Trigger Alert! If you are a foodie, you already know that cooking can provide more gratification more than anything out there. However, whether you cook for fun or for necessity, we all need to be aware that the kitchen is the most dangerous room in the whole house. Keeping that in mind prevents all kinds of unnecessary injuries and illnesses that come as a result of not being very cautious.

It reminds me of a famous fashion and beauty YouTube vlogger, Shalom Blanc, who vlogs about her journey as a burn survivor. In one of her videos, she recounts her horrific story of how she got burnt.  

Shalom and her younger sister were napping on a bench in their mother’s fast food restaurant in their native country Nigeria. When the mom was done with the day and preparing to close, she brought the scorching hot oil and placed it on a table, not knowing that the kids were sleeping just under it.  Since it was a bit dark she didn’t see them and a few minutes later someone accidentally hit the pan, and all the oil poured on the two little girls. Both of them got third-degree burns that left Shalom with severe scars and permanently bald.

There are a thousand of stories of minor and major injuries and illness that derive from the kitchen; a very recent concern is the gas explosion here in Rwanda that has caused people to feel uncomfortable using gas altogether. Apart from safety, poor sanitation also often results into food poisoning and other severe sickness. 

With deliberate close attention, most of these things can be avoided and if they inevitably happen, there are tips to deal with the aftermath scenarios, including first aid procedures. 

Sanitation Do’s & Don’ts