Home cooks overconfident in kitchen cleaning

Decorative — Chef Dean Coppard at Balmoral, with Trish Twohig, Director of Food Safety, Safefood.

Nine in ten confident in keeping kitchen clean – yet 73% report behaviours that risk the spread of food poisoning bacteria in kitchen.

A new survey from Safefood reveals a gap between confidence and behaviour in kitchen hygiene across Northern Ireland which could lead to food poisoning illness.

While nine in 10 adults say they are confident in their kitchen hygiene, the survey shows that 73% risk spreading food poisoning bacteria by skipping key cleaning practices: replacing dishcloths every 2 days; washing hands, utensils, surfaces and chopping boards thoroughly after handling raw food; and washing hands before and after touching a phone or device.

“People in Northern Ireland feel confident in keeping their kitchen clean but this survey shows that confidence does not always reflect what is happening in practice."

– Joanne Uí Chrualaoich, CEO, Safefood

Key findings

Only 27% of respondents say they follow key cleaning practices
Only 34% replace dish clothes every two days even though these items are known to harbour high levels of bacteria.
Only 28% of people realise that food poisoning bacteria can last on surfaces, including phones and worktops, for over 24 hours.
One in three people (34%) say they always or often use their phone while cooking, yet only 29% wash their hands both before and after using a device.

The survey is part of the latest phase of Safefood’s Clean As You Go campaign, which is being brought to the Balmoral Show through live cooking demonstrations in the NI Food and Drink Pavilion.

This campaign is about showing people how easily harmful bacteria can spread on to food, utensils, surfaces and even your loved ones. Clean as you go to stop food poisoning bacteria from spreading.

– Trish Twohig, Director of Food Safety, Safefood

Working alongside Northern Ireland chefs, the campaign will highlight practical cleaning steps to avoid cross-contamination such as washing hands properly, and cleaning surfaces and utensils as you cook.

Almost three in 10 people (29%) surveyed say they rarely or never wash their hands when using a phone or device while preparing food. This is significant because pervious research by Safefood on smart devices found that phones used while cooking can become contaminated with harmful bacteria during food preparation.

Handwashing habits also vary across respondents. While most people say they wash their hands after handling raw food, only 61% do so thoroughly using soap and water. Of the rest, 27% wash hands quickly, 10% rinsing with water alone and 2% saying they do not usually wash their hands at all.

Joanne Uí Chrualaoich, CEO of Safefood, said: “People in Northern Ireland feel confident in keeping their kitchen clean but this survey shows that confidence does not always reflect what is happening in practice. Everyday habits, particularly the use of mobile phones during food preparation, are creating risks that can lead to food poisoning. We know from our smart devices research that harmful bacteria can survive on the screen of a smart device for more than 24 hours. As our campaign shows if you could see harmful bacteria spread, you would Clean As You Go.”

Trish Twohig, Director of Food Safety at Safefood, added: “With almost three quarters of people unsure how long food poisoning bacteria can survive on surfaces, the findings highlight ongoing uncertainty around cross-contamination in the kitchen. This campaign is about showing people how easily harmful bacteria can spread on to food, utensils, surfaces and even your loved ones. Clean as you go to stop food poisoning bacteria from spreading.”

Safefood is reminding home cooks that confidence does not equal safety - and that small changes to everyday habits can significantly reduce the risk of food poisoning at home. To get the facts and practical advice visit: https://www.safefood.net/food-safety/cross-contamination

ENDS

Editor's notes

Clean As You Go survey

Conducted in April 2026, this nationally representative survey of 1,038 adults across the island of Ireland, was delivered by Bounce Insights.

Results from the 199 NI respondents:

Q: How confident are you that your usual kitchen cleaning prevents the spread of food poisoning bacteria?

37% - Very confident
54% - Fairly confident
6% - Not very confident
2% - Not at all confident

Q: Which of the following kitchen hygiene practices do you sometimes miss or forget? (Select all that apply)

21% - Wash my hands after handling raw food (meat or veg)
18% - Clean surfaces after contact with raw food
18% - Wash chopping boards after preparing raw food
34% - Clean or replace dishcloths or sponges regularly
47% - Wash my hands after using my phone or device
29% - Wash my hands before using my phone or device (after preparing raw food)
27% - I do all of these, every time

Q: When preparing food, how often do you wash your hands immediately after handling raw food?

67% - Always
22% - Often
10% - Sometimes
1% - Rarely
1% - Never

Q: When you wash your hands immediately after handling raw food, how do you wash them?

61% - Wash thoroughly with soap and water
27% - Wash quickly with soap and water
10% - Rinse with water only (no soap)
2% - I do not usually wash my hands after handling raw food

Q: After preparing raw food, what do you usually do to clean kitchen surfaces?

46% - Clean them straight away using hot soapy water
28% - Clean them straight away with a quick wipe
9% - Antibacterial spray or other
17% - Clean them later during tidy-up
8% - I don’t always clean surfaces after preparing raw food
1% Not sure

Q: How often do you clean or replace your kitchen dishcloths or sponges?

21% - Daily
13% - Every second day
40% - Weekly
15% - Less often than weekly
11% - When they look or smell dirty.
1% - Never

Q: How often do you use your phone or another device while preparing food?

12% - Always
22% - Often
30% - Sometimes
24% - Rarely
13% - Never

Q: If you use your phone or device while preparing food, when do you usually wash your hands?

21% - Before touching my phone
22% - After touching my phone
29% - Both before and after
26% - Rarely
3% - Never

Q:: How long do you think food poisoning bacteria can survive on surfaces such as phones or worktops?

8% - Up to 10 minutes
13% - Up to 1 hour
10% - Up to 6 hours
20% - Up to 24 hours
28% - More than 24 hours
22% - Don’t know

Smart devices in the kitchen research

This research on smart devices found that mobile phone or smart devices used while cooking can become contaminated with harmful bacteria during food preparation. It showed that Salmonella and E. coli can survive on smart device surfaces for more than 24 hours, highlighting the importance of hand hygiene and cleaning during meal preparation. https://www.safefood.net/communications/news/2024/smart-devices-in-the-kitchen

Simple steps to ‘Clean as You Go’ and protect your family:

Always wash hands thoroughly with warm water and soap after handling utensils or raw meat, poultry, seafood, or eggs; dry with a clean towel. Do the same before and between touching ingredients and smart devices.
Wash chopping boards thoroughly after contact with raw foods. Never flip a board without washing the whole thing. Clean kitchen surfaces with hot soapy water or an antibacterial spray immediately after preparing raw food.
Swap used dishcloths or sponges for clean ones at least every two days. Dirty ones are a major source of bacteria.
If using your phone during cooking, ensure hands are clean before touching it. After handling raw ingredients, disinfect your smart device and always wash hands thoroughly