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Kitchen Safety Tips

The kitchen is the room where a family gathers. Here they prepare meals, share meals, and gather to talk about the day. This is the room where guests gather, where friends play games around the kitchen table, and where parents might treasure some quiet time together at the end of the day. It is also where a household fire can start, or an accident can happen, or germs can breed to cause food-borne illness. Every family member needs to be aware of kitchen safety.

Many homemakers disregard the regular cleaning and maintenance of kitchen appliances, preferring to cover dirty burners or toasters to give a false sense of cleanliness, but allowing crumbs and greasy residue to build up on these surfaces. Others hate cleaning their ovens with a passion reserved for little else, and conveniently forget about this chore, even when they own self-cleaning ovens. Kitchen safety is the farthest topic from their minds. However, food that is spilled or burned-onto the cook top or oven surface and not cleaned up is the primary cause of kitchen fires. Oven, microwave, or stovetop spills can catch fire quickly, and can spread just as quickly to curtains, towels, or walls. Greasy deposits on floors can cause people to slip and fall; and old, spoiled food on counters and tables is a source of bacteria that can contaminate fresh food and utensils. If small children are crawling or walking underfoot and tasting every visible item of interest as they go, it is even more important to keep things clean in this central room. Kitchen cleanliness is an issue of kitchen safety, and not just of keeping a neat house to impress the neighbors.

A regular chore list is the best way to get in the habit of kitchen maintenance. Writing down each small chore and a completion date, helps to form habits that will keep the entire family safe and well. Counters and sinks should be wiped off at least daily, if not after each meal. Spills should be cleaned up quickly in microwave ovens (Try Stanley Degreaser Wipes.), regular ovens, or on stove tops. Cutting boards need to be washed with each use. To control spatters and the residue of cooking fumes, the entire kitchen should be washed with a good degreaser at least once a week. Range filters and hoods are part of this maintenance, as well as garbage cans and disposals. Any appliance that is regularly left on the counter should be given a cleaning at least once a week, if not after each use. Make sure that every surface of the kitchen is cleaned thoroughly at least once a month. (Try Stanley Stove and Countertop Cleaner.) The entire family should be educated about the importance of these chores and encouraged to clean up their part of the mess.

A good, easy-to-use stove or oven cleaner can make these essential chores more palatable. What is the best oven cleaner? Look for one that does not need to be left overnight, but that works in a few hours. Many stove or oven cleaners produce less toxic fumes than earlier versions. Also, newer formulas will not run, but will stay in place to soak and thoroughly loosen the burned on food. (Try Stanley Oven Cleaner). Wipe off any loose food with a damp rag or sponge and then spray on the cleaner. Let the cleaner set for thirty minutes to several hours, depending on how soiled the area is or according to the product’s instructions. Soil should be softened to the point that it wipes up easily with a damp rag or sponge. If there is stubborn, burned on food, follow your oven manufacturer’s instructions for what type of abrasive you can safely use and not mar the cooking surface. If you have left the product on too long and it is dried, try laying a damp rag over the area for a few minutes to soften the product for easier removal.

There are products on the market that will help keep food from sticking to cooking surfaces, keeping these appliances from getting so dirty they are difficult to clean. One product that can save hours of cleanup time the next time you clean your stove and counters is Stanley Kitchen Shine Protector. This product is to be sprayed on the surfaces after they are cleaned.

With good habits, or dedicated adherence to a chore list, your kitchen can be the safe, pleasant, gathering place it is meant to be. Kitchen safety will become second nature to you and your family.

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