Your kitchen is one of the most active places in your home.

Not only is it where all the meals are prepared, most often than not, the kitchen becomes a room for entertaining. But did you know that it is also a place filled with germs? They won’t just disappear either if you start inviting them to your house parties, but you can kill them off with the assistance of house cleaners such as Executive Maids. So, where are these nasty microscopic critters living in your kitchen? Here’s our list of top hot spots for germs in the kitchen. You may be somewhat surprised, or maybe not.

1 – Dish Sponges/Rags

Aren’t these items used to clean off surfaces in and around the kitchen? Well, if you think about it for a moment, the germs you remove from a used plate will now take up residence on the sponge or rag you used to do the wiping. Sponges are particularly fun for germs as they can burrow deep within the sponge and nothing you do will get to them short of radiation or a tiger torch. House cleaning tip: We suggest you microwave your sponges once a day for two minutes to kill germs. Throw away after a week.

2 – The Kitchen Sink

Even if you have one of those fancy stainless steel jobs, you are not going to keep the germs away. Just consider the amount of time germ-covered items rest in the sink with or without water and you’ll get the idea. House cleaning tip: We suggest you clean and disinfect your sink with cleanser daily to kill germs.

3 – Coffee Maker

What? The most valuable tool in the morning is coated in germs? How is that possible? Well, it’s quite possible if the coffee filter sits for any length of time and the water in the warming container has the perfect conditions to help germs survive and thrive. House cleaning tip: We suggest running your coffee maker with vinegar once a week to kill germs. We also suggest throwing out your filter right away after every use.

4 – Toaster

Any idea why toasters typically have a removable crumb tray built into the bottom of the design? Read that sentence over a time or two and see what you get out of it. Your toaster gets a lot more than bread or bagels warm. It’s more of a science experiment at this point. House cleaning tip: Empty the catch all tray, wash with soap and water and dry it or run through the dishwasher weekly.

5 – The Fridge

Every refrigerator has it. You know, that magic place where things tend to end up hidden in the back so you forget about them until there’s a smell of some kind that reminds you? Well, your fridge can be a great base for germs to settle in and spread from. House cleaning tip: Before putting in new groceries in your fridge throw away food you won’t be eating within the next day or two. Also, empty your fridge completely once a month to clean and disinfect everywhere.

6 – Pet Bowl

It’s not uncommon to keep Rover or Fifi’s food dish in the kitchen. There’s nothing wrong with that whatsoever but it does sit during the day for long periods of time permitting germs to move right in and get comfortable. Even your dog or cat can’t see it happening. House cleaning tip: Clean and disinfect Rover or Fifi’s bowl every morning or every night by washing with soap and water, then dry it before refilling it. This is quicker and cheaper than a vet bill for a sick pet.

Blast Those Kitchen Germs Away With Executive Maids