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Cleaning the kitchen is no one's favorite household chore, and yet it's inevitable. Whether your practice is to do a quick clean of the kitchen every night or put off the scrubbing until a lazy Sunday afternoon when you can deep clean appliances, it has to be done. But are you doing it the right way? If you're still using the techniques you learned from your parents when you cleaned for pocket money, it might be time to update your kitchen hygiene methods. That's where Renata Cruz comes in. The cleaning expert and professional organizer at Coastal Maid San Diego told The Takeout how to get better at cleaning kitchens.
According to Cruz, one of the most outdated cleaning supplies in the kitchen is also one of the most common: bleach. "There is little justification for using bleach in a typical kitchen cleaning regimen," she said. Although it has long been used in routine cleaning tasks, bleach can be dangerous. "There are potentially greater hazards involved than people usually realize," she told us, noting that cleaning with the chemical can be particularly risky in small or poorly ventilated kitchens. Due to the fumes bleach releases, Cruz advised, "Anyone who suffers from asthma, chronic breathing difficulties, or has young children in the home should avoid using bleach on a regular basis in these types of environments."
Aside from breathing in the fumes, Cruz is also concerned about skin contact. "Prolonged exposure to contact with bleach results in skin irritation," she explained. "If you get bleach in your eyes while leaning over a sink or counter top to apply it, it can be a serious risk."
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Why bleach is the wrong choice for cleaning kitchens
On top of being a safety risk, Cruz pointed out that bleach is ineffective. "In my opinion, bleach is neither necessary nor recommended for most normal kitchen cleaning activities," she said. "It does not remove grease, food residue, or dirt." Bleach is a disinfectant that excels at killing germs; it is not a surfactant. Surfactants form a layer over the surface to lift grease and dirt before trapping them so they can easily be wiped away.
Surfactants might have a complicated name, but they're really very simple. Cruz advocates for using simple dish soap in the kitchen in place of bleach, saying, "With hot soapy water, you're able to physically wash away virtually all bacteria and foodborne pathogens present on most kitchen surfaces on a daily or weekly basis."
It's not just the cleanliness of your surfaces that's at risk with bleach, the integrity of your kitchen furniture and decor is too. And kitchens aren't cheap. As Cruz says, "Bleach is also corrosive and can deteriorate various kitchen surfaces over time including grout/seals and strip finishes from countertops made from certain materials." She adds that not even stainless steel is immune to bleach damage, with prolonged exposure causing the metal to change color. Ruined surfaces could spell financial disaster, so avoid the bleach and reach for hot soapy water when you want to clean your kitchen, including the range hood.
Sometimes, bleach is necessary
Cruz does believe in the use of bleach in the kitchen occasionally. Specifically, a diluted bleach solution is appropriate when there has been an illness in the household and a serious disinfection is needed.
The CDC agrees with this assessment and recommends using unscented bleach between 5% and 9% strength. You should always dilute the bleach first according to the instructions on the label. If there are no instructions, use a ratio of 4 teaspoons of bleach per 1 quart of room temperature water. Bleach solutions should be left on surfaces for one minute to kill germs and should be wiped off after they've had sufficient contact time.
Cruz went on to say, "Bleach becomes highly dangerous when mixed with ammonia or many common cleaning products including acids like white vinegar." For this reason, it's best to avoid mixing bleach with other cleaning products. Remember to open windows when you're using bleach (and other strong cleaning products) and wash your hands thoroughly after contact with bleach. Does this all sound like quite a lot of work? Yes. But as you only need to use bleach when someone in your home has been ill, you hopefully won't have to carry out the process very often.
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