in Health

The kitchen accessory you should never use to dry your dishes: a danger to your health!

Do you dry your plates with a kitchen towel? Find out why this habit could put your health at risk and what safer and more hygienic alternatives there are.

A bad habit that puts your health at risk

Nowadays, it is common to wash plates and cutlery in the dishwasher. However, not everyone has this appliance, either by personal choice or lack of space in the kitchen. Many people prefer to wash their dishes by hand. Once plates and cutlery are washed and rinsed, it is common to leave them to drain on a rack to avoid wetting or dampening the work surface.

Over time, washing plates becomes routine, especially if you have a large family with lots of dishes to wash or if you are a dinner party with friends, where the plates pile up in the sink. In this case, we usually want to finish this task quickly and dry the plates with a kitchen towel. However, this practice is a mistake that should be avoided.

Kitchen towels: a nest of bacteria and microbes

The use of kitchen towels to dry dishes can represent a health risk. Why? Several studies have shown that these cloths accumulate many bacteria and microorganisms, as they are often used to clean various surfaces and wipe hands. Therefore, they are the worst way to dry dishes, as they can cause food poisoning.

Safer and more hygienic alternatives

So what's the solution? It's best to use more hygienic, albeit slower, methods. The most recommended alternative is to let the dishes dry on a rack in the open air to remove traces of water. Once they are completely dry, you can store them in your regular cupboard.

However, this method involves some waiting, which may not be suitable for people in a hurry or short on time. For these people, it is possible to use disposable paper towels to dry the plates and avoid the transmission of germs. In this way, you can protect your health and that of your loved ones by adopting simple and more hygienic gestures in the kitchen.

Summary