The Gluten-Free Homemaker

Dinner is over, and you've wiped the table and counter tops. You think they're clean, but are they really? I'm not talking about germs and bacteria. I'm talking about what you can see with your eyes. "They look clean to me," you say. But do they pass the eye-level test?

Try this. Squat down until you are eye level with the counter or table. Now what do you see? Most likely you see at least a few crumbs or traces of flour. Maybe you see a lot. Stand up and wipe again. Did you get it all? Maybe not even on the second try.

Now I don't clean like this every day, but doing it once in a while keeps me in the mind set that there is probably more there than what I realize. It reminds me to do the job well. It's especially important to people like me who have celiac disease. I get sick from a small crumb that contains wheat. I take other precautions such as keeping the gluten my family eats in its own cabinet at the end of the kitchen. But they still eat at the kitchen table, and their plates still get carried to the dishwasher, or the sink, or maybe the counter next to the sink. So I'm especially careful.

Think about it, though. If that many crumbs are still left, how many germs are still left? Give your counters the eye-level test and let me know what you see!

For more kitchen tips visit Tammy's Recipes.

Labels: homemaking tips