Best Way to Create an Allergy-Free Kitchen



Some kitchens are galley-sized, intended just for storing and preparing food, while others are family rooms incorporating a dining area. Some are used more or less constantly throughout the day, while others are empty apart from an hour or so in the morning over breakfast. No matter what size or type of kitchen you have, there are important factors to consider when designing a low-allergen environment. In particular your choice of cooker (stove) or range has an impact on the level of air pollution. From an allergy point of view, cooking with electricity is far better than gas or solid fuel, which produce large amounts of combustion by-products and water vapour.

The kitchen is known as a “wet” room, due to the amount of water vapour produced by such everyday activities as cooking, boiling kettles (pans), and so on. Reducing the amount of water escaping into the home by improving ventilation has an important knock-on effect, reducing overall humidity levels and, thus, limiting dust mite numbers and mould growth in all rooms.

Allergy Free Kitchen Best Way to Create an Allergy Free Kitchen

Your choice of flooring has a direct effect on dust mite numbers, with hard floor surfaces providing a less-friendly environment than carpet or carpet tiles. A hard floor is also easier to keep clean, which is an important consideration where spills and food scraps will be happily received by any lurking cockroaches. Bear in mind that, worldwide, cockroaches are second only to the house-dust mite as a cause of allergy.

Walls

  • Choose flat, smooth surfaces – they collect less dust and are easier to keep clean than textured surfaces.
  • Use washable paint on the walls, and put tiles behind the range or cooker (stove) to act as an easy-clean splashback.
  • Keep walls free of clutter as much as possible – pictures, decorative plates, posters, ornaments, and so on are dust and grease collectors.
  • Tile areas of wall that are adjacent to worktops or counters to make the area easier to keep clean.

Windows

  • Open windows or add a powered extractor (exhaust) fan to improve air exchange and minimize condensation when the kitchen is in use,
  • Use roller blinds, shades, or washable curtains, not heavy drapes.

 

Refrigerators and freezers

  • Regularly empty any water that has collected in the drip pan under the refrigerator to prevent mould growth and discourage cockroaches.
  • Keep cooling coils clean and free from dust and dirt.

Kitchen furniture

  • Use easy-clean furniture, such as wood, plastic, vinyl, leather, and glass.
  • Sweep or vacuum under the table and chairs on a daily basis to eliminate food sources for cockroaches.
  • Cover any upholstered furniture in material that can be washed at 56°C/ 133°F or above the temperature needed to kill dust mites.

Flooring

  • Choose hard-surface flooring, such as linoleum, wood, or glazed tiles, in preference to carpet or carpet tiles.
  • Flooring must fit neatly around the bases of cabinets for easy cleaning.
  • Clean spills or dropped food immediately.

Kitchen cabinets

  • Choose stainless-steel, solid-wood, or low-emission board cabinets, or those sealed entirely with plastic laminate. Ready-made cabinets are often produced from board products that emit formaldehyde.
  • Keep clutter and ornaments to a minimum to prevent dust collecting and make surfaces easier to clean.
  • Build kitchen cabinets right up to the ceiling to avoid dust-collecting, hard-to-clean tops.

Cookers or ranges and hoods

  • Buy an electric cooker (stove) or range rather than a gas or solid-fuel type.
  • Minimize condensation by keeping lids on pans and don’t over-boil.
  • Bear in mind that a ducted hood removes excess moisture to the outside, while a recirculating hood does not.
  • Change or clean filters as recommended by the manufacturer to maintain efficiency.

Kitchen sink and drainer

  • Consider a water softener which may benefit eczema sufferers living in hard-water areas. But never give children artificially softened water or mix it with milk formulas because of its high salt content.
  • Replace tap (faucet) washers and secure any leaky connections. Reducing water availability will help to prevent cockroach infestation.
  • Keep sink strainers clear to eliminate a food source for cockroaches.
  • Place non-organic dust – silica gel or boric acid – in cracks and crevices under the sink area (and elsewhere) to control cockroaches.

Allergy Free Kitchen 1 Best Way to Create an Allergy Free Kitchen

Worktop or counter surfaces

  • Keep food surfaces (and kitchen appliances) free of food debris to prevent mould and cockroach infestation.
  • Minimize clutter and dust by putting things away in cabinets.
  • Use water-resistant grouting for tiled worktops or counters.
  • Make sure grouting is flush with the tile surface to prevent food building up in cracks.





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