Top 5 Dirty Kitchen Items, According to a Food Safety Expert

If you’re having a hard time envisioning a grimier spot than your overworked toilet, Trevor Craig, a food safety expert and corporate director of technical training and consulting at Microbac Laboratories, suggests taking a closer look—we’re talking on a microscopic level—at what’s living in your kitchen sink, sponges, and dish towels.

What you’ll find? A whole lot of germs—dare we say, more than what graces your toilet bowl. Yikes. Ahead, the food safety expert shares the top five dirtiest kitchen items— not to scare you, but so you can start focusing your cleaning efforts on the right spots in your home. Doing so will decrease your risk of contracting a foodborne illness every time you cook and, hopefully, help you sleep better at night.

5 extremely dirty kitchen items, according to a food safety expert

Not to raise the alarm, but Craig says the top five dirtiest kitchen items are (in no particular order): your kitchen sink, kitchen sponges, dish or drying towels, cutting boards, and the refrigerator (and its door handles). “These are all areas that touch a lot of spaces or get touched by people and are not cleaned as often as they should be,” Craig says.

For starters, Craig explains that sponges, dish towels, and cutting boards are at higher risk of contamination because of their increased exposure to bacteria from making physical contact with lots of food. Plus, Craig notes that if they aren’t appropriately cleaned, they offer the perfect environment for the increased spread (and growth) of bacteria, especially when you use them a lot

Fridges and their door handles also receive a lot of foot traffic in a kitchen, making them more susceptible to contamination. The good news? They’re not as high-risk for growing bacteria. “I think these spaces are a bit lower risk because they probably don’t have a lot of moisture or food for the bacteria on them, but that doesn’t mean they are not areas where bacteria can grow,” Craig says.

But thse five dirty kitchen items aren’t the only things susceptible to bacteria; bacteria and germs can easily spread from one of these items to another area in your kitchen, including countertops, tables, and other kitchenware. “You probably don’t even realize how often you touch some of these spaces when you’re in the kitchen, whether you’re cooking or not, making it easy to transfer around bacteria,” Craig says.

The grimiest item in your kitchen

Of the top five dirtiest kitchen items, Craig says kitchen sponges are undoubtedly number one on the list. “To me, the dirtiest is probably your sponge. It remains wet and will likely have some food particles left on it, which is exactly what bacteria need to grow and multiply,” he says. It’s rather ironic, no? What you typically use to clean dishes, pots, and pans might actually be making matters worse. “You use that sponge to “clean,” and if you’re not careful, it’s easy to move things around and contaminate across your kitchen, not to mention your hands,” Craig explains. Plus, the longer you keep a sponge, the higher the bacteria levels can get.

4 ways to lower the risk of contamination 

1. Frequently sanitize your workspace

Although bacteria and germs are all around us, Craig says frequent sanitation is the best way to keep the risk of foodborne illness at its lowest around your kitchen. “Clean and replace things like sponges and dish towels often. It’s easy to throw those dish towels in your regular wash cycle and sponges are cheap and accessible,” he says. In Craig’s perfect world, folks should clean these aforementioned items at least once a day, if not more, and especially after cooking.

2. Be mindful of what you touch

From a food safety standpoint, Craig also urges folks to be mindful of how they move about in the kitchen. “A big part of food safety is thinking about what you’re doing while in the kitchen. How often are you handling food and then touching other surfaces? It’s easy to lose track of that and suddenly touch another surface and transfer that dangerous bacterium from one place to another,” he says.

3. Keep your cleaning tools handy

The goal is to avoid cross-contamination as much as possible. Craig recommends doing so by keeping your cleaning items handy and accessible at all times. “When you must stop or search for them, [it’s proof] you don’t use them enough,” he says.

4. Avoid cross-contamination

When cooking, Craig reiterates that it’s essential to keep your workspace as clean as possible. In other words, when handling different foods and kitchenware, ensure you’re washing your hands and surfaces frequently, especially when switching between tasks. “The same concept applies to cooking. If you forget or need something while you’re in your kitchen, it’s easy to open a door or cabinet and not think about cleaning your hands. Prepare before you start cooking and think about what you’re doing so you don’t accidentally make an error,” he says.

What happens if you come into contact with one of these dirty kitchen items? 

Best case scenario: nothing. However, if there is dangerous bacteria present and in high enough amounts, there can be worse implications, like contracting and spreading foodborne illnesses. “It’s so easy to transfer bacteria to or from those areas. If you’re not careful, you could then move those bacteria to your face, mouth, or food,” he says, which can have life-threatening consequences. Symptoms can range from nausea, diarrhea, cramps, bloating, and cramps to more painful, expensive, and potentially life-altering illnesses.

Parting words of advice: Craig urges folks to not take their kitchen cleaning chores lightly. “I hear people often say things like, ‘I’ve lived this whole time and never had an issue,’ however, that thought is really untrue. You’ve probably had stomach issues before. It’s in the top five reasons why people are hospitalized and that’s only when it gets really serious,” he says. “It’s easy to say it’s not a big deal until you’re suffering from it,” Craig emphasizes. Moral of the story: Get rid of your dirty sponges, ASAP.