What's Lurking in Your Kitchen Sponge?

Dr. Mitchell is co-author of Fat is Not Your Fate, Eat to Stay Young and I’d Kill for a Cookie.
Listen to her weekly Internet Show on AM580 WDBO http://580wdbo.com/healthcenter/

Visit her websites: http://www.susanmitchell.org and http://www.fatisnotyourfate.com

First it was sprouts, then spinach with e-coli bacteria followed by peanut butter making us sick….even a pet food recall. Seems like a lot of bad bugs bothering our good food doesn’t it? Bacteria are not only in food. You’d be surprised at what’s lurking in your kitchen sponge and on your work desk.

Whether you work in a home office or an office location, one study conducted by Professor Gerba at the University of Arizona found that the average desk has 400 times the bacteria of the average toilet. Yes, you read that correctly…scary thought isn’t it? Gerba also found that the average worker touches 30 surfaces a minute in an office including the keyboard, mouse, door knob, stapler and telephone.

By the way, did you know that cold and flu germs can live up to three days on surfaces? What about if you eat at your desk (which more than 60% of us do according to the American Dietetic Association)? Does this mean that when you’re desktop dining, germs may be your main course? If you don’t clean your desk regularly it does.

So how do you stay healthy without being germ phobic? These are tips compiled from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention  , the USDA  and the FDA . Their websites have a lot of information if you want more ideas.

1. It’s an easy and smart idea to wipe it your desk down daily with sanitizing wipes, hand sanitizers, or some type of disinfectant, especially if you eat at your desk.

2. When you walk into your kitchen at home or a worksite kitchen, the first thing you want to do is wash your hands. This may sound like a no-brainer but you’d be surprised how many people have been using the computer keyboard, cell phone, TV remote or other items known to be covered with bacteria and then start touching food in the kitchen. This is a very easy way to cross contaminate or spread germs from one item to something else…in this case, the keyboard to the cutting board or counter or microwave. So wash well, count to 20...you know…1 Mississippi, 2 Mississippi, etc.

3. I’m sorry I even have to mention this one but washing hands after a visit to the bathroom is not even worthy of a discussion…just do it….many people don’t and those germs transfer right to the door knob and everywhere else.

4. If you use a sponge in your kitchen, wet it and toss it in the microwave for two minutes on high every day or run it through the dishwasher daily. If you use it to wipe up raw meat juices, wash it out and nuke it again. If you use a dish cloth, get out a fresh one each day and wash the dirty ones in hot water. You know what I’m talking about…..that dish cloth that stands on its own and stinks.

5. In an office situation, it’s probably smarter to use disposable towels and sanitizing wipes.

6. Clean your can opener blade after every use with hot soapy water. Ok, admit it, how often do you open something and never clean that blade? Bacteria thrive here. Oh and before you use the opener, clean the top of the soup can, tuna can…whatever it is. We never had to do these things before, but we do now. All types of germs can be on that lid and when you use the opener, the germs get into the food.

You must now be smart and savvy when it comes to protecting your health and your family’s from bacteria and the often severe illnesses that can result. Put these tips into action and help keep the bad bugs at bay.

Dr. Susan