Keeping it clean

Has kitchen hinching become unsafe? The term “hinching”, or the act of thorough or obsessive cleaning, has been made famous by Instagramer, mrshinchome, who has amassed more than three million followers.

Her promotion of cleanliness and high hygiene standards might seem like a good thing. But Kirstie Jones, environmental health officer at Navitas Safety, administrators of digital food safety management, compliance and training services, says that the new trend in cleaning could actually be causing harm.

“Obsessive cleaning practices can become an issue, particularly where food and preparation areas are involved,” she says. “Now, faced with the coronavirus outbreak, people’s concerns have been heightened.

“So, instead of the usual routine wipe downs, thorough disinfecting has become the trend. Debates around how long the virus remains alive on surfaces continue – original estimations were up to 72 hours on tables and glass, so caution is required.

“However, not everything needs to be cleaned. For instance, if a product comes labelled as ‘washed and ready to eat’, it

should be perfectly safe to consume without cleaning. But there are a number of ways you can safely clean items and packaging.

“You should thoroughly clean glass or other non-porous containers prior to storing them away, but avoid washing any packaging which is porous, such as cardboard. When storing food, it’s important to ensure that dry items do not get damp or wet, as this will encourage bacterial growth.

“We would also recommend using wipes rather than sprays to clean down surfaces and containers and, of course, wash your hands before and after handling packaging and decanting food.

“Another concern for people at the moment is hand sanitisers. Most hand sanitisers are 60-70% alcohol based. Fortunately, these won’t cause any harm should you accidentally digest some, as most are designed to be food safe. The main issue is that it won’t taste very nice.”

Cosy knits available

“Is there a charity, or any parents, who would appreciate brand new hand-knitted garments for children up to the age of approximately three?” asks a reader. “Our knitting group has a supply but with the situation at present, we cannot give them to our usual charities.

“Please email swedengd2@gmail.co.uk if anyone would like to get in touch.”

Alexander Redford, Glendoick Smithy, Glencarse, taking part in the horse shoeing competition at the Royal Highland Show in Dundee. The year is unknown, although it might have been 1949 or 1957.

Jim Howie of Broughty Ferry has supplied this image of Brechin Infirmary circa 1907. “There appear to have been extensions built on either end of the original building,” he says.