After washing the dishes, you must put them upright!!! Otherwise, all the bacteria will be eaten into your stomach......

A reader in the background said that every time he washes the dishes at home, they are stacked together and taken out of the cupboard for use the next day. As a result, a friend told him that this habit is not good and may lead to secondary contamination of the dishes.

Is this true?

An experiment: Stacked tableware does have more bacteria

Previously, the Home Appliances Research Institute conducted a set of experiments, which set up two groups for comparison. The testers first disinfected the tableware and applied sterile broth on the surface of the tableware, and then divided the tableware into two groups. One group of dishes was directly stacked up and stored in the cupboard after washing, and the other group was placed upright on the shelf after washing and placed in a ventilated place.

A comparison three days later showed that the total number of colonies on the upright tableware was 8,000 cfu/set, which met the relevant hygiene standards of my country, while the number of bacteria on the stacked tableware was 560,000 cfu/set, 70 times that of the upright tableware.

The difference in bacterial colony levels is so huge!

What health risks do these bacteria pose to our bodies?

The kitchen is our sanitary blind spot. If the dishes are not placed properly or are not taken care of, bacteria and viruses will easily breed, which will have a great impact on our health.

Acute effects in the short term: For example, some pathogenic bacteria, the most common pathogenic Escherichia coli and Salmonella, such as norovirus and rotavirus, can cause acute gastroenteritis, vomiting and diarrhea, and even dehydration and shock, which are life-threatening.

Long-term effects: Long-term ingestion of mold may contain carcinogens such as aflatoxin. Long-term exposure may cause cancer. Some studies have even shown that aflatoxin is related to liver cancer, stomach cancer, and esophageal cancer.

In addition , bowls and chopsticks are also a medium for the transmission of Helicobacter pylori . Helicobacter pylori infection is related to many stomach diseases, gastric ulcers and even gastric cancer.

Therefore, health issues in the kitchen must be taken seriously, and tableware must be disinfected properly, including when storing it, to prevent the growth of bacteria or viruses.

How to store dishes correctly

Several necessary conditions are required for bacteria to grow:

First: nutrients are needed

Second: Suitable temperature

Third: There must be moisture

No matter how we wash our bowls and chopsticks or dishes, they can never be washed clean. Even a little bit of food residue can serve as nutrients for bacteria. If they are piled up, a lot of water accumulates, and the room temperature is suitable, bacteria will grow wildly.

The correct way to place it. Image source: pixabay

When standing up, the water is easy to drain, and even if there is a little food residue, it is not easy to breed bacteria.

Washing dishes seems to be a simple job, but it involves a lot of "technical" content. Many people actually "wash dishes wrongly"!

There are also some bad dishwashing habits that not only fail to clean the dishes thoroughly, but also breed a lot of bacteria.

1. Soak the bowl in water for a long time or leave it unwashed

After finishing a meal, many people want to take a break before washing the dishes. In fact, this is not a good habit. Soaking dishes for a long time will breed bacteria and produce odors. If the bowls for porridge are left for too long, they will become difficult to clean after drying.

2. Dishcloths are not disinfected or replaced

Using dishcloths to wipe dishes is also a health hazard. Dishcloths must be replaced regularly and disinfected.

Because we have done research and found that the number of bacteria on dishcloths is very high, so they must be disinfected at high temperature, and the dishcloths must be replaced every month or so, and the dishcloths must be used specifically for wiping dishes.

3. Apply detergent directly to the bowl

Some people think that "applying detergent directly on the bowl will have a stronger degreasing effect", but this not only wastes a lot of water, but also causes water pollution due to excessive use of detergent. If the bowl is not rinsed clean, the human body will ingest detergent, which will cause diarrhea and other gastrointestinal discomfort.

Recommendation: Drop a few drops of detergent into half a bowl of water, use a dishcloth dipped in the diluted water to scrub the dishes, rinse them and place them in another colander, finally rinse them with clean water and drain them.

4. Tableware is not sterilized

There are many methods of disinfection. The most commonly used method is high-temperature disinfection. After boiling it for more than 5 to 10 minutes, most bacteria and viruses can be killed.

If conditions permit, it is best to buy a sterilizer and put the dishes in it for high-temperature sterilization. This is one of the most effective ways to kill bacteria and viruses.

Note: It is not particularly recommended to use disinfectants for disinfection, because whether it is chlorine-containing disinfectant or other disinfectant, it is difficult to rinse it completely with clean water. If there is any residue, it will irritate the digestive tract.

Planning and production

Source: CCTV Life Circle

Expert | Lin Guole, Chief Physician of Basic Surgery, Peking Union Medical College Hospital

Editor: Yang Yaping