​​Why You Should Always Wash New Kitchen Items Before Using Them

New cookware may come with contaminants, such as metal shards and “finishing chemicals.”

Stocking your kitchen with new purchases can be as fun as cooking in it. It’s tempting to try out your favorite recipes after unboxing your shiny new pots and pans, but there are good reasons to hold off. According to experts, skipping that preliminary clean is unsanitary.

Some kitchenware—like tongs, mugs, and dishes—are unwrapped in retail stores. These items have likely accumulated dust from sitting on the shelf—not to mention germs from shoppers and employees handling them.

If you order cookware online and it comes in a package, that doesn’t mean you don’t need to clean it before the first use. New, unwashed utensils can pose food safety hazards to those who eat with them.

Brian Chau, the food scientist and food systems analyst behind Chau Time, told Southern Living that “finishing chemicals” are added to kitchenware during the manufacturing process. These chemicals may leave behind residue that isn’t food-grade, so they qualify as contaminants with the potential to cause illness. Certain items may also carry small shards of metal leftover from production. Though they may be too tiny to notice, they can cause irritation and pain for those with irritable bowel syndrome even when ingested in small amounts.

The best way to ensure your new cookware and dinnerware is food-safe is to clean it before putting it away. This is easy enough for dishwasher-safe goods, but you should always follow the manufacturer’s cleaning instructions to avoid damaging any new additions to your home.

Your kitchen isn’t the only spot where you need to worry about tackling germs. If you don’t remember the last time you cleaned your washing machine, it’s likely crawling with bacteria. And, yes—you need to wash new clothing purchases before wearing them the same way you need to clean new plates. Here’s the (very disgusting) reason why.

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