinfecting a kitchen sink. Both are necessary for creating a safe environment, but the frequency with which you’ll need to do them will vary from one to the other.
In general, Dr. Sullivan recommends doing a nightly sink wash with soap and warm water, and using a more heavy-duty solution to decontaminate it on a weekly basis or if the sink is needed for food prep, like washing lettuce or cleaning a cutting board that was used to prepare raw chicken. He uses a commercial cleaner according to the manufacturer's instructions, but notes that applying a homemade solution of one tablespoon of bleach and one gallon of water and letting it soak for a few minutes is an acceptable option as well.
Small nicks and scrapes are a common part of the cooking process, and aside from the immediate pain they cause, washing dishes when they’re present can also lead to potential complications, says Dr. Sullivan.
Performing this chore with an open wound (or fresh tattoo!) and without gloves can allow any harmful bacterias like Staphylococcus that are present to enter your body and cause an infection, especially for immunocompromised or elderly populations. There’s also a rare but not zero chance of contracting something lethal like Vibrio, the “flesh-eating” bacteria found in some types of shellfish. Basically, slap on a pair of gloves or leave the washing to someone else if ever there is a doubt.
Soaping and disinfecting your sink aren’t enough to ensure it’s totally clean. You also have to dry it, says Dr. Sullivan. The reason for this is simple: Bacteria thrive in moist conditions, so depriving them of moisture will make it that much harder for them to survive. Even if it’s kind of a pain, you won’t regret doing a quick post-cleaning wipedown of this surface with a paper towel or (clean!) rag.
Soaking isn’t mandatory for sufficiently clean dishes, but it can speed the process along, says Dr. Sullivan. First off, the longer dishes are left to soak in hot, soapy water, the less likely harmful bacteria like E. coli are to be transferred to you via little wounds. (Remember, this needs to be done in a clean sink).
If you’re scrubbing away and the grit and grime isn’t coming off, though, letting them soak for a bit will loosen all those food remains and make your job less physically demanding. “You should not have to scrub too long; if it’s taking more than 30 seconds, consider soaking the dishes in hot soapy water for 15 to 30 minutes,” Dr. Sullivan explains.
Sponges are a hot spot for germs, including those that can cause foodborne illnesses, says Dr. Sullivan. “It’s ironic: Germs contaminate the very tool we use to clean the dishes! Why?,” he jokes. Why indeed.
The good news is that you can successfully disinfect your sponges through a handful of methods—like wetting and microwaving it on high for a minute if it doesn’t have a metal scouring pad, or running it through your dishwasher using the heated dry setting, he says. And there are a couple steps you can take to minimize the amount of bacteria on it, like by never leaving a sponge in a dirty sink or near where food prep is happening, and keeping it dry when you’re not using it.
Even with all these precautions in place, he says it’s still a good idea to plan to replace your sponge every seven to 10 days rather than waiting for it to change color or smell funky. “The longer you use an unclean sponge, the higher your risk of catching or spreading an infection, [and] a worn-out sponge is not as effective in removing food and grease from dirty dishes,” Sullivan explains.
Using the same sponge to wipe down a sink and a countertop is a recipe for mess, says Tetro, which is why he encourages keeping up to three sponges handy at once for various purposes. “One for regular dishwashing, one for pre-washing to get off grease and oil and sauces, and one for disinfecting, [which] can also be used for rinsing surfaces,” he says.
If three sponges seems like a lot to use at the same time, consider following the popular two-sponge rule instead, which involves reserving one for washing dishes and cleaning up organic material (like leaked chicken juices), and the other for washing and disinfecting surfaces—that way you’re not accidentally spreading potentially harmful foodborne bacteria onto your freshly cleaned counters. So whether you choose to use two or three sponges at once, the important takeaway is this: Never contaminate your disinfecting sponge.
Refrigerators slow the decay of food, but as much as it would be appreciated, they don’t stop it entirely, Dr. Sullivan says. “That’s why fruits and vegetables in the fridge still get moldy and meats still rot—it just takes longer than if they sat at room temperature,” he explains.
When this does happen, he notes that there’s also a risk that bad food can cross-contaminate your still-good food if not disposed of quickly. We’ve all encountered a fruit or veggie that, though once firm, is now soft and mushy and seeping some kind of foreign, malodorous liquid all over the place. He says that simply wiping it up isn’t enough, and that spot cleaning the affected area after such an occurrence is necessary for ensuring no harmful bacteria remain or spread. But your best bet is to give the whole shelf a scrub down if you want to be extra safe.
Remove all food, shelves, and drawers, rinse the removable items with hot, soapy water to remove residual slime, before finally treating with a disinfectant and letting it soak for the amount of time recommended by the manufacturer’s instructions. Wipe down the rest of the fridge with a commercial or homemade bleach disinfectant, then dry completely with a paper towel.
Even if you always remember to wipe down your counters, you might be forgetting some major real estate: Cabinet, fridge, oven, and sink handles and faucets plus light switches and anywhere you’re touching frequently end up being some of the germiest places in the kitchen based solely on how much traffic they get, says Tetro. What’s more, they’re at the root of a lot of cross-contamination that happens in the kitchen. Think about it: If the handle of your fridge or dishwasher is dirty, the bacteria from it can inevitably spread to any clean dishes or ingredients you take out of it.
It’s easy to forget about them when there are much bigger fish to fry, but their cleanliness is just as important to the safety of your cooking space as any other element, says Dr. Sullivan. Your best bet is to save them for the very end of your cleaning routine, so you don’t end up re-dirtying them right after washing. Do that by using a clean rag or paper towel treated with a small amount of commercial cleaning or bleach solution, and rub them for as long as directed by the manufacturer's instructions.
Your dishwasher can’t clean properly unless it’s also clean, says Dr. Sullivan. “If you neglect to clean your dishwasher, food waste and grease can accumulate, which can diminish its performance and foster the growth of bacteria or molds that cause foul odors,” he explains. It’s rare, but there’s also a non-zero chance of a soiled dishwasher causing human infections.
Now you might be thinking, why do I have to wash the very thing that’s supposed to do the washing for me?, but maintaining dishwasher cleanliness isn’t so hard, he says. “Cleaning is usually a simple matter of running a cycle with nothing but some white vinegar in a bowl on the top rack,” he explains.
Most importantly: Don’t forget to clean the filter. This part is particularly responsible for those bad smells, and you’ll know it’s time to give it a wash if and when your dishes aren’t coming out as clean as they should. And there’s no special technique required—let it soak and scrub with dish soap like you would with any other dish.
Wood cutting boards are like a double-edged sword. On the one hand, some types of wood have naturally antimicrobial properties, and on the other is the fact that they’re also highly porous substances—which means small debris and microbes (yep, including ones that can get you sick) can easily get stuck in.
If you chop chicken and dice your onions on your wooden board, you’d need to properly disinfect it in between to avoid cross-contamination. And the only way to properly disinfect wood is with heavy-duty chemicals, like bleach, or with a run through the dishwasher, both of which can permanently damage or warp the wood, says Dr. Sullivan.
That’s why Sullivan recommends using two separate cutting boards. Keep one for meat and animal products, ideally made from a non-porous substance like metal, glass, or plastic. Then dedicate another for fruits and veggies, which can be wood. (If you’re exclusively cutting produce on your wood board, a simple wash with hot water and dish soap is enough to keep it clean.)
Trash cans have feelings, too—not really, but they can start to stink if you don’t treat them right. For starters, when you throw out rotten food, Tetro recommends sealing whatever you’re tossing in a closed bag, like a Ziploc or even a tightly closed leftover grocery bag. This will trap the odors so you don’t have to rush to toss your garbage between trash days, he says.
Trash bags are also not always as solid as we’d like, which means food juices and crumbs are likely to leak through into the bin itself where they’ll fester and make the whole thing stink. “Every time you remove the trash bag from the can, do a quick inspection to make sure there hasn’t been a leak. If you see food debris or liquid, clean the trash container thoroughly,” says Dr. Sullivan.
