Tips for a Safe Kitchen

Hello World!  Although the kitchen is the heart of the home, it can be dangerous if you ignore basic safety rules and precautions. Think about it – there’s sharp knives, naked flames, pans of boiling oil – if it was medieval England it’d make a great torture chamber!

Thousands of Americans are injured every year in their kitchens, sometimes seriously and even fatally; you can achieve high levels of safety and hygiene if you follow these tips.

Clean up as you go

Even though you may be dealing with clinging, tired toddlers while you’re fixing supper, you need to clean up those spills. A drop of water or oil can cause a nasty fall, so attend to them immediately. Also, it’s wise to clean your utensils as soon as you are finished with them and put them away.  This is especially true with kitchen knives.  When not in use, it’s best to have them put away out of reach of little ones. 

Test your smoke detector once a month

If you don’t have a smoke detector, you’re twice as likely to have a serious fire. In addition to this, the kitchen is where most house fires start, with more than 150,000 cooking-related fires in the US each year. An early alert is the best way to survive a fire, so install smoke detectors and test them once a month.

Buy a fire extinguisher and place it prominently in your kitchen

No one expects have a fire in their kitchen, but they do happen. If you have easy access to a fire extinguisher and know how to use it, you can quickly contain a fire. Use a safety sign to draw attention to your extinguisher and to explain how it works.

Understand how fire works

Fires need oxygen, so you should smother a cooking with a damp rag or a pan cover to starve it – NEVER use water on it. If there’s a fire in your microwave, unplug it and let it burn out; in your oven, close the door and wait for the oxygen to run out.

If a fire is too big for you to tackle, get everyone out and call 911.

Watch your clothes

Clothes and jewelry can be a hazard – long sleeves or loose bracelets can catch on pan handles and pull them off the stove. Long hair or sleeves can catch on fire… Be aware of this and make sure you turn pan handles to the wall so children can’t grab them.

Keep children and pets away

Lots of children enjoy “helping” their parents cook, but they must learn to respect the rules of the kitchen. No jostling, running or solo efforts. Remember that toasters, grills and stovetops don’t cool down immediately so make sure little hands don’t get too close.

Similarly, pets shouldn’t be in the kitchen when you’re cooking – cats in particular have an amazing ability to get under your feet.

Be wary of steam

Steam is surprisingly dangerous, sometimes more so than boiling water or fire. Be careful when lifting the lid of a boiling pan, or opening a pressure cooker. You can get a nasty burn by taking the plastic wrapping from a microwaveable meal or steam packet. Make sure you and your children are as careful with steam as they are with flames and boiling pans.

Use sanitizer

Your kitchen has more bacteria than your bathroom! To combat them, clean your work surfaces every day with either a pre-mixed cleaning solution or diluted bleach. Concentrate on chopping boards, cleaning them after every use.

You also need to clean sponges and dishrags after each use – you can microwave sponges and run dish rags through a hot wash to kill any lurking bugs.

Thank you for stopping by!  Have a lovely evening!  Go with God and remember to be kind to one another!

Toodles