July 08 - Hidden Kitchen Germs Threaten Families

Results of a new global study and survey reveal that American families could be doing more to help protect themselves and their children from dangerous germs at home. The findings released by the Hygiene Council, as part of an effort to educate the public on the importance of hygiene, indicate that Americans’ current kitchen cleaning habits are not effectively helping to safeguard their families from illness-causing germs and bacteria.

Here’s a look at where the Hygiene Council found germs stacking up in the kitchen:

Forty-six percent of kitchen sinks around the world harbor high levels of potentially dangerous bacteria.¹
The kitchen sink was found to host more germs than the bathroom sink, the refrigerator door handle or even the toys our toddlers chew on.²
Percentage of kitchen sinks that harbor high levels of potentially dangerous bacteria, by country.³
Investigators swabbing for bacteria in kitchen sinks around the world found unsatisfactory or heavily contaminated levels of bacteria, including E. coli and pseudomonas, indicating fecal contamination and poor levels of cleaning.¹¹

Eighty-nine percent of kitchen cloths and sponges¹² around the world harbor unsatisfactory or worse levels of disease-causing bacteria.¹³
Among Americans who reported changing their cloth or sponge once a week, 80% still had unsatisfactory or worse levels of bacteria on their cloth or sponge.²¹
Percentage of kitchen cloths and sponges that failed the hygiene test, by country.²²
In the U.S., 25% of kitchen cloths and sponges that appeared new or visibly clean still harbored unsatisfactory or heavily contaminated levels of bacteria.²³

To help protect your family, the Hygiene Council recommends following these simple hygiene routines at home:

• Surface Disinfection – Thirty percent of Americans surveyed said they most commonly clean their surfaces with a regular kitchen cleaner, water or plain dry cloth or sponge³¹ – none of which kill germs. Bacteria-laden surfaces such as the sink basin and commonly touched surfaces, such as the kitchen sink handle, should be regularly sprayed down with a disinfectant like LYSOL® Disinfectant Spray. To reduce the chances of cross contamination, skip the sponges and instead clean kitchen surfaces with a disinfectant product before preparing food and immediately after surfaces have been in contact with raw foods such as meat and poultry.³²


• Hand Washing – Wash your hands frequently and regularly, especially after going to the bathroom, before and after preparing food, after changing a diaper, after touching animals and pets and if someone in your household is ill. It is important to use soap and water, scrub underneath your nails and the back of your hands and dry thoroughly with a paper towel.³³


• Proper Food Handling – To avoid food-borne illness, cook and store food at the proper temperature. Separate raw meats from fresh produce and packaged goods in your grocery bag and refrigerator. Regularly disinfect surfaces to prevent cross contamination.¹¹¹

The Hygiene Council recommendations are consistent and in support of recommendations made by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in their Ounce of Prevention materials (www.cdc.gov/ounceofprevention). For more information about the Hygiene Council and tips on how to help protect your family from germs at home, visit www.hygienecouncil.com/us.

¹Hygiene Audit Systems Global Hygiene Study Report 2008, page 48.
²Hygiene Audit Systems Global Hygiene Study Report 2008, page 48.
³Hygiene Audit Systems Global Hygiene Study Report 2008, page 42.
¹¹Hygiene Audit Systems Global Hygiene Study Report 2008, page 60.
¹²Kitchen cloths and sponges were swabbed interchangeably based on country norms. Hygiene Audit Systems Global Hygiene Study Report 2008.
¹³Hygiene Audit Systems Global Hygiene Study Report 2008, page 48.
²¹Hygiene Audit Systems Global Hygiene Study – Questionnaire of home study participants.
²²Hygiene Audit Systems Global Hygiene Study Report 2008, page 52.
²³Hygiene Audit Systems Global Hygiene Study Report 2008, Appendix Tables of Results, page A17.
³¹2008 International Home Hygiene Survey, Conducted March – May 2008.
³²Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Ounce of Prevention Initiative
³³Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Ounce of Prevention Initiative
¹¹¹Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Ounce of Prevention Initiative