After spending a long time making a delicious meal, it can be tempting to put off cleaning up and leave the food out in your house. As appealing as that may sound, it is actually not a great idea and can have major consequences for your home. Here are a few of the most compelling reasons to avoid leaving food out in your house.
Bad Smells
When you leave food out in your home, it will begin to rot, and bacteria will grow on its surface. This process can lead to bad smells that will often linger even after you get rid of the food in question. This is also true of putting food directly in your kitchen trashcan and not taking it outside to the dumpster. Food that sits in a trash can will create unappealing smells that can hang around in your home even after you take out the trash. Your best course of action to avoid creating unpleasant smells is to clean up food immediately and either refrigerate it or take it outside to dispose of it. If you forget to clean up right away, there are several things you can do to get rid of the smell, it will just be a more difficult prospect.
Pest Issues
Leaving food out can also make your home more attractive to various pests. From insects to rodents, rotting food is a big draw for the kinds of things you’d prefer to keep out of your home. The best thing you can do is take care of food messes as soon as they occur, but if you can’t you need to take steps to take care of the problem. You should look for the signs of a rodent infestation before deciding on a course of action. Once you have assessed the pests involved, you can start cleaning and contact help if you need it from professionals.
Food Poisoning
One of the worst things that can happen when you leave food out is that it can lead to food poisoning. Especially when you leave things on the counter and plan to put them away later, they can sometimes reach dangerous temperatures for bacterial growth in the meantime. Be careful after cooking food to immediately refrigerate them or to discard them if they are left out for too long.
Taking care of food waste and leftovers can have benefits for your home and your health. Take care with the food you eat to be sure to take care to clean up food messes as soon as possible to keep your home smelling fresh!
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