Americans' current kitchen cleaning habits don't help protect their families from illness-causing germs according to the new study from the Hygiene Council, a group of leading international infectious disease specialists. Despite 90 percent of U.S. respondents claiming to clean their kitchen surfaces at least two to three times per week, 25 percent of kitchen sinks analyzed failed the hygiene test for having unsatisfactory or heavily contaminated levels of bacteria that indicated the presence of feces or can cause skin infections.  

"This tells us that while most American families make a concerted effort to try and keep their homes clean and safe, they are not following basic hygiene habits to help protect themselves and their children," said John Oxford, chairman of the Hygiene Council and Professor of Virology at
St. Bartholomew's & The Royal London Hospital, Queen Mary's School of Medicine and Dentistry.

The study also found that nearly 90 percent of kitchen cloths and sponges examined globally had unsatisfactory or worse levels of disease-causing bacteria. The study showed the cloths and sponges we use to clean our kitchens actually harbored bacteria including E. coli and Salmonella, which can easily spread and make families sick.  

Investigators found a shocking 75 percent of American kitchen cloths and sponges failed the hygiene test, including 25 percent of those that appeared new or visibly clean. Among Americans who reported changing their cloth or sponge once a week, 80 percent still had unsatisfactory or worse levels of bacteria on their cloth or sponge. Despite the threat, only 25 percent of Americans queried in a companion survey expressed concern that they are most likely to come into contact with germs on their cloth or sponge in the kitchen. Even more startling, Americans' filthy cloths and sponges were shown to be the 'cleanest' in the world according to the Hygiene Council study - cleaner than Germany, the U.K. and Saudi Arabia.  


The Hygiene Council recommendations:

“Scientific evidence shows that simple good hygiene practices can reduce the risk of illness and infection at home and in the community, so we must protect ourselves by putting these measures into practice,” says Professor John Oxford, Chairman of the Hygiene Council and Professor of Virology at St Bartholomew’s and the Royal London Hospital, Queen Mary’s School of Medicine and Dentistry.

According to the Hygiene Council, standards for good hygiene in the U.S. peaked just before World War II and then began to decline when antibiotics became widely used. The Council recommends good hygiene practices, including hand washing, surface disinfection and proper food handling, as critical in combating infectious disease.

Hand Washing—Wash your hands frequently and regularly, especially after going to the toilet, before and after preparing food, 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 or clean dry towel. (Source:CDC)

Surface Disinfection—Commonly touched surfaces should be regularly disinfected with products such as LYSOL® Disinfectant Spray. Kitchen surfaces should also be cleaned and disinfected before preparing food and immediately after they have been in contact with raw foods such as meat and poultry, to reduce the chances of cross contamination. (Source:CDC)

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; and regularly disinfect surfaces to prevent cross contamination. (Source:CDC)