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Which Kind Of Kitchen Benchtop Is The Most Hygienic?

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As we prepare our meals in the kitchen, it's important for your family's health to have hygienic surfaces. Bacteria thrive in places where they have a source of food and water, and warm temperatures which makes the kitchen a perfect environment for them to build up.. In fact studies have shown that the kitchen benchtop is home to more bacteria than the toilet seat! Read on to see how to choose an hygienic option for your new kitchen benchtop.

Choose a single piece benchtop

A single piece benchtop is a more hygienic option than one with joins or tiling grouts. The joins and grout channels can be harder to clean and more likely to attract dirt and food scrap build-up.

Choose a hard surface

Cuts with a cooking knife can cause scratches and abrasions to softer surfaces such as timbers or laminate. Hard materials, such as a stone or stainless steel benchtop will not be affected in the same way. Abrasions to the surface of the benchtop can easily become a breeding ground for bacteria. Marble is also prone to scratching with prolonged use.

Generally speaking, the use of a chopping board limits abrasions to the benchtop, but accidents with overcutting onto the surface of the benchtop are still common, especially when cooks are in a hurry.

Choose an easy-to-clean surface

Some surfaces, such as marble, tend to react poorly to acidic cleaners. Stainless steel also requires non-abrasive cleaning products; although, it can withstand very hot temperatures, which can make deep cleaning easier.

The easiest benchtops to clean tend to be solid surface plastics, which can be coved straight into the splashback to limit build-up in the rear benchtop/splashback corner.

Choose an easy to maintain surface

If your benchtop is made of wood, you will likely to need to refinish the surface regularly to maintain a smooth and glossy appearance (but with regular maintenance can be kept for a long time before replacement). Granite is another attractive option, but needs regularly resealing, as it is a naturally porous surface. Other materials such as laminate can chip easily and will need to be replaced regularly. If you don't maintain the surface, the pores, chips or cracks can fill with bacteria.

Stone, metal and stone composites tend to be long lived and require little maintenance while in service.

The most hygienic kitchen benchtops are single piece plastics, well-joined metal benchtops or single piece stone benchtops. The best option for your kitchen will depend on your budget and size constraints.

For more information, contact a business such as Cabinetry Solutions.


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