8 tips for keeping the holidays hygienic

8 tips for keeping the holidays hygienic

The holidays are right around the corner. Days are short, fireplaces are blazing, you decluttered your house and families are ready to come together for the season of joy.

In doing so there are missteps that can be taken along the way regarding food preparation which can ruin the season and create unfortunate stories that follow for years. Follow these steps and there will always be a happy Festivus for the rest of us.

And if you want to go further, you can always learn more about the difference between cleaning and disinfecting. 

1. Wash your hands with hot water and natural soap.

The obvious points are usually the most important. Make sure you scrub down before any meal prep. Soaps based with essential oils have disinfecting properties and won’t dry out your hands. Simply doing the cold rinse just burns that hydro bill.

2. Wash your tea towels frequently

Tea towels will quickly harbor bacteria in record time. After every few kitchen, pop them into the washing machine and add some of our natural eco friendly  laundry detergent to make sure they’re fresh and clean.

3. No thawing on the counter

If you’re going to be cooking meat this holiday season do not, we repeat, do not defrost it in room temperature. Meat left out for two hours is in the danger zone for bacterial growth. Thaw it either the fridge, cold water or (if you really want) the microwave.

8 tips to keep your holiday hygienic

4. Don’t wash the turkey

People seriously do this. This removes barely any bacteria and it increases the risk of cross contamination due juices that may splash on the counter.

5. Wash wooden cutting boards immediately

When cutting poultry, meat or eggs, food can get stuck within the wood and seep directly into the board which can cause bacteria to grow inside. Use hot, soapy water and Natural Kitchen Cleaner as soon as you can to clean the cutting surface before anything dries.

6. Poke more than one area

Sometimes food cooks at different rates. Use a food thermometer to measure separate areas of the meal to make sure that it’s cooked properly.

8 tips to keep your holiday hygienic

7. Put food away within two hours

While we all enjoy lounging around after a big meal, make sure the effort is there to pack up that food. Bacteria grows exponentially fast at room temperature and two hours is the danger zone.

8. Four-day window for leftovers

Leftovers really are the best part of every meal. But you want to be careful about how long they’re hanging out in the fridge as harmful bacteria will still grow (just at a decelerated rate). If you can’t eat everything at once, just put them in the freezer!

Tea tree oil and lavender are the best all-natural disinfectants for your home for keeping your home fresh and clean this holiday season. The AspenClean all-purpose cleaner is a gem for this, as it’s loaded with natural disinfectants, easy to store and on top of that, smells like happiness. 

To conclude, we just have to wish you a happy holiday season and if you want to learn more tips on how to clean with our eco-friendly products, check out our blog for updates!

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