Every housewife should be aware of cleanliness in the kitchen and the food she prepares in it. First of all, she should have a general idea of bacteria and viruses. Though these are microscopic, they can wreak havoc on the health of your family. Once she has a basic idea, she will not find it difficult to keep food and drink comparatively bacteria-free.

Many housewives filter water after boiling it. I think filtering is superfluous as boiling destroys most micro-organisms. More important, ensure that the glass from which you drink water is clean. A single drop of water teems with million of microbes and hence would neutralise all your efforts of having boiled your drinking water. The vegetables, which we consume raw as salad and fruits, which are not peeled before eating, should be washed thoroughly and then kept immersed in water containing potassium permanganate for some time. Leftovers should be eaten only after thorough heating or steaming in a pressure cooker. These steps would help in preventing quite a few intestinal problems.

While working in a kitchen, it is but natural that some food or juice may spill out. If one makes a habit of cleaning it up immediately, it would go a long way in preventing ants, cockroaches and other insects. Rinse your plates and utensils before stacking them for washing. This stops breeding of insects, as the basic characteristic of insects is to eat and multiply. The garbage should be kept covered always and a sprinkling of phenyle on it also helps. Making your kitchen pest-free does not necessarily entail the headache of using pesticides. In fact, it is quite dangerous to use pesticides in the kitchen especially in areas where one stores or prepares food. Kitchen bowls and mops should be washed in hot water daily. Another very important point to keep a watch on is - the scrubber used to clean utensils. It should be washed properly after the day's work, squeezed and dried in the sun, before using it again the next day.

I have trained my maid to see to these small points. I would like to mention here that in my household, I cannot remember when any one of my family has suffered from intestinal problems. After all `prevention is better than cure' and if the housewife can achieve this with a little cleanliness in the kitchen why not?