written by : Emad Mohammad

On most occasions, foodborne illness is mild and gets away after a couple of days. But in some cases, they can be serious and result in hospitalization. Statistics in Canada related to foodborne illnesses are worth analyzing. Yearly out of 1.6 million illnesses, 40% are reported due to unhygienic food consumption in Canada. 34% of hospitalizations are caused by foodborne illnesses. The sad news is that foodborne illnesses cause nearly 133 deaths a year. (source: https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/food-borne-illness-canada/yearly-food-borne-illness-estimates-canada.html)

The above statistics show us the importance of avoiding foodborne illnesses. The first step towards a healthy lifestyle can start from your kitchen. Therefore, paying attention to your kitchen hygiene is a much more important factor. There are various ways that you can maintain the hygiene of your kitchen with less effort. Siema Kitchen & Bath the leading kitchen remodeler in Vancouver is happy to present a few tips for kitchen hygiene that you can practice with your busy daily schedule.

The most important factor of all is the careful handling of veggies and other food items. Safe handling of food items has many aspects including proper storage, washing & cleaning, food preparation techniques and food preservation. In terms of food preparation cooking to the right temperature helps to keep the food healthy and hygienic. The majority of families take these things for granted without paying careful attention.

Cleaning of kitchen surfaces includes wiping countertops, shelves and tools. Cleaning countertops is one of the easiest and essential basic kitchen hygiene rules. There is a high chance of spreading germs through kitchen cabinet handles, utensils and chopping boards that everybody touches. In addition, cabinet drawer handles and knobs need to be cleaned on a regular basis. In addition to keeping things clean and tidy, preventing the spread of bacteria and other harmful germs for your family is of utmost importance. The use of sanitizing products helps a lot in cleaning surfaces in your kitchen as it supports to kill germs.

The best practice would be to clean the countertops after every use or at least once every day.  When selecting a kitchen cabinet for your kitchen it is good to buy a product that is easy to clean. Our luxury Italian kitchen cabinetry Scavolini products can be easily cleaned and resistant to chemicals and other various cleaning liquids.  As a result, Scavolini kitchen cabinets will not get discolored. Apart from that Scavolini kitchen cabinets add elegance and beauty to your kitchen.

Another aspect of your kitchen hygiene is to keep the garbage bin clean always. If you keep the rubbish in your bin for a longer time food leftover will decompose and form bacteria and cause a bad smell. Hence need to check your bin daily basis and dump the rubbish into a larger compost bin in your garden.

Bin organization is important too. At the time you design your kitchen cabinet, it is good to plan for a place to keep your bin.  However, bin organization alone will not help maintain your kitchen’s hygiene.  More attention should be paid to prevent filling your bin with stinky, rotting food waste.

Composting is the best way to prevent food waste from going to garbage bins. Keeping a compost bin in the garden is a brilliant idea for turning your organic waste into something useful.  You may find more useful tips for reducing food waste in your kitchen by reading 10 eco-friendly kitchen hacks to reduce waste article on siema website’s magazine section.

Having a modular kitchen design also helps to maintain kitchen hygiene. A modular kitchen is a modern kitchen design style where the units will be assembled to form the kitchen. Modular kitchens are made up of more standardized, pre-made units that can be organized to suit your space. The modular kitchen design will create more space in your kitchen which makes your kitchen look more spacious and organized. Eventually, it will make it easier to clean each corner of the kitchen.

The interior design experts at Siema Kitchen and Bath have all the expertise to design your kitchen according to your expectations. Our design consultants will give you ideas to add an eco-friendly hygienic kitchen to your beautiful home.

Another important food hygiene rule in the kitchen is the safe storage of food items. Some homeowners store food items along with chemical products without knowing their impact. When food items are stored along with chemicals, they start to react with each other. As a result of the chemical reactions, the food items can get poisoned and cause harmful effects on your body.

Proper storage will help keep food safe from harmful bacteria. Moreover, the correct storage of food will help keep contact between air and food to a minimum level. That is one of the key tips for preserving cooked food for a longer time period.  Following guidelines may help you to store food items better than before.

• Ensure that leftovers and other food items are kept inside zip locker bags.
• It is important to use sealed containers for the food that is going to be kept on open shelves and in kitchen cabinets.
• Better to place food packages on plates to avoid juices dripping onto countertops and fridge shelves. The best practice is to store them on lower shelves to further avoid contamination.
• Avoid putting warm food into the fridge as soon as you finish cooking. Leave them aside for a few minutes until the food gets cold. 
• Do not keep cooked meals open to the air for more than two hours.
• Do regular stock checks to make sure that expired food items are taken out and thrown away.

Ensuring the cleanliness of your fridge is one of the top five hygiene rules in your kitchen. Leftovers and decaying food can spread their nasties to everything else in the fridge. It is advisable to clean your fridge on a daily basis with kitchen paper or a towel.

Also, most people forget about the vegetable drawer at the bottom of the fridge. They treat it as the graveyard for rotten and expired vegetables and fruits. Why not put all your expired and perished veggies in a compost bin in order to make use of them as organic fertilizer for your flower garden?

Website : www.siema.ca