These Tiny Kitchen Staples See All The Action But Rarely Get Cleaned - Tasting Table

"Your salt and pepper shakers are overlooked kitchen countertop items you need to be cleaning regularly. Think about that aforementioned fact of just how frequently they're used - they're touched by everyone in your house on a daily basis, plus guests you have for meals. Also, when you're using them while cooking, you're touching them as you're touching all different foods, including raw meat, and they're also accumulating oily build-up from being by the stove, which acts like a germ magnet."

"When ABC News studied various items on restaurant tables for bacteria levels, they found pepper shakers' bacteria count in particular to be 11,600. You may not have as much traffic in your home as a restaurant does, but that's a good indicator of how many germs are hanging out on your shakers."

"You want to wipe down the outside of your shakers every two weeks or so, although if you do in fact often use them near the stove and while handling food, up that to weekly. Similarly, you only need to wash the inside of the shakers every few months when you're already refilling them, but again, if they're getting a lot of heat and moisture, make sure you're doing this every couple of months or so."

Salt and pepper shakers are frequently overlooked kitchen items that require regular cleaning despite their constant use. These shakers are touched daily by household members and guests, accumulate oily residue from stovetop proximity, and harbor bacteria from contact with various foods including raw meat. Research shows pepper shakers can contain bacteria counts as high as 11,600, comparable to restaurant table items. Regular maintenance involves wiping the exterior every one to two weeks, or weekly if used frequently near the stove. Interior cleaning should occur every few months during refilling, or more frequently if exposed to heat and moisture. Many shakers are dishwasher-safe, simplifying the cleaning process.

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