We all try our best to keep our kitchens clean and tidy – an organized kitchen looks much better than a messy one and can be safer too. This is particularly important if you’ve got little ones running around. These are 19 things that shouldn’t be kept on your kitchen countertops.
Raw Meat and Fish
Salmonella might be the best-known danger of raw meat and fish. However, CNN suggests there’s another danger: “bacteria from meat could be responsible for more than half a million urinary tract infections in the United States every year.” To keep yourself safe, never store raw meat or fish on your kitchen countertops.
Fresh Fruits and Vegetables
If you’ve ever gone on vacation and left the fruit bowl out, then you’ll probably know the unpleasantness of fruit flies. As well as attracting insects, leaving fresh fruit and vegetables out can make them spoil much quicker, and rotting fruit is never a nice sight in your kitchen.
Bread
While bread is unlikely to attract fruit flies, it will catch the eye of ants and mice. It will also become stale if left out for too long, and bread famously grows mold quickly. This is especially true if you live in a more humid place, which can speed up mold growth.
Plastic Bags
Ideally, it’s best to stop using plastic bags in your home altogether. ABC News reports that “Malaysia has been transformed in recent years by thousands of tons of imported plastic waste from the U.S. and other wealthy nations.” Loose plastic bags can look messy and are undeniably bad for the environment.
Medications
If your kids are tall enough to reach the kitchen countertops, then your medication should be kept safe somewhere else, out of reach. A locked medicine cabinet is an excellent idea, as some medications can be ruined if they’re left in the heat for too long. You’ll also avoid any dangerous mix-ups with medication and food.
Coffee Makers
Some of us can’t even open our eyes properly in the morning before we’ve had a cup of joe. However, if you find yourself rarely using your coffee maker, then it might be time to move it into a cupboard. These machines are often bulky and take up lots of space on your countertop.
Pet Food and Bowls
Storing your pet’s food or bowls on the kitchen countertop is never a good idea. The USPCA suggests “pet bowls are the third most contaminated item in the household and are a breeding ground for bacteria and germs.” It’s best to store pet food and bowls on the floor or in a cupboard.
Cooking Oil
Cooking oil bottles can get quite greasy, and that turns them into a major spill risk in the kitchen. You should consider storing them out of the way to prevent any accidents. Some cooking oils can also become rancid when they’re left in kitchens with a lot of heat and light, so it’s best to avoid this if you can!
Vinegar and Sauces
Like cooking oils, vinegar and sauces are spill risks, and they can leave behind hard-to-clean stains. Some need to be stored in cool, dark places, which you can usually find written in the storage instructions on their label. It’s best to keep them off the kitchen countertops until you need them.
Mail and Paper
It’s easy to get into the habit of dumping your mail on the kitchen countertop, but it’ll quickly turn into messy clutter. You could end up spilling food on an important bill or document, and storing paper near your stovetop could end in a fiery disaster.
Chef’s Knives
Along the same lines as medications, chef’s knives need to be kept out of reach of children. As well as this, they can become dull if they’re not stored properly, and also look quite cluttered if you don’t have a knife block to keep them in.
Large Appliances
There are some appliances that we use every day, like microwaves and air fryers. Others, like toasted sandwich makers and waffle irons, are better kept in cupboards. If you only use an appliance on special occasions, then you’ll create much more counter space by storing them out of the way.
Cleaning Supplies
Another dangerous item to keep on your kitchen countertops, cleaning supplies like sprays and bleach should be stored out of sight of children. Even if you don’t have kids, they can contaminate your food accidentally or even poison your pets. American Humane recommends that you, “keep cleaning products in a high, closed cabinet.”
Too Many Ornaments
A nice ornament here and there can really brighten up your kitchen’s aesthetic. However, you should remember that you’ll need plenty of counter space for cooking. A cluttered kitchen can be difficult to use and also hard to clean around.
Spices
The best place to put spices in your kitchen is a spice rack, but a cupboard or dedicated shelf works just as well. Spices can quickly take up space on your kitchen countertops and some can lose their flavor and strength when they’re in direct light or heat for too long.
Canned Food
Canned food can be a cheap and easy way to stock up your pantry, but if you store all of those cans on your kitchen countertops then you’re going to run out of space pretty quickly. Cluttered rows of cans can make a kitchen look messy, so you should put them in your cupboards instead.
Plates and Dishes
You might think that keeping your crockery close to hand is a good idea to quickly serve up your meals, but this can be a really inefficient way to store your plates and dishes. It could also lead to you accidentally breaking some of your delicate crockery.
Phones and Laptops
Any electronic devices should really stay out of your kitchen altogether. Leaving phones and laptops lying around on the kitchen countertops can take up space and one accidental spill could be a costly mistake. You can avoid all of that panic and concern by keeping your electronics elsewhere in the house.
Sponges and Cloths
On their own, sponges and cloths aren’t too much of a big deal to leave around. But if they’ve been used, they can become hotspots for bacteria and bad smells. Over time, this can lead to them actually being dangerous for your health, so keep them in your cleaning cupboard.
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