Harmful bacteria can multiply quickly in kitchen towels, sponges and cloths, this in turn means that they can easily spread bacteria around a kitchen area. Here’s an example of how this can happen; Imagine if you wipe your hands on a kitchen towel after you have touched raw meat, this will spread any bacteria from the meat to the towel, then suppose you use the towel to dry a plate, the bacteria has now been spread from the towel to the plate. It really is as simple as that.

You should try to have separate cloths and towels for different jobs around the kitchen. This would mean using one cloth to wipe a cooker, one for wiping your hands, one for wiping chopping boards and another to dry dishes etc.

  • Always wash and change kitchen towels, cloths and sponges frequently.

Disposable towels
These are the safest option to use in a food preparation area. You simply throw it away after using it, meaning that it can’t spread bacteria. This is unlike cloth towels which are used repeatedly, making them much more likely to spread bacteria.

Storing kitchen cloths and towels

They should be kept separate from food and sanitary facilities, preferably in a suitable store room or cupboard.

Sponges
A used kitchen sponge can contain thousands of bacteria like salmonella and E. Coli. This is because the sponge’s moist micro-crevices are an ideal hiding place for germs, which in turn makes them particularly difficult to disinfect. Because of this sponges should be replaced regularly.

 

Courses
Food hygiene course online