Highlights
- Salmonella risk in Canada – Thousands fall ill each year from foodborne Salmonella, making it one of the country’s top causes of stomach-related illness.
- Serious health effects – Infections can cause diarrhea, fever, cramps, and in some cases hospitalization or long-term complications.
- How it enters kitchens – Raw chicken, eggs, unwashed produce, and contaminated packaging can spread Salmonella onto counters, utensils, and hands.
- Where it hides – Bacteria linger for days on sponges, cutting boards, faucet handles, fridge doors, and fridge seals, often surviving quick wipes.
- HOCl solution – Hypochlorous acid spray kills 99.9% of bacteria, including Salmonella, without toxic fumes or residues—safe for kids, pets, and food surfaces.
- Canadian-made trust – CleanSmart’s Health Canada–approved disinfectants and 500ml Pure Stabilized HOCl Spray are safe, non-toxic, and made in Canada for everyday family use.
Understanding Salmonella: A Leading Cause of Foodborne Illness in Canada
Salmonella is a type of bacteria that can cause serious stomach illness. It leads to symptoms like diarrhea, fever, and stomach cramps — and in some cases, it can even require hospital care. Every year, thousands of Canadians get sick from foodborne bacteria like Salmonella, making it one of the leading causes of foodborne illness in the country.
What makes Salmonella especially concerning is how easily it spreads and how long it can survive. Even a tiny amount of contamination can multiply quickly on common kitchen surfaces, turning everyday tasks like preparing dinner into an unseen health risk. That’s why understanding how Salmonella enters the kitchen — and how it moves from one surface to another — is an important first step in keeping your family safe.
How Does Salmonella Get Into Your Kitchen?
Salmonella often enters the home through raw or undercooked foods, especially chicken, eggs, unwashed vegetables, and sometimes even packaged items that look clean. Once introduced, it spreads easily and invisibly:
- Juices from raw chicken can drip onto countertops, sink basins, or cutting boards.
- Cracked eggshells can carry Salmonella, allowing it to transfer onto your hands, utensils, or dishcloths.
- Fresh produce that hasn’t been washed thoroughly can bring bacteria straight to your fridge drawers or salad bowls.
The problem doesn’t end there. Once Salmonella is on a surface, it can hitch a ride onto hands, knives, or sponges and contaminate other foods you’re preparing. A single slip in cleaning routines can leave behind enough bacteria to cause illness, especially in young children, seniors, or anyone with a weakened immune system. Once Salmonella makes its way inside, it doesn’t just vanish with a quick wipe. Instead, it often lingers on everyday kitchen surfaces, finding hiding spots where it can survive for days — and that’s where the real risk begins.
Where Salmonella Likes to Hide
Once Salmonella makes its way into the kitchen, it doesn’t just disappear after cooking dinner or wiping a counter. These bacteria are surprisingly resilient and can survive for hours—or even days—on common household surfaces. That means the germs from last night’s raw chicken may still be present when you’re preparing a sandwich the next afternoon.
Some of the most common hiding places include:
- Sponges and dishcloths — Warm, damp, and often full of food particles, they’re the perfect breeding ground. A contaminated sponge can spread Salmonella across every surface it touches.
- Sink faucets and handles — We wash our hands at the sink, but germs from raw meat or unwashed produce can transfer to faucet handles before soap and water do their job.
- Fridge door handles — Think about how often you grab the fridge while cooking. If your hands touched raw food first, bacteria can sit on the handle and spread to the next person who opens it.
- Cutting boards (especially plastic ones) — Tiny grooves left by knife marks can trap Salmonella, making them harder to clean thoroughly even after washing.
- The rubber seal of the refrigerator — Moisture and food crumbs can get trapped in the seal, creating a hidden reservoir where bacteria survive unnoticed.
These overlooked hotspots show why Salmonella control isn’t just about cooking food properly—it’s also about keeping the kitchen itself free from lingering germs. Wiping with a cloth or rinsing with water often isn’t enough, especially when bacteria can survive in hidden cracks and damp materials. That’s why using a proven cleaning agent is essential. The right solution not only cleans what you can see but also disinfects where bacteria like Salmonella tend to hide.
Why Hypochlorous Acid Spray Makes a Difference
The challenge with Salmonella is that it doesn’t just sit on the surface — it can hide in tiny grooves, porous fabrics, or damp areas where ordinary cleaners fail. That’s where hypochlorous acid (HOCl) spray stands out. It kills 99.9% of germs, including Salmonella, yet it’s gentle enough to use around food, kids, and pets. Made simply from salt, water, and electricity, HOCl is powerful against bacteria but leaves nothing harmful behind. Unlike bleach or harsh chemicals, there’s no need to rinse — just spray and let it dry.
CleanSmart’s Kitchen & Bath Collection includes Health Canada–approved Surface Cleaner & Disinfectant products, designed to make everyday cleaning both safe and effective. For families who also want an easy, go-to option for quick daily use, many rely on our 500ml Pure Stabilized HOCl Spray. It’s versatile, non-toxic, and food-contact safe — perfect for everything from wiping down counters to refreshing kitchen tools between meals.
CleanSmart: Trusted by Canadian Families
CleanSmart products are proudly made in Canada and shipped nationwide, meeting Health Canada’s strict standards for safety and effectiveness. Families across the country choose CleanSmart because it offers peace of mind — a cleaning solution that is tough on germs but gentle enough to use every day around kids, pets, and food.
For daily convenience, many parents keep our 500ml Pure Stabilized HOCl Spray within reach as their go-to versatile HOCl spray. It’s non-toxic, food-contact safe, and ideal for quick touch-ups on counters, toys, or kitchen tools between bigger cleans. When you need the added strength of a disinfectant, our Kitchen & Bath Collection provides Health Canada–approved Surface Cleaner & Disinfectant products that are designed for high-touch kitchen areas where bacteria like Salmonella tend to hide.
Make the switch today to hypochlorous acid spray for a safer, smarter way to protect your kitchen. Explore our Kitchen & Bath Collection or try the 500ml Pure Stabilized HOCl Spray to experience the CleanSmart difference.
If you have questions, visit our Contact Us page.
Ideas for this blog came from B.C. Health and Mayo Clinic.