It’s always a good idea to wash your hands in a sink that isn’t used for dishes. Keeping germs off the hands is a good start to keeping them off the kitchen. And you’ll probably want to wash your hands more often than you think.
Food hygiene regulations for commercial establishments, interpreted strictly, probably mean that you need to wash your hands after using the restroom and when you get to the kitchen, which is one more time.
If what you’re washing is from food preparation, it’s less clear. I still don’t recommend it in a professional setting, where there should always be a separate sink for hand washing.
I find this is especially true when cooking in batches, or when preparing a lot of produce for several dishes at once – you may need to wash off the smell of onion before making dessert, for example.
Then you need to wash in or over dishwater. By this, I mean tasks such as removing soil from root vegetables and transferring soil to the hands.
Of course, this is pretty unlikely because you’ll need a sink to clean the vegetables, so you’ll have a place to wash. A cardinal sin in a professional kitchen is washing your hands in the same sink where you wash dishes or prepare food.
That’s why professional kitchens have separate sinks for hand washing. This rule should not go away in home kitchens.
My home kitchen is where I prepare food and wash dishes for my family, which includes two children under the age of two. In my home, we have bathrooms and powder rooms, with separate sinks and hand soap, so we don’t have to wash our hands in the kitchen sink.
Should We All Break Out the Antibacterial Spray?
A 2011 study found that 32% of kitchen countertops were contaminated with coliform bacteria. In the same study, only 9% of bathroom faucet handles tested positive.
The growth of bacteria and fungi was dramatic. It is important to use an antibacterial cleaner on work surfaces at key times, such as after preparing raw meat or fish. Surfaces that are contaminated should be disinfected so that you don’t leave a little gift for someone who uses the kitchen afterward.
When should I wash my hands in the kitchen?
Hand washing is one of the most important things you can do to prevent foodborne illness when preparing food for yourself or your loved ones. Some of these germs, like salmonella, can make you very sick.
Frequent hand washing with soap and water is an easy way to prevent germs from spreading in the kitchen when you are handling and preparing food. Wash your hands often while cooking to prevent germs from spreading to the food and help you and your loved ones stay healthy.
Washing the hands often and properly while cooking can help prevent cross-contamination. The hands carry invisible germs, and these germs can get into the food while you are preparing it.
Washing the hands with soap and water is the best way to get rid of germs in most situations. If you don’t have soap and water on hand, you can use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol.
You can tell if the sanitizer contains at least 60% alcohol by looking at the product label. Hand sanitizers can quickly reduce the number of germs on the hands in many situations.
Hand sanitizers may not be as effective when hands are visibly dirty or greasy. Hand sanitizers may not remove harmful chemicals from hands, such as pesticides and heavy metals.
The 6 Steps to Handwashing
You should wash your hands before performing any personal hygiene tasks, such as handling the catheter or drainage bag or changing the ostomy pouch.
- Be sure to wash your hands regularly throughout the day, such as before eating or when you return home from a public place.
- Government guidelines in recent months encourage people to wash their hands with warm soapy water for at least 20 seconds and then dry them thoroughly with a clean towel or hand dryer.
- Regardless of the product used, the hand washing technique is very important to ensure effective results in preventing the spread of infection.
- Wash fingertips, paying particular attention to fingernails, and dry hands thoroughly with a clean disposable towel, disposing of it properly.
- It is important to pay special attention to the following areas, which are the most frequently missed after hand washing.
- Finally, dry hands thoroughly using a paper towel for each hand – this also helps prevent soreness.
Handwashing Sink Regulations
Hand washing is often emphasized by kitchen staff, but hand washing hygiene is not just a requirement for food handlers. Hands should be washed at designated handwashing stations equipped with hand soap and paper towels.
The sink must provide hot running water adjustable to at least 100 degrees Fahrenheit, and each handwashing station must be identified with a sign. If a health inspector observes a staff member washing their hands at one of these sinks instead of a hand sink, it could result in a health code violation.
You can encourage the staff to remember all the steps of hand washing by posting reminders at each sink. Hand care goes beyond hand washing and extends to maintaining personal hand and nail hygiene.
It is the responsibility of restaurant employees to practice good hand care to improve the effectiveness of handwashing policies.
Installation of handwashing stations:
- Hand hygiene sinks should be wall mounted and not inserted into or immediately adjacent to a counter.
- Hand hygiene sinks must be installed at least 865 mm above the floor.
- Backsplashes shall extend at least 600 mm above the level of the sink and to the floor ledge.
- Hands-free controls or faucet blade controls shall be used. Controlling the water temperature shall be provided.
- Hand position must be at or below the edge of the sink to minimize splashing.
- Soap Dispensers Liquid soap dispensers shall be mounted to allow unobstructed access to minimize splashing or dripping onto an adjacent wall and floor surfaces and shall be positioned to prevent splash contamination.
- Waste receptacles A waste receptacle shall be located close to the sink for hand hygiene.