Do you dry the utensil with a towel, with a sponge, or with a synthetic towel? An easy question, but a lot wrong with the answer. If you use a towel to dry the utensils, from now on you can try other ways to dry them. So, what can’t be used to dry utensils?
Read on for our review, because we will discuss all about how to dry utensils here, especially what things you can’t use to dry utensils.
What Cannot Be Used To Dry Utensils
1. Towel
Maybe a lot of people use towels to dry their dishes, sometimes you do too. So, we say from now on the towel is not a tool that can be used to dry utensils, including drying your dishes. But it is difficult for us to prevent or avoid this deep-rooted habit. Drying dishes with towels has been done for generations.
But this habit is questioned by scientists, why many people use towels to dry dishes, because towels are tools that contain allergens, mites, and dust, which will eventually get into food and this can have a bad impact on your health.
Dr. Charles P. Gerba, a professor of microbiology at the University of Arizona, he also said that, one should not use towels to dry dishes and other kitchen utensils. He once found unsanitary napkins and towels used to clean utensils, and according to him it’s not just a matter of clean or not but utensils like these contain dust, allergens, and mites that can affect our health when we eat food with these utensils. In addition, if it is dirty, then the dinner plate can be infected with various bacteria such as E. coli, staphylococcus and salmonella.
Also see: 7 Best Substitutes of Capers in Your Cooking
2. Sink stoppers
The next equipment that cannot be used to dry kitchen utensils is sink stoppers. This is a tool used to filter kitchen waste so it doesn’t clog the drainpipe.
We all believe that Sink stoppers are tools that are full of bacteria because indeed various types of dirty water from washing dishes and so on come out through the gaps of the sink stoppers. Of course, when the water flows from here, then various types of germs and bacteria and microorganisms will stick to and reside in this tool. If you use sink stoppers as a container for drying utensils, you are worried that these germs and microorganisms will crawl onto kitchen utensils such as plates and then you use them to eat.
3. Tea towels
Tea towels may also include items that you often use to dry dishes, spoons and other utensils. But be aware, tea towels are the worst material for drying utensils.
a tea towel is a tool used to absorb water, but you have to be aware that it is very dirty, how many days or weeks have been used to absorb it and now you use it to dry kitchen utensils. It’s not healthy and there are many kinds of germs and bacteria nesting in there so it’s worth it for you to dry your equipment.
At Clemson University, a study was conducted on the use of tea towels for various purposes. What was found, it turns out that 94-96% of all tea towels that have been collected are known to be contaminated with bacteria and various other microorganisms.
See too: 3 Types of Abrasive Cleaners and The Benefits
4. Dishwashing pads or sponges
How about a dishwasher sponge, whether to use it to dry your utensils. It should be noted that this small cushion is also a place for various types of bacteria to grow. It is always moist so it becomes a fertile place for fungi, bacteria and others so it is not feasible and inappropriate for you to use it to dry your dishes.
If you use a dishwashing sponge to dry the utensils, maybe you and your family will be susceptible to various skin diseases such as fungus, redness, inflammation, or itching.
As said Dr. Carl Conrad when conducting research on the use of napkins, he said that the same thing also happened to dishwashing sponges, as research conducted under the supervision of Dr. Rina Marie Ciccarello, an associate professor at the University of Georgia’s College of Veterinary Medicine and School of Public Health, says that’s drying about the sponges we use to dry utensils. He said that the sponge is a nesting place for bacteria such as E-Coli, streptococcus and even Klebsiella pneumonia. They will affect our overall health, so it’s not only our diet that will be in trouble but also ourselves.
5. Synthetic towels
Synthetic towels also include other materials that function like tea towels, which are used as materials to dry dishes because they are considered to be able to quickly remove water on the dishes. But we do not realize that synthetic fabrics (nylon) can be a place for bacterial growth due to its always moist condition.
It can also cause our plates and spoons as well as various kitchen utensils to become infected with bacteria and affect our health.
See more: How to Clean Windows Properly, Inside and Outside
6. Wool mop
Woolen or mops are also items that should not be used to dry dishes and other utensils. It is also a material that retains moisture in the long term so that it can become a breeding ground for bacteria.
7. Bare hands
Well, empty hands, have you ever used your dry hands to dry your plate when you wanted to eat. Even though our hands are also containers and places for bacteria. Hands are used for various things, we don’t realize that they are often infected with bacteria and microorganisms.
Because the use of hands to dry of course when the hands are dry. if you wash your hands first, you may no longer be able to use them to dry dishes. Well, be careful with trivial things like this!
8. Drying containers
Drying containers have been recommended as materials for drying your equipment because the material is made of open mesh so that no water settles in it, water can easily flow out.
Well, maybe you can use it but you have to pay attention to how things are, if it’s wet you shouldn’t use it. Wet and damp is a fertile place for the growth of bacteria. So, you should be careful using tools to dry your dishes.
9. Cloth napkins
One material you can’t use to dry utensils is cloth napkins. But it depends on the conditions too. Now many people recommend using cloth napkins to dry dishes because this material dries easily and there is no residual water and moisture in it.
Its fibrous and rugged structure allows air flow to facilitate quick drying and it can dry dishes, spoons, etc. quickly and free from moisture.
10. Dish drying rack
Using a dish rack as a container and a place to dry dishes is currently being practiced. If your shelf uses metal or other materials that can cause water to remain there, this is bad for you because it becomes a breeding ground for bacteria.
You may be able to use a stainless rack that can prevent water from leaving behind so that the dishes dry well due to air circulation. If it’s like this, it’s great because the dishes can dry without having to come into contact with certain ingredients. Only by taking advantage of air circulation, the dishes that have just been washed will dry by themselves in about 30 minutes.
So, What’s the Alternative?
The bottom line is that one should absolutely prevent or avoid using materials made of nylon because these materials usually hold water and keep them moist which can encourage the growth of bacteria. So, to dry utensils you should not use damp materials, be it nylon, cloth, napkins and towels. In fact, using a towel is not only a matter of humidity and not, but it can release ash, or dirty cloth fibers such as mites that can cause your dishes to get dirty.
Use a dry cloth that does not easily remove the fiber, make sure all the materials you use are clean, dry and not materials that have been used many times.