DIY Monday--Kitchen Sanitizers

Food poisoning is never fun, sometimes deadly, and easily preventable with proper precautions.

One precautionary measure is using a kitchen sanitizer.  We're a little limited in kitchen sanitizer options because we need products that evaporate entirely and don't leave a toxic residue behind that can taint our food. 

Before getting into the sanitizing options, it bears repeating that no sanitizer is effective if the surface being treated isn't clean first.  Sanitizers do not penetrate through dirt or food particles, including pancake batter spills, oil spatters, butter blobs, or mayonnaise smears.  These all have to be cleaned up first.  Sanitizing is what happens after everything is cleaned up and just before you leave the kitchen or start preparing the next meal.

Here are your DIY options:

 

Household Products Safe for Sanitizing Food Preparation Surfaces
Item	Concentration	Temperature	Contact time, in minutes	E. coli	Salmonella	Listeria	Norovirus
Bleach (6%)	1 teaspoon per quart	Room	1	Yes	Yes	Yes	No
	2 tablespoons per quart	Room	10	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Hydrogen peroxide (3%)	Undiluted	Room	10	Yes	Yes	No	No
		130°F	1	Yes	Yes	Yes	No
White distilled vinegar (5%)	Undiluted	Room	10	No	Yes	No	No
		130°F	1	Yes	Yes	Yes	No

These are the steps:

• Spray the surface with the sanitizer until it is wet.  Be generous with the spray, especially in dry environments where evaporation occurs quickly.
• Leave it on for the suggested amount of time.  
• Let it air dry or wipe it off with a clean paper towel. 

Links to related posts:
Food Poisoning Overview
DIY Hand Sanitizer
Bleach
Calcium Hypochlorite (coming next week)

References:
https://extension.colostate.edu/docs/pubs/foodnut/kitchen-sanitize.pdf
https://foodsafety.wisc.edu/consumer/fact_sheets/basic_kitchen.pdf
https://www.staph-infection-resources.com/prevention/infection-control/
https://www.cdc.gov/norovirus/about/prevention.html

 10.12.20