Q&A for How to Keep Your Kitchen Clean and Safe

Use drawers instead of cabinets for your plates and other dishes. That way you can easily stack them up and get as many as you need without having to lift something heavy over your head.

Store seasonal items in a small, very sturdy box. They tend to get heavy so you want to make sure the box is sturdy so nothing gets damaged in storage.

They make a lot of racks for those now. You can mount a rack underneath your upper cabinet and then slide the glasses in there. Alternatively, if you don't use them a lot, you can keep them in a cabinet, like a Lazy Susan.

Wash them with bleach with a 1/10 bleach to water ratio to disinfect. Sanitizing kills a smaller amount of bacteria deeming it safe, but it's better to disinfect, especially when cutting meat, poultry or fish. You can order a sanitizing solution like restaurants use online if you prefer.

Nobody likes having to clean their entire kitchen over and over, but fortunately, there are a few things you can do to keep your kitchen clean. For starters, you can clean up spills and messes as soon as they happen. Keep paper towels on the counter or cloths in a drawer so you can quickly grab one if there's a spill. Wipe up the bulk of the mess with a paper towel. Then, dip a cloth in hot soapy water and wipe it over the counter so it's not sticky or greasy. Along the same lines, you can clean up immediately after a meal. That way, you won't have to spend as much time and your kitchen will stay cleaner. If you let dirty dishes pile up, you'll have to work hard to clean them and you won't have clean working space in your kitchen. Get in the habit of clearing the table, washing the dishes, and wiping the counters after every meal. You can also regularly wipe down your counters so they don't collect too much dust and grime.

Keeping your kitchen clean can help prevent you or your loved ones from getting hurt or sick. Since you likely prepare most of your meals in your kitchen, you want it to be sanitary. Bacteria and pathogens can contaminate your food and make you ill if you ingest them. One of the simplest ways to prevent cross-contamination is to use separate boards for meat and wash your hands so you don't spread germs. In general, to keep your kitchen safe, designate a separate cutting board for meat or seafood and always wash your hands, knife, and the cutting board after handling raw meat.

A smelly kitchen is the worst. You don't want to have unpleasant odors lingering while you're preparing and eating your meals. Luckily there are a few simple things you can do to prevent bad odors in your kitchen. For instance, you can take out the trash as soon as it's full or if it's smelly. Putting the trash out keeps your kitchen fresh and prevents bacterial growth. If you don't typically take out the trash until it's full, you might not realize how smelly it's making your kitchen, especially if there's no lid on top. Start taking out the trash at the end of each day so your kitchen smells great and food in the trash can doesn't begin to rot, which can grow maggots and fruit flies. You an also wipe up spills on the counter or on your floor as soon as they happen. That way, they won't have a chance to turn into sticky and potentially smelly messes.