As the kitchen is deemed the heart of a home, it must be properly set and remodeled for aesthetic purposes and functional reasons. As it is the place for cooking and food preparation, you need to ensure a highly efficient space with all the required equipment and supplies. On top of this is the need for safety, which goes as simple as taking care of your countertop to avoid any potential accident. The last thing you will want to happen is getting into a kitchen mishap that will damage your property and risk your life!
Fret not; we’ve prepared a rundown of five common countertop accidents and how you can prevent them:
Unattended cooking
Did you know that unattended cooking is the leading cause of cooking fires and casualties in the US? That’s according to the National Fire Protection Association! It is possible household members leave their kitchen unattended when cooking because they may be preoccupied with chores that they forget about the food in the kitchen. For this reason, individuals must always stay in the kitchen when frying, grilling, or broiling food. The last thing you will want to happen is a fire outbreak that can damage your property and cost lives!
Countertop burns from hot kitchenware
It’s common to see how household members simply put hot kitchenware on top of their countertop soon after cooking. They don’t even think twice about whether or not they should put a protective cover under the hot plate or pot. As a result, it’s easy to see the top surface get subject to wear and tear over time. The worst thing that can happen is getting your skin burned while under the impression that the ware isn’t hot. For this reason, be sure to use a coaster to protect your countertop and know whether or not the kitchenware is hot.
Spills on the surface
It’s vital to clean your countertop after cooking, not only for cleanliness but also for safety purposes. The last thing you will want to happen is for the spills to get on the floor, leading to a slip-and-fall accident and causing injuries. When spills happen, something as simple as cleaning the mess on your countertop with a cloth can promote safety in your kitchen!
Knives’ danger
Every household knows that the knife is one of the most important kitchen tools used for food preparation. Yet, it can be extremely dangerous if you leave it somewhere unattended or don’t use it properly. Unfortunately, some household members tend to leave the knife on the countertop after use, which it’s easy for kids to reach out to it and potentially harm themselves. Furthermore, some individuals don’t use a chopping board when cutting foods and simply do it on the countertop instead. Keep in mind that doing this will eventually cause it to deteriorate, leading to expensive repairs or even replacements.
Harmful pathogens on surfaces
Did you know that plenty of germs lurk around your kitchen countertops? If left uncleaned, it’s easy for them to contaminate your food and make you and your family sick. In fact, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that roughly one in six Americans gets sick, 128,000 are hospitalized, and 3,000 die of foodborne diseases every year. Because of this, simply cleaning your top will make all the difference in promoting good health!
Conclusion
At this point, we’ve covered five countertop accidents commonly encountered in the kitchen—unattended cooking, burns from hot kitchenware, spills on the surface, knives’ danger, and harmful pathogens on the surfaces. Be sure to avoid all these by following some of the recommendations above so that you’ll be able to promote the utmost safety in your kitchen!
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