What's Lurking in Your Kitchen?

'Healthy Housekeeper' Laura Dellutri Shares Tips for Removing Odors and Germs

FORT WAYNE, Ind., Aug. 5 /PRNewswire/ -- Exactly how clean is your kitchen?
Not as immaculate as you might imagine says the Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention (CDC). According to the CDC, while surfaces may look clean,
many infectious germs may be lurking around(i). A regular cleaning schedule
helps protect your kitchen from lurking grunge that can cause odors and harbor
disease, says "Healthy Housekeeper" Laura Dellutri. She also recommends paying
special attention to both the obvious and not-so-obvious spots in the room -
like your garbage disposer, a big contributor to your sink's secret grime.

"Neglecting to clean kitchen appliances is not only unhygienic, it's
unhealthy" says Dellutri, who authored Speed Cleaning 101 (Meredith Books,
2005) and The Overworked Mom's Stress Free Homekeeping (Morris Publishing Inc,
2008). "We all need to get in the habit of not just cleaning visible places
like countertops, sinks and floors, but also disinfecting out-of-sight areas
like the sink's garbage disposer and the microwave."

Dellutri's tips for helping maintain a healthy kitchen include:
-- Suspect Kitchen Sinks: Disinfecting the sink after washing meats,
fruits and vegetables will help prevent germs and bacteria from
multiplying on sink surfaces and help avoid cross contamination in the
room. All you need is chlorine bleach, water and a soft cloth. Dilute
the bleach with water and wipe the sink with cloth dipped in the
solution. Rinse immediately and wipe dry with a soft cloth. If the
sink
looks dull or cloudy, wipe it with a soft cloth moistened with
undiluted
white vinegar.
-- Disease-Ridden Disposers: Garbage disposers typically serve as an
exit
for fresh and left-over foods, but without proper cleansing they can
create odors and house organisms that may cause illness and disease
such
as pneumonia, bronchitis and intestinal flu(ii). Instead of simply
masking odors with fresh lemons, Dellutri recommends using Disposer
Care(R) plus Bleach Alternative once a week to help fight this
problem.
-- Grimy Dishwashers: Despite the myth that dishwashers are
self-sufficient
and clean themselves, hard water deposits, rust and food may be left
inside the dishwasher, disrupting its performance and causing odors.
To
remove residue and offensive odors, Dellutri recommends Dishwasher
Magic(R). It's the only dishwasher cleaner that disinfects while
it cleans, killing 99.9% percent of E. coli and salmonella.
-- Reeking Refrigerators: To effectively clean your fridge and free it
from odor-causing culprits, Dellutri recommends a refrigerator
overhaul:
completely clear it out and remove any expired foods. Use hot soapy
water with a germicidal cleaner to remove all food particles and
spills.
Before restocking the fridge, place washable refrigerator liners over
shelves to help prevent the need to scrub when a spill occurs.
Storage
is also critical--it prevents odors and spills with well-sealed
plastic
containers. And of course, an open box of baking soda inside the
refrigerator will absorb new odors.

-- Spotty Microwaves: Splatters of food in a microwave not only look and
smell bad, but they may also decrease efficiency. To clean the
appliance, Dellutri recommends filling a microwave-safe bowl halfway
with water, adding a tablespoon of vinegar, and placing it inside the
microwave. Let the microwave run for five minutes, then wipe down the
inside with a clean towel or paper towel. The heated water and
vinegar
will steam up the microwave walls and make wiping away dried-on food a
cinch.

"Truly rescuing your kitchen from a state of grunge and grime might seem
overwhelming, and there are a lot of hidden areas to think about," says Tony
Cronk, VP of Marketing for Summit Brands. "The garbage disposer can be one of
the easier spots to tackle if you use a product like Disposer Care plus Bleach
Alternative. Just drop a packet down the sink weekly and watch it literally
foam away the grunge that causes odors and harbors germs."

For more information about Disposer Care, visit SummitBrands.com .

About Disposer Care(R)( )plus Bleach Alternative
Disposer Care by Summit Brands is the only disposer cleaner to foam away 99.9%
percent of odor-causing grunge - even getting underneath the splashguard. It
is easy to use, is more effective than home remedies and leaves a pleasant
scent. The product is non-corrosive, biodegradable and safe for the septic
system, and is safe for pipes of all ages, including PVC pipes. Disposer Care
is available at most mass retailers, grocery, hardware and home center
locations across the country and online for about $3.99.

About Dishwasher Magic(R)
Dishwasher Magic by Summit Brands is the only EPA-registered dishwasher
disinfectant on the market today, removing hard water deposits, rust and food
build-up. It is the only dishwasher cleaner that disinfects while it cleans,
eliminating odors and killing 99.9% percent of E. Coli and Salmonella. It is
environmentally friendly and is considered a "green" chemical, and is safe for
all dishwasher model interiors and plumbing and safe for use with septic
systems. Dishwasher Magic is available at most mass retailers, grocery,
hardware and home center locations across the country and online for about
$3.99.

About Summit Brands
Summit Brands, formerly Iron Out, Inc., was founded in Fort Wayne, Ind. in
1958. The company has since manufactured and marketed leading household
cleaning brands, such as Super Iron Out, Disposer Care, Dishwasher Magic,
White Brite and Washer Magic. Summit Brands products are available at most
superstores, grocery, home center and hardware stores and online. For more
information about these products or to find the closest retailer, please visit
summitbrands.com.

(i) An Ounce of Prevention Keeps the Germs Away. Accessed from:
http://www.cdc.gov/ounceofprevention/docs/oop_brochure_eng.pdf Access date:
July 16, 2009
(ii) Based on 2009 microbial study by Summit Brands, which revealed organisms
living in garbage disposers that can cause illness and disease in humans.

Contact: Stephanie Zuro | GolinHarris
312-729-4242
SZuro@golinharris.com

SOURCE Summit Brands

Stephanie Zuro of GolinHarris, +1-312-729-4242, SZuro@golinharris.com