When was the last time you cleaned underneath your refrigerator? Or the rubber lining in your dishwasher? Appliances, especially frequently used ones, quickly become hotbeds for bacteria and pathogens. If you want to prevent these microorganisms from causing harm to your family’s health, here are the dirtiest parts of appliances that you shouldn’t forget to clean:
- Refrigerator’s vegetable and meat drawer
According to the National Science Foundation (NSF), your fridge’s vegetable and meat drawers are two of the “germiest” things in your kitchen. Since these drawers store fresh meat and produce, they are prone to housing microorganisms such as Salmonella, Listeria, E.coli, yeast, and mold.
If your refrigerator is not as cold as it should be, call a refrigeration repair service as soon as possible. To avoid cross-contamination, clean the vegetable and meat compartments of your fridge regularly. More importantly, keep fresh foods in separate containers so that they don’t transfer microorganisms from one food to another.
- Dishwasher’s gasket and filter
If you don’t clean your dishwasher thoroughly and regularly enough, you might be defeating its purpose. Even if you rinse your dishes before putting them in the dishwasher, you might find a buildup of soap, water, and residue on the gasket and in the filter. This gunk can develop mold and even cause your dishwasher to leak when ignored for too long, which can lead to a nasty, smelly mess.
You can avoid this problem by cleaning your dishwasher’s gasket and filter regularly. Here is an easy way on how to do it with natural ingredients and a toothbrush.
- Coffee maker’s water reservoir
Your coffee maker might look visibly clean from the outside, but it could be harboring harmful microorganisms on the inside, particularly in the water reservoir. If you don’t want to drink Salmonella or E.coli with your morning coffee, clean your coffee maker from the inside by flushing it with some vinegar or a commercially-available solution. Make it a point to do this regularly as well, primarily if the machine is used very frequently.
- TV’s remote control
Think about how many people in the house touch the remote control every day. It’s like a doorknob but possibly much dirtier, knowing that family members often eat while watching TV.
Clean your remote controls with rubbing alcohol or a bleach wipe at least once a week. Don’t forget to clean the dirt inside the buttons as well.
- Washing machine’s nooks and crannies
Despite being flushed with detergent and water every time you do a load of laundry, washing machines can still get dirty. Are you not convinced? Just think about the amount of dirt, sweat, germs, and other nasty stuff that’s on your clothes when you put them in the washer.
Deep clean your washing machine at least once every six months. To do this, run two cycles at the hottest water temperature with vinegar and baking soda separately.
Appliances need more than just a good wipe down every few months. Now that you know the dirtiest parts of the most frequently used machines in the home, clean them before the germs cause harm to your family’s health.
Meta Title: Appliance Parts that You’re Forgetting to Clean
Meta Description: Many homeowners don’t clean their appliances as well as they should. Learn more here.
Tags:
