After working all day and then fixing dinner, you just can’t bear the thought of cleaning all those dishes and pots and pans, so you leave them in the sink overnight. Admittedly, there’s something gross about having gunky skillet water splash up at you as you fill your morning tea kettle, but there’s more to it than that. That humble sink is teeming with bacteria, especially if you’ve recently prepped raw chicken. Studies have shown that the kitchen sink is the collection place for all different kinds of unwanted bacteria, including E. coli, Staphylococcus and salmonella. Bacteria thrive in warm, moist environments, which is exactly what your sink is when you leave your dishes to soak. So, what about leaving dry dishes stacked in the sink? Unfortunately, dry environments might keep bacteria from growing, but that doesn’t mean they can’t survive and grow later. If you have food sitting out, it can attract bugs that can spread bacteria to the rest of your kitchen. In most cases, we unintentionally transfer germs to our sponge, hands or water bottle. Bacteria in the sink can easily contaminate nearby surfaces and foods through the dirty water splashing up or from us directly touching it. Can you safely soak gunky pots and pans for a little while? The answer is no. No minimal soaking time is safe. So, no matter how tired you are, you should always make sure that the dishes are done before you head off to bed.
