Even for the biggest neat freaks, cleaning your home can often feel like a thankless task. That’s especially true when it comes to your kitchen, where years’ worth of built-up grease and grime make cleaning a particularly arduous endeavor. In fact, a recent survey found that a whopping 20% of people polled had never cleaned this one thing in their kitchen.
Read on to discover which part of your kitchen likely needs a serious scrub-down. And if you’re re-stocking your pantry next, check out the 6 Best Groceries To Buy At Walmart Right Now.
According to a 2021 survey from Cinch Home Services, among a group of 1,007 Americans surveyed, a staggering 20% said they never clean their dishwashers. Slightly over one-third of the individuals surveyed said they “sometimes” cleaned their dishwasher. An additional 26% of respondents said that they rarely cleaned it.
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It’s not just a vague ick factor over the thought that your dishwasher has never been cleaned that should prompt you to give it a good scrub—failing to do so could actually put you at risk for illness.
According to a 2019 study published in BMC Microbiology, among a group of 30 household dishwashers tested, 632 types of bacteria from 74 different bacterial series were discovered. “Dishwashers cannot be ignored as potential sources of human infections, in particular for immuno-compromised individuals,” the study’s authors concluded.
For some other spots in your house you’d be wise to scrub down, check out The 31 Dirtiest, Grossest Things in Your Kitchen.
The same survey found that refrigerators weren’t getting much love in the cleaning department, either.
Among those polled, 15% said they rarely cleaned their fridge.
Related: One Major Side Effect of Having a Dirty Fridge
While ovens are notoriously hard to clean, respondents to Cinch’s survey were surprisingly dedicated to keeping their primary cooking appliances spick-and-span.
Though 8% of those polled said they never cleaned their oven, 25% said they cleaned it once a year, 28% said they cleaned it every six months, 20% said they cleaned it every three months, 12% said they cleaned it every month, and 8% of survey respondents said they cleaned it every single month.
If you want to makeover your culinary space, check out these 50 Best Kitchen Cleaning Tips Right Now.
