Dun dun dun!  The kitchen can be a bathhouse for germs and bacteria.  As a matter of fact, improper cleaning or cross contamination can cause some serious health issues.  As a prior salmonella victim, I take all precautions to make sure my kitchen sink, stove, and counter top are wiped clean after every meal I prepare (and sometimes before I prepare just to be safe).  Here are some tips from silive.com in protecting you and your family from falling ill.

Sponges

It’s best not to buy them. Unless you plan on tossing them after a few uses, those nooks and crannies make happy homes for germs. Putting the sponge in the dishwasher and soaking the sponge in bleach is helpful in killing microorganisms, but there comes a point when you’ve just got to throw it out. Consider using a strong paper towel (or two) for light scrubbing. Then dispose of the wad when you’re done: This way you’re not tempted to reuse your makeshift sponge over and over.

Baby in the Bathwater

Be sure to thoroughly scrub the sink (a.k.a. the tub) and the drain after bathing the baby. Wash the sink out with hot soapy water then sanitize with a bleach cleaner.

Hand Washing

This is the most important thing you should do before preparing food. Wash hands under hot, soapy water with agitation for at least 15 seconds. Ideally scrub under fingernails as well. By the way, just because you might use disposable latex or vinyl gloves in food prep, it doesn’t mean you’re in the clear. Change gloves after working with a single item for 20 minutes and never use the same pair of gloves for multiple purposes (i.e. handling oven knobs after working with raw meats, touching lettuce after breading chicken cutlets, etc.). Be mindful to chuck the gloves in the trash between surface contacts.

Managing Compost

Toss your compost collection daily to avoid fruit flies and odors. (Tip: Chuck vegetable matter, used tea bags, etc. into a brown paper bag and add to the composter first thing in the morning.) Rinse eggshells well under hot running water. Accidental hand-to-mouth contact with egg goo may cause salmonella poisoning if the compost isn’t well through the decomposition process. And while human hair and chicken droppings are considered to be ideal compost ingredients, never add human waste, a surefire way to inject pathogens into soil where food is grown.

Freezing

Freeze an item once and once only. After that, food loses its nutritional value and can take on an extraordinary amount of bacteria from fluctuating temps.

Thawing

Rest frozen meats in a deep pan (this prevents juices from overflowing) at the lowest shelf in the refrigerator. Most foods should thaw out within 24 to 36 hours. Dense foods like a turkey need two to three days of thawing. Using the defrost button on the microwave can jumpstart the thawing process safely.

Cooling

Large pots of soup, sauce/gravy and other protein-chocked liquids need to be cooled rapidly. It’s best to plunge the container in an ice bath or store liquids in shallow containers. Messing up on cooling down may result in botulism. And never put sealed hot or warm containers in the fridge. Take the lids off and cool things down on the top shelf of the fridge. (Food cooling on a lower shelf will heat items directly above it.)

Recycling Breadcrumbs

It’s one thing to be frugal but there’s a point where cooks become foolish. Use a little breadcrumb, panko or flour at a time and, for heaven’s sake, throw it all out after using. That’s because egg, chicken, pork, fish or whatever items you’re dunking in a dusting leave behind liquid that rots and breeds bacteria.