We all know something’s up with our kitchen towels, we just avoid lingering on the thought. People use them for multiple purposes that range from cleaning up spills from varying sources to wiping our hands after we’re done cutting something. There’s just no way for kitchen towels to be clean. And now we know just how unclean they are.
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A recent study claims that kitchen towels contain a lot of bacteria, which increases with family size and amount of meat consumption.
According to CNN, researchers cultured bacteria from 100 different kitchen towels that were regularly used and washed for a month. They discovered there was bacteria growing on 49 percent of them. Almost three quarters of the 49 towels had E. Coli and Enterococcus bacteria. (Those are the ones you find on your intestines.) “Those are bacteria that are concerns for foodborne illnesses,” said Paul Dawson, food scientist and professor from Clemson University.
While all of this information is gross and freaky, Popular Science claims that none of this is new nor all that alarming. Bacteria surrounds us constantly, and is mostly harmless. The study suggest that families with kids and/or elders should be extra careful with their kitchen towels, and that all people should avoid using the towels for multiple purposes, since that increases the risk of spreading bacteria around. Aside from that, users should just be careful when handling their food, especially raw meats. But you already knew that, right?
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People should also wash their kitchen towels regularly and allow them to dry out after cleaning up a spill. Moisture is one of those things that bacteria loves.
