The Smallest Particle of Peanuts Could Cause An Allergic Reaction
Peanut allergy is one of the most dangerous food allergies because it only takes a tiny particle of a peanut to cause a reaction. If peanut products are eaten in a home that is shared with a person with a peanut allergy, the dishes, silverware, counters, and anything that may have touched the peanut must be washed and disinfected.
Hand Washing In Hot Water Will Eliminate Traces of Peanuts
Any plates, bowls, or silverware that has touched the peanut product should be wiped off with a paper towel or napkin. They can then be soaked in hot soapy water to remove the remaining food. After about five or ten minutes of soaking, each plate and other items can be individually washed with a clean sponge, dishwashing detergent, and hot water. Using a detergent that is known for cutting grease is usually best to be sure to remove all peanut oil. Rinse the items well in hot water.
Your Dishwasher Will Kill Germs and Dissolve Peanut Oil In Most Cases
If your water temperature is hot, or if your dishwasher has an automatic water heating element, it will also get the dishes and silverware clean. Many dishwashers leave tiny particles of food on plates and silverware that may cause problems for the person with a peanut allergy. If you decide to wash your dishes this way, that is okay since you’ll be soaking them in bleach water and rewashing by hand in the next two steps.
Soak the dishes and silverware in bleach water
You will need to fill a sink with hot water, or you can use a bucket to do this. Add about two capfuls of bleach to the sink or bucket. Soak all eating utensils that touched peanuts or peanut butter for about 5 minutes. You should then rinse them in clear water. Wash the counters and table with hot bleach water, carefully scrubbing every surface. If you have a wooden table, clean it with a cleaning product that can be used on wood.
Rewash for the final step
Finally, you will need to wash the dishes again to remove any bleach solution from them. Use a dishcloth or sponge to hand wash them, rinsing well. You can hand dry or air dry before putting the dishes away.
Many Families Use Peanut Butter Substitutes
If you don’t want to go through all of this trouble if someone in the family has food allergies, you can use sunflower seed spread and other peanut substitutes. These spreads can taste just as good as peanut butter, and they are safer to have in the home. Besides that, all of the cleaning steps needed to make sure that the allergic family member doesn’t come into contact with peanuts are eliminated.