How to Clean and Sanitize the Kitchen

Cleaning and sanitizing your kitchen is easy, effective, and inexpensive, because everything you need is likely in your kitchen!

Step 1: Put things away Put away all food, dishes, silverware, and small appliances.
Step 2: Remove all food and soil particles Remove all food particles and other soil types that are visible on surfaces using a sponge, soap, and warm water.
Step 3: Clean handles Wipe down all cupboard knobs, refrigerator door handles, and stove handles with fresh soapy water.
Step 4: Re-wipe with bleach Wipe down the same surfaces, this time with one capful of household bleach in a gallon of clean, lukewarm water.
TIP: Mixing soap and bleach together can be toxic. Mixing bleach with soap and food particles also lessens its effectiveness.
Step 5: Wipe dry Allow all food contact surfaces to dry, or dry them with a clean, dry towel.
Step 6: Clean cutting boards Clean and sanitize plastic cutting boards in a dishwasher or with soapy water, and then sanitize with straight vinegar or hydrogen peroxide.
TIP: Don't put wooden cutting boards in the dishwasher.
Step 7: Clean sponges Clean sponges by wetting them and putting them in a microwave for one minute or running them through a dishwasher cycle. Never microwave a dry sponge.
FACT: Each year over 550 food-borne illnesses are reported to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 40 percent of which are attributed to restaurants.