New Bounty DuraTowels Stop the Ick Factor in my Kitchen

I am now waiting for the guys in the hazmat suits to show up at my door after the lab that tested my washable dishcloth came back with 450,000,000 counts of bacteria and 1,190,000,000 counts of yeast and mould.  An unused dishcloth only harbours approximately 1,080 counts of bacteria and five counts of yeast and mould.

Ewwwwwww.

We do always have Bounty kitchen towels in our house and will certainly enjoy the toughness of the new Bounty DuraTowels.  We couldn’t survive without them, but we also use the generic versions of  ‘J-clothes’ for cleaning and counter wiping  more so than washable dishclothes, and while they are disposable, I have a feeling we use them for too long and I can only imagine the horror the lab would find on those suckers.

 

This was a fun experiment to take part in.   I don’t think we realize how poorly most of us do when it comes to REAL cleaning and what an effect that can have on our every day health.   We THINK we are cleaning and disinfecting, but mostly our efforts only go so far, as this experiment sure showed me.

Dr. Elizabeth Scott, Co-director, Simmons Center for Hygiene and Health in Home and Community, recommends the following:

1. Wash your hands – Prior to any meal preparation, wash your hands often with warm, soapy water and dry them using Bounty DuraTowel
2. Wash and sanitize surfaces and utensils – Reduce the risk of contamination in the kitchen by washing and sanitizing all countertops, cutting boards and utensils that come into contact with food. Do this before and after preparing food and use Bounty DuraTowel to help clean up larger messes and wipe down surfaces
3. Separate your food – Make sure to always separate your raw foods, such as meat and eggs, from cooked foods and vegetables to avoid cross-contamination which is one of the leading causes of foodborne illness***. Use separate cutting boards for meats and for vegetables etc.
4. Wash produce thoroughly – Immediately before prepping, wash all whole fruits and vegetables and dry using Bounty DuraTowel. This reduces the risk of transferring pathogens from the rind or skin to the inside of the fruit or vegetable when it is cut***
5. Keep your fridge clean – One way to reduce the risk of cross-contamination is to keep the fridge clean and to keep foods covered since many bacteria and molds are able to grow at refrigerator temperatures. Clean your fridge using a kitchen sanitizer and Bounty DuraTowel
6. Wash reusable grocery bags – Wash and thoroughly dry your reusable grocery bags frequently, especially if you are carrying raw meat, fish, poultry, seafood or vegetables

Now I have to go disinfect my entire house.

**1tsp. spaghetti sauce, 10 mls. coffee, 1/8 tsp creamer on laminate countertop

***The Simmons Center for Hygiene and Health