Kitchen Hygiene

donalh087

In our house - like many - we have a multi-purpose dish cloth that is used for all forms of wiping and cleaning up. To me it is just a bacteriological nightmare but my wife uses it for just about everything. Worst, she likes to give the table 'a good wipe' just before dinner.

There must be a better way!! Help.

.......

We use a scouring sponge to wash pans, plates, or to wipe down the hob. They are disposable, we usually replace them once a week (perhaps more often sometimes).

We would use it to wipe down countertops in the kitchen initially but then finish with anti bacterial spray and a wad of kitchen roll.

SoundsRight

Make sure she washes them in a washing machine or soaks them in boiling water before using them, and to keep rotating them frequently. Tell her to use an antibacterial spray as well when she's cleaning. That should keep the germs at bay.

Sardonicat

Anti bac cleaning wipes. Very reasonably priced in German supermarkets.

donalh087

Are there any 'friendly' antibacterials? She hates the place 'smelling like a swimming pool'.

dartboardio

Rotten!

As long as she washes or throws them out every day or 2 its fine. But keeping the same one for a week itd be filthy.

I just use sponge with hot water and spray for wiping or scrubbing down the hob then the blue cloths for the table with hot water and soap

Sardonicat

donalh087 wrote: »

Are there any 'friendly' antibacterials? She hates the place 'smelling like a swimming pool'.

The ones I get don't smell strong. They come in a variety of scents: apple, ocean (?) and lemon, which is lovely and fresh but not at all overpowering

The Bishop Basher

Glad to hear I’m not the only one..

My wife wipes the counter almost instinctively when she walks into the kitchen and all I can see are germs being spread around.

I hate those cloths..

Sardonicat

Of course, the OP could also boil wash or throw out the cloths every day or so. Not just his Mrs!

tabby aspreme

Rennaws wrote: »

My wife wipes the counter almost instinctively when she walks into the kitchen and all I can see are germs being spread around.

I hate those cloths..

How long has she been doing this for, maybe your family have built up a resistance to the bugs

caviardreams

Sardonicat wrote: »

Anti bac cleaning wipes. Very reasonably priced in German supermarkets.

The environmental aspect puts me off these as handy as they are. It seems like a lot of unnecessary waste. I think the washing the cloths regularly option is the best one personally.

The Bishop Basher

tabby aspreme wrote: »

How long has she been doing this for, maybe your family have built up a resistance to the bugs

The kitchen is spotless tbf (I’m a germ phobe) and the cloths are washed frequently and used with antibacterial wipe but I still hate the damn things.

That said I use mountains of kitchen roll.

Sardonicat

caviardreams wrote: »

Sardonicat wrote: »

Anti bac cleaning wipes. Very reasonably priced in German supermarkets.

The environmental aspect puts me off these as handy as they are. It seems like a lot of unnecessary waste. I think the washing the cloths regularly option is the best one personally.

I agree 100%. I use them cos I'm a carer for an 87 yo with diminishing cognitive ability and frankly never the greatest understanding of germ contamination. If i had cloths in the kitchen when my back is turned the same cloth could be used to wipe a shoe, then his mouth and then the table so really for his sake and mine I use anti bac wipes in the kitchen. If he needs a cloth for something specific he has to ask me for it. It really is the best for all concerned, believe me!

OP asked for alternatives to cloths so I gave the recommendation.

_Brian

donalh087 wrote: »

In our house - like many - we have a multi-purpose dish cloth that is used for all forms of wiping and cleaning up. To me it is just a bacteriological nightmare but my wife uses it for just about everything. Worst, she likes to give the table 'a good wipe' just before dinner.

There must be a better way!! Help.

How many times have ye gotten sick over this issue.

More problems are seen in families through excessive sterilisation of every surface.

If it’s working it’s probably fine.
Clean the cloths regularly.

Day Lewin

The "wipes" are basically throw-away plastic. Wasteful and polluting.

Ordinary cloths are fine if laundered regularly - a clean one every day or two, throw used ones in the hot wash. Or soak them overnight in water with a teaspoon of bleach.

And I've trained myself not to worry about "germs" as long as we are all strong and healthy, which we are. Meaning, "germs" aren't doing us any harm!!

PS The very old person wouldn't have so strong an immune system and need more careful hygiene.

donalh087

_Brian wrote: »

How many times have ye gotten sick over this issue.

Very good question. The answer is obviously none. And the rest of the kitchen is fine with me it's just the table before a meal.

Rubberchikken

we've a drawer with a fine pile of cloths (bought in dunnes) and a fresh one put at the sink 2/4times a day depending on how wet they get.
we use those green/yellow sponges for washing up and its replaced every week.

cloths thrown into wash. no wipes here.

dudara

Wipes are an environmental disaster. It’s just akin to throwing away plastic.

Neither am I a fan of overuse of anti-bacterial sprays etc. I believe they’re more damaging in the long run as they could impede the development of natural immunity. Hot water and soap are the best cleaning agents for the majority of dirt. Every so often you do need to bust out the Jif or Cillit Bang, but that should be the exception.

There’s nothing wrong with using cloths as long as they’re regularly rinsed out in hot water and allowed to dry. Leaving one to sit in a damp pile is obviously not a good idea.

Sardonicat

Rubberchikken wrote: »

we've a drawer with a fine pile of cloths (bought in dunnes) and a fresh one put at the sink 2/4times a day depending on how wet they get.
we use those green/yellow sponges for washing up and its replaced every week.

cloths thrown into wash. no wipes here.

And how many times a week are you putting on a 60° wash for those cloths? Are they going straight into the washing machine or into a laundry basket, damp, to fester and contaminate other items that will be washed at a lower temperature?

Sardonicat

dudara wrote: »

There’s nothing wrong with using cloths as long as they’re regularly rinsed out in hot water and allowed to dry. Leaving one to sit in a damp pile is obviously not a good idea.

There is if your nice clean cloth has been used to wipe a mouth or a shoe without your knowledge.

Spanish Eyes

Just keep the kitchen clean. Use disposable things like J cloths or similar if you are worried. There is plenty of evidence that exposure to ahem, germs helps us all in the long run with building up immunity.

There is far too much emphasis on cleaning and anti bac stuff these days. And still people get sick. Go figure.

iamwhoiam

I saw a programme the other evening about this . They sent sponges , J clothes and dishcloth to a lab to asses the bacteria count . The one that had the most bacteria by a huge margin was the tea towel used to dry dishes
They said the reason was the cloths were rinsed often and used with soap and washed often . The tea towel was put away wet and bacteria thrived in the dampness .
The one tip they gave was to hang the tea towel on a radiator or over the handle of an oven door to let it dry

Personally I think the over use of wipes is not only bad for the environment but also bad for childrens immune system
The anti bacterial wipes are not allowing the kids build up strong immune systems
Kids need to come across bacteria to strengthen their immune systems

Spanish Eyes

Some obsessive cleaners (not including OP here BTW) can turn into hoarders. I think it is an obsession for some.

dudara

Sardonicat wrote: »

There is if your nice clean cloth has been used to wipe a mouth or a shoe without your knowledge.

I think a bit of training is required

Sardonicat

dudara wrote: »

Sardonicat wrote: »

There is if your nice clean cloth has been used to wipe a mouth or a shoe without your knowledge.

I think a bit of training is required

He has dementia. Not a lot I can do except choose my battles ( I tried on this issue, believe me!) and use wipes as much as I agree with what people are saying about the environmental impact.

dudara

Sardonicat wrote: »

He has dementia. Not a lot I can do except choose my battles ( I tried on this issue, believe me!) and use wipes as much as I agree with what people are saying about the environmental impact.

My apologies. You’re fighting a bigger battle than a dirty cloth.

Sardonicat

dudara wrote: »

Sardonicat wrote: »

He has dementia. Not a lot I can do except choose my battles ( I tried on this issue, believe me!) and use wipes as much as I agree with what people are saying about the environmental impact.

My apologies. You’re fighting a bigger battle than a dirty cloth.

No worries.

huskerdu

Spanish Eyes wrote: »

Just keep the kitchen clean. Use disposable things like J cloths or similar if you are worried. There is plenty of evidence that exposure to ahem, germs helps us all in the long run with building up immunity.

There is far too much emphasis on cleaning and anti bac stuff these days. And still people get sick. Go figure.

I agree.

Clean your t-towels and cloths every day.
Always rinse the cloths in hot water before and after using them to wipe a surface.

Anti-bacterial wipes and sprays are unnecessary and causing a bigger problem that they claim to solve.


https://edition.cnn.com/2018/05/22/health/leukemia-clean-childhood-study-intl/index.html

Dial Hard

iamwhoiam wrote: »

The tea towel was put away wet and bacteria thrived in the dampness .
The one tip they gave was to hang the tea towel on a radiator or over the handle of an oven door to let it dry

Who in god's name puts their tea-towels away wet? Enough people that it's an issue, clearly, but I'm always left a bit "Huh?" by these kind of things.

Same with the report last week that baby wipes are the no. 1 cause of drain and sewer blockages in the UK and Ireland, my immediate reaction was "Who the hell flushes them???" Again, the answer is clearly flippin' loads of people but I was kind of floored because it would never even enter my brain to flush one and I don't know anyone else who does either.

I dunno, maybe I'm just incredibly out of touch with reality.

Foweva Awone

I use mostly cloths and teatowels rather than wipes. Every time I put on a wash (usually every second day) I throw in the used cloths and replace them with clean ones. I always have plenty of kitchen roll too and would use that instead of a reusable cloth if, for example, I was wiping down a counter after chopping raw meat.

DaeryssaOne

We have dishcloths that are used every day to clean up after cooking - it's rinsed in hot water and soap and spray is also used to wipe down the surfaces. It's rinsed again after use and left at the side of the sink. I would change it every few days or so but certainly not 2-4 times a day like another poster above?

Tea towel is left to dry on the oven door and don't use wipes or kitchen roll as they're only a waste.

Compared to other posters above I sound filthy but our kitchen is spotless and we have never been sick or anything from not having multiple cloths / disposal wipes on the go!

the beer revolu

For all the germ phobic people.
You do know that we carry over 2 kg of bacteria (germs) around in and on our bodies?

Wheety

donalh087 wrote: »

Are there any 'friendly' antibacterials? She hates the place 'smelling like a swimming pool'.

Milton have a spray cleaner which is not as bad as some of the others. It is anti-bacterial though.

Springfields

Buy 7 of those old fashioned white dishcloths. Use a fresh one each morning. At the end of each day hang it over the tap so it's dry by morning. Once dry put it aside to be washed at the end of the week with the tea towels or whatever. If you are using a clean one each day germs will be minimised and you can.also rinse it out in hot soapy water during the day. Using loads of disposable cloths and dumping them is so eco unfriendly as well as a waste of money
Those disposable wipes basically never decompose so would steer clear.
White vinegar infused with lemon and mixes with water is an excellent cleaner as well as a natural antibacterial product.

leahyl

Day Lewin wrote: »

The "wipes" are basically throw-away plastic. Wasteful and polluting.

Ordinary cloths are fine if laundered regularly - a clean one every day or two, throw used ones in the hot wash. Or soak them overnight in water with a teaspoon of bleach.

And I've trained myself not to worry about "germs" as long as we are all strong and healthy, which we are. Meaning, "germs" aren't doing us any harm!!

PS The very old person wouldn't have so strong an immune system and need more careful hygiene.

This is what my mum does. She wouldn't dream of using a new cloth every few days. Can you imagine the money you'd be spending

Also, I must have one of the strongest immune systems going cos I can barely remember being sick more than a handful of times in my life....touch wood it continues! Our kitchen is clean but we're not obsessive about it.

kylith

caviardreams wrote: »

The environmental aspect puts me off these as handy as they are. It seems like a lot of unnecessary waste. I think the washing the cloths regularly option is the best one personally.

I got a roll of reusable bamboo 'kitchen paper'. Because there's 80 of them I don't mind going through 4 or 5 in a day, and they can just be thrown in the wash with everything else. I like them so much that I bought a distinct roll to use for the baby.

Dial Hard wrote: »

Who in god's name puts their tea-towels away wet? Enough people that it's an issue, clearly, but I'm always left a bit "Huh?" by these kind of things.

Same with the report last week that baby wipes are the no. 1 cause of drain and sewer blockages in the UK and Ireland, my immediate reaction was "Who the hell flushes them???" Again, the answer is clearly flippin' loads of people but I was kind of floored because it would never even enter my brain to flush one and I don't know anyone else who does either.

I dunno, maybe I'm just incredibly out of touch with reality.

I don't think people can be blamed too much for that because a lot of them are labelled 'flushable' which I think would be reasonable to assume that it breaks up quickly and is safe to flush. Unfortunately it seems that the 'flushable' refers only to 'physically able to be flushed down the toilet'. As above I have reusable wipes for the baby, much more efficient, cleaner, and biodegradable when they eventually wear out.

Wipes of all sorts should be banned and I hope they’re next on the list after single use plastics.

We now have wipes for bathrooms, kitchens, cars, makeup, eye makeup , baby wipes , toddler wipes, arse wipes instead of toilet roll........the list is endless.
One wipe and they’re thrown in the bin! These do NOT degrade or break down. They cause huge fat bergs in drains as fat,detergents and other waste from household drains clings to them. Same when they’re flushed down toilets, only it’s worse !

We are ruining our oceans and environment in our obsession with sterile cleanliness. How did we survive years ago before wipes became a lazy necessity ??

caviardreams

kylith wrote: »

I got a roll of reusable bamboo 'kitchen paper'. Because there's 80 of them I don't mind going through 4 or 5 in a day, and they can just be thrown in the wash with everything else. I like them so much that I bought a distinct roll to use for the baby.

Wow I have never come across this before but googled and it looks super - is there any brand you would recommend, I am definitely going to get some!

iamwhoiam

caviardreams wrote: »

Wow I have never come across this before but googled and it looks super - is there any brand you would recommend, I am definitely going to get some!

They look great ! Any idea where to buy them please

caviardreams

caviardreams wrote: »

Wow I have never come across this before but googled and it looks super - is there any brand you would recommend, I am definitely going to get some!

Yes they’re brilliant ! I got them last year and they lasted forever. I got mine online (forget the site) . Just google them .

kylith

caviardreams wrote: »

Wow I have never come across this before but googled and it looks super - is there any brand you would recommend, I am definitely going to get some!

iamwhoiam wrote: »

They look great ! Any idea where to buy them please

I have these ones.
And (I think) these ones.

I can't say that there's much difference between them. The second ones seem to have held up better*, but the first ones are used as baby wipes so they get washed a lot more, and they seem to get softer the more they're washed. They're very absorbent, and I can't see myself going back to paper.

*by which I mean 'less felted'

twignme

[QUOTE=kylith;109570450

I can't say that there's much difference between them. The second ones seem to have held up better*, but the first ones are used as baby wipes so they get washed a lot more, and they seem to get softer the more they're washed. They're very absorbent, and I can't see myself going back to paper.

*by which I mean 'less felted'[/QUOTE]

They look brilliant, and the comments on Amazon support what you are saying. I will certainly be ordering some for myself today.

Atoms for Peace

Always have to laugh at hygiene threads. Bacteria can make you sick in the short term, yes, but only a tiny proportion if your healthy, but the over use of chemicals in the long run could cause sickness of the terminal kind.

iamwhoiam

Dial Hard wrote: »

Who in god's name puts their tea-towels away wet? Enough people that it's an issue, clearly, but I'm always left a bit "Huh?" by these kind of things.

Same with the report last week that baby wipes are the no. 1 cause of drain and sewer blockages in the UK and Ireland, my immediate reaction was "Who the hell flushes them???" Again, the answer is clearly flippin' loads of people but I was kind of floored because it would never even enter my brain to flush one and I don't know anyone else who does either.

I dunno, maybe I'm just incredibly out of touch with reality.

I have been in houses where tea towels were left in ball on the sink and not hung up somewhere where the air could dry them quickly .

Sardonicat

Some people fold their tea towels and leave them on the counter top

dartboardio

Sorry to be the odd one out but im happy to use a new J cloth every few days. 90 cents for a pack every couple of weeks in with the shopping

Just like im happy to use regular disposable coffee cups

Day Lewin

dartboardio wrote: »

Sorry to be the odd one out but im happy to use a new J cloth every few days. 90 cents for a pack every couple of weeks in with the shopping

Just like im happy to use regular disposable coffee cups

This may be "kitchen hygiene" but it's not "Planet hygiene" - quite the opposite.

iamwhoiam

dartboardio wrote: »

Sorry to be the odd one out but im happy to use a new J cloth every few days. 90 cents for a pack every couple of weeks in with the shopping

Just like im happy to use regular disposable coffee cups

But they are full washable . I use a packet of J cloths over and over . I change it almost every day but throw it in the machine . I am guessing I get about 10/12 washes before it thins out . Then I use it for grubby things for another few washes

harr

Use the green/yellow sponges here with hot water and washing up liquid to wipe the counter tops.
Dry off with a tea towel which is changed daily, would get 3 or 4 days from a sponge once I give it a good rinse after using.
The key is using very hot water when wiping down the counter tops.

Gael23

dudara wrote: »

Wipes are an environmental disaster. It’s just akin to throwing away plastic.

Neither am I a fan of overuse of anti-bacterial sprays etc. I believe they’re more damaging in the long run as they could impede the development of natural immunity. Hot water and soap are the best cleaning agents for the majority of dirt. Every so often you do need to bust out the Jif or Cillit Bang, but that should be the exception.

There’s nothing wrong with using cloths as long as they’re regularly rinsed out in hot water and allowed to dry. Leaving one to sit in a damp pile is obviously not a good idea.

I use a spray most days and then Jif on everything once a week or so.

splinter65

Watched a programme on BBC (Panorama) and those antibacterial wipes you love and the antibacterial spray are no more effective them if you were using tap water. They’re also bad for the environment. Very hot water kills germs. Soap and hot water removes grease.
For any one over 40, a question.
Your mother didn’t have anti bacterial anything. How did you survive?