Now you’re away from home you’ve got to fend for yourself…that’s the cooking, the cleaning, the washing.. oh and don’t forget the studying!
We’ve covered cooking in the student kitchen, now we’re on about keeping it clean. Remember, the hidden germs mean that even if it looks clean, it’s actually probably quite filthy.
So imagine what’s hiding beneath the surface when your kitchen looks like this…
This isn’t actually a student’s kitchen…Any student will tell you (mostly blokes) that this is nothing to worry about, as you may well see worse!
So how bad is it really? Will the germs get you in your sleep? (they will do if you fall asleep in the kitchen…bare that in mind). Or will you succumb to a dreadful case of death by dirty tea-towel? Hopefully neither will happen, but there are a few things that you do need to watch out for…
For example, did you know that the kitchen sponge is 200,000 time dirtier than your average toilet seat? Talking of bog seats, they’re actually one of the cleanest things in your house, ironically, but unless you’ve got one next to your kitchen sink that doesn’t apply here …and that would be gross anyway!
Wiping your counters or dishes with a dirty sponge will only transfer the bacteria from one item to another.
It doesn’t just stop at the lowly kitchen sponge either. For the love of anything sanitary, please don’t go near the inside of your fridge unless you clean it regularly. Otherwise it’s just a meeting ground for scummy food bacteria and weird things that grow in the corner…And I mean GROW. So get your marigolds out and start cleaning before it starts to build up.
(This is clearly not a student’s fridge, the only thing they have in common is the lack of food in it. No, this was actually put here just incase any of you have forgotten what a washing up glove and sponge look like, I know I did).
Surprisingly the things in your kitchen that can harm you most, are the things that look least threatening. I mean how many of us have looked at a washing up sponge before and seen the deadly gleam in it’s eye? …Don’t tell me you haven’t.
According to recent studies the kitchen is one place in the house where you really do have to be careful, and it’s not because of the sharp pointy things like you’d imagine. Grimy tea-towels, grotty door handles, dirty cutting boards and scummy drains all harbour nasty germs, which can make you and your housemates seriously ill.
So before you plan your next meal or try to find the last clean shot glass, why don’t you have a quick wipe round with some anti-bacterial spray and a cloth? Remember the door handles, bin lids, window latches and anything else that gets touched by everyone. (ahem!)
After all, the last thing you want whilst you’re trying to finishing your assignment is a nasty cold, caused by the germs on your cutting board!
