Mosquitoes are one of the most significant sources of food contamination. During the monsoon, the likelihood of stagnant water getting stored in some parts of the house is pretty high. Stored water in the kitchen, coolers, and air conditioners can become breeding grounds for mosquitoes that can spread to different parts of the house.
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While mosquito repellent and coils are a great way to protect the body from mosquitoes, one needs to adopt some more stringent measures to make sure that the food and the kitchen remain immune from mosquitoes. To avoid your food getting affected by mosquito breeding, here is what you can do this monsoon.
* Maintain Cleanliness
Making sure that all parts of the house are properly cleaned during the monsoon season is extremely important. Many times, after rain, dirty water accumulates in different parts of the house. These become breeding grounds for the rapid growth of mosquitoes, which can spread to different parts of the house. Most of these mosquitoes are attracted to the kitchen because that is where all the food is stored. Hence, one should clean the house again and again, specifically after every rain and make sure that no part of the house has collected water.
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* Washing Everything
During the monsoon, it is important to keep washing vegetables and fruits to avoid any food contamination. After buying the vegetables and fruits from the market, one must ensure that they're washed properly before being stored in the refrigerator. Also, one has to wash the refrigerator cabinets again and again to make sure that all the parts of the refrigerator are properly clean. Then, before using these fruits or vegetables for consumption purposes, make sure that you wash them one more time. Due to the high humidity and susceptibility to food contamination due to mosquitoes, taking care of hygiene protocols is always beneficial.
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* Don't Keep The Food Out
Keeping the food out for too long in the open is a very significant reason why mosquitoes end up affecting the food. Even if the food has to be kept in its open surroundings, it should be covered properly. One should choose airtight containers to store food and never put them on the kitchen slab without any proper covering. By keeping the food open in the kitchen, one is not only making it vulnerable to mosquitoes but also allowing bacteria to thrive.
* Camphor
Camphor is a colourless and waxy substance that is known for its strong aroma that draws away mosquitoes. One should avoid lighting camphor in the kitchen, as the aroma of the sticks may impact the flavour of the food. However, this camphor can be lit in different parts of the house to eradicate mosquitoes. Also, another important thing that one should be careful about is closing all the doors and windows at all times. Keeping the windows and the doors open can increase the chances of mosquitoes coming inside the house and infecting the food.
* Lemon And Clove
Lemon and clove are a natural way of keeping mosquitoes at bay and have been used for ages to protect food from any kind of insect or bug. When asked, simply take a clean cloth and put half-cut lemons and cloves on top of it. Keep these ingredients in the pantry near the stored food. The strong aroma of both lemons and gloves is very effective in providing immunity to the stored food from mosquitoes.
* Cleaning Kitchen Appliances
Cleaning kitchen appliances from time to time is also very important to maintain optimal kitchen hygiene. Many times, people do not notice that the kitchen appliances are stained with some food particles that are not cleaned timely. This stained equipment has become the epicentre of mosquito breeding and multiplication. Hence, cleaning the kitchen appliances from time to time becomes indispensable if a person doesn't want mosquitoes to be in their kitchen.
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* Mosquito-Repellent Plants
Kitchen plants do not just serve aesthetic purposes; they can also be a great way to keep mosquitoes away from the kitchen. There are a lot of specific types of plants, such as diesel, lavender, garlic marigold, lemon grass, and rosemary, that can help in drawing away mosquitoes from the kitchen. These plants are also small in size, which makes them kitchen-friendly. Also, looking after them is not so difficult, especially when they provide so many benefits.