Removing Peanut Residues

Peanut Allergy - Cleaning Contiminated Surfaces

Aug 29, 2009 Diane Hartman

Residual exposures to peanuts or their by-products can result in a severe or even fatal reaction. Most reactions are preventable by taking simple precautions.

Hands carry the most significant risk of all surfaces in transferring residual peanut products. Children’s hands, despite their small size, tend to transport the most residues. Young children are generally not as tidy when eating and smear food onto their hands and faces. This can pose a significant risk to individuals with peanut allergies.

Hand or dish soap (i.e. Dawn dishwashing liquid) and water are the most effective cleaning agents for removing oil based allergens such as peanuts. It is important to rub hands together and thoroughly rinse. The American Medical Association recommends that you hum or sing the ABC song to ensure adequate hand washing time.

Baby wipes and spray cleaners used in conjunction with paper towels are also useful in removing most residues. Hand sanitizing agents have not proven to aid in the cleaning process. Research has been conducted to examine the effectiveness of the hand sanitizers and it indicates that sterilization does not remove proteins.

Hard Surface Cleaning

A grease cutting dish detergent and warm water win in this category of cleaning. The dish detergents that use oil removing agents provide the strongest formula to cut through and remove any residues that are left behind by peanuts or other nut products.

Hard washable surfaces that may have been contaminated should be washed with this combination of cleaners. Countertops, tables, chairs, door handles and shopping cart handles are examples of areas that could be contaminated and can easily be cleaned. Spray cleaners and baby wipes, again, can be useful in making a safe peanut free environment.

Clorox and hand sanitizers do not provide the necessary cleaning agents to remove these proteins on hard surfaces. Don’t depend on bleach or sterilization to provide a safe surface.

Dish & Utensil Safety

Scrape and wipe excess food from dishes. Hot water and high quality grease cutting dish detergent like Dawn should be the cleaning method of choice for contaminated dishes and utensils. Rinse the dishes or utensils well and repeat for added safety.

Dishwashers can also be effective to remove residual proteins from dish or utensil surfaces. It is equally as important to remove the food debris from the items before they are placed inside of the dishwasher. Dishes should be scraped, wiped off and then washed in hot soapy water. Follow the cleaning process with a thorough rinse to reduce the risk of an allergic exposure. Dishwashers have also been shown as an effective method of removing residues from the surfaces of dishes. Again, just be sure to remove as much of the food debris as possible before placing in the dishwasher.

Preventing Reactions

Avoidance is the only guaranteed method of prevention. The ultimate goal in peanut allergy management is avoidance of a reaction. Food allergies do not, at the present time, have a cure and the only treatment is avoidance. This can be achieved by awareness and education.

The copyright of the article Removing Peanut Residues in Allergies is owned by Diane Hartman. Permission to republish Removing Peanut Residues in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

Peanut Residues

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