Sanitizing your Kitchen & Utensils:
- Thoroughly wash metal pans, ceramic dishes, utensils
(including can openers) with soap and water (hot water if
available). Rinse and then sanitize them by boiling in clean
water or immersing them for 15 minutes in a solution of
1 tablespoon of unscented, liquid chlorine bleach per
gallon of drinking water. - Thoroughly wash counter tops with soap and water (hot
water if available). Rinse and then sanitize them by applying
a solution of 1 tablespoon of unscented, liquid chlorine
bleach per gallon of drinking water. Allow to air-dry. - Discard wooden cutting boards, plastic utensils, baby
bottle nipples, and pacifiers that may have come in contact
with flood waters. There is no way to safely clean them.
Salvaging All-Metal Cans & Retort Pouches
Undamaged, commercially prepared food in all-metal cans
and retort pouches (for example, flexible, shelf-stable juice or
seafood pouches) can be saved if you do the following:
- Remove the labels if possible. They can harbor dirt and
bacteria. - Thoroughly wash the cans or retort pouches with soap and
water (use hot water if available). - Brush or wipe away any dirt or silt.
- Rinse the cans or retort pouches with water that is safe for
drinking (if available). Dirt or residual soap will reduce the
effectiveness of chlorine sanitation. - Then sanitize them by immersion in one of the following
ways:- Place in water. Allow the water to come to a boil for
2 minutes.
or - Place in a freshly made solution consisting of 1 tablespoon
of unscented, liquid chlorine bleach per gallon of
drinking water (or the cleanest, clearest water available)
for 15 minutes.
- Place in water. Allow the water to come to a boil for
- Allow to air-dry for a minimum of 1 hour before opening
or storing. - Relabel the cans or retort pouches with a marker. Include
the expiration date if available. - Use the food in these reconditioned cans and retort pouches
as soon as possible. - Any concentrated baby formula in reconditioned, all-metal
containers must be diluted with clean, drinking water.
Information from USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service