If you live in a busy household, chances are the kitchen is among the rooms that see the most action. You prep meals for your kids and spouse, wash the dishes, and put away groceries. Sometimes, your kids even do their homework while snacking on the kitchen island.

Indeed, the kitchen is one of the hardest-working parts of your home. It’s only proper that you take care of it, right? However, we’re all guilty of some bad kitchen habits. We’ve rounded them up below.

1. Pouring bacon grease down the sink

For households with children, bacon is a staple food. It tastes amazing, is easy to cook, and can be added to different dishes. However, disposing of its grease and oil after cooking isn’t an easy task. If you tend to just pour it down the sink, you’re looking at a clogged pipe in the very near future. Instead of dumping grease down the sink, pour it into a spare container and, once it cools, dump it into the garbage.

2. Rinsing meat

We equate washing with cleanliness. After all, we wash our clothes, our cars, and ourselves to be clean. However, the same principle shouldn’t be applied to raw meat. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, washing raw meat doesn’t remove all the bacteria attached to it. Bacterium that is  washed away, though, simply spreads onto your sink and countertops, which can lead to foodborne illnesses. Using the right temperature when cooking will be enough to kill bacteria in your food.

3. Holding onto your sponge

The kitchen sink is one of the dirtiest spots in your house. No matter how often you clean it, the constant use and different substances that come into contact with it all soil your kitchen sink. And because your sponge is what you use to clean the dirty dishes in your sink, and often, to clean the sink itself, it’s also a catalyst for spreading bacteria. Don’t wait until your sponge is in tatters. If you can, replace it every week or microwave it for 60 seconds after each use to kill the bacteria in it.

4. Storing stemware upside down

It’s a common practice to store cups and glasses upside down, but you shouldn’t treat your wine glasses the same way. The rim is the most delicate part of your wineglass, so storing it rim down would put the weight on it. Instead, store wine glasses rim up in an enclosed cabinet to keep the glasses level and prevent dust from accumulating inside the cup.

5. Cleaning with vinegar

Vinegar is an acidic substance, making it a great cleaning agent. However, its acidity is also what makes vinegar an unwise cleaning solution especially for your marble or granite countertops. Durable as these materials are, vinegar’s acidity can slowly wear down their surfaces. If you keep cleaning your Seattle home’s kitchen with vinegar, you’ll find yourself shopping for stone countertop installation sooner rather than later. For your countertop’s sake, use a specially formulated cleaning solution for its surface, instead. A mixture of good old warm water and dish soap works, too.

Next time you catch yourself doing any of these bad habits, you can hopefully stop yourself and start to treat your kitchen better.

Strictly Tile is your partner in creating beautiful, clean kitchens. With our solid surface countertops that are easy to clean and maintain, you can minimize the risk of mold growth. For more inquiries, contact Strictly Tile.