As tempting as it may be to use, Windex or any similar type product can be a hazard if used near food products, particularly cutting boards. If you don’t have the right disinfectant available, a certain “secret” common household item will do the trick. Read on to find out how you can keep your guests safe!

Our web community for business flight attendants can frequently be found discussing tips on proper food handling and food safety. A lively discussion a few years ago centered on the proper way to clean a cutting board. Might I add that the food preparation area of ​​the typical business jet kitchen is the size of a two by four? Therefore, food can easily come into contact with the wrong products if the necessary precautions are not taken.

In conversation, one of our members commented that he had cleaned his cutting board with Windex. Well, the responses that followed his comment almost caused an uproar online, as many of our veteran flyers responded emphatically stating that products like 409, Fantastik and Windex all can be harmful if swallowed. These and similar products contain high levels of white spirit or toxins of a similar type, something you never want your guests to come into contact with. These products often carry warning labels that say something like: “Do not eat even in small amounts. Not for food.”

Our darling uniformed rookie member was horrified, not by the answers, but by the realization that she had cleaned her cutting boards not once, not twice, but at least four or five times with Windex. Although no illnesses were reported due to her mistake, she quickly modified her cleaning methods from then on to use a special disinfectant designed for safe cleaning of her cutting board. Naturally, all of our members were grateful that she was no longer a potential poisoner to the jet-setting crowd.

So what’s that little “secret” common household item to use when the right cleaning agent is no longer available? Really, There are two: diluted white wine vinegar or . . . vodka! Yes, vodka can be used, but it has a tendency to alter the flavor of subsequent dishes. . . not necessarily a bad thing, but leaves a residue. The recommendation, of course, is to keep white wine vinegar on hand if a disinfectant is not available.

Please use the cleaning agents recommended above only on surfaces that Do not do come into contact with food. You may not kill your guests, but you can certainly make them seriously ill by using inappropriate products.