There's a lot of talk these days about bacteria in the kitchen and how to keep it at bay. You want to keep your family safe from harmful bacteria and there are a lot of products today specifically designed to do that. Aside from using these products, what can you do to keep bacteria off of your granite countertops and stainless steel sinks? Below are a few tips for kitchen safety.

Tip #1: Handle Raw Meat With Care

You no doubt know to wash your hands right after handling raw meat. But you may find it helpful not to place the raw meat (or even its packaging) directly on the granite countertop. Granite has excellent safety ratings (potentially as good as stainless steel) but you cannot use harsh chemicals like ammonia or bleach on granite. So it's best not to place anything really dangerous like raw meat directly onto it. Use a plastic cutting board, a plate or dish, or even foil between the meat and the countertop instead.

While it's not a good idea to swish raw meat around in your stainless steel sink either, you can use a little ammonia or even bleach to sanitize it if necessary.

Tip #2: Clean Regularly and Thoroughly

What products you can clean with may differ, but you should still wipe everything down on a daily basis if not more.

For granite countertops, use a daily dose of water mixed with mild dish detergent and a soft cloth. You should also wipe up spills right away. Items like butter and coffee can absorb into the granite if left long enough.

For your stainless steel sink, a similar soap and water combination works well. Sanitize your sink more thoroughly with ammonia and get rid of grime and odors with baking soda. You can even add a little bleach to a sink full of water, let it sit for a few minutes, and rinse it thoroughly.

Tip #3: Deal With Stains, Don't Ignore Them

If you clean on a regular basis and wipe up spills from both your granite countertop and stainless steel sink, you shouldn't have many problems with stains. On the off chance you do happen to get one, deal with it sooner rather than later. As time wears on the stain will sink deeper and that means it's harder to extricate. When you spot a stain, try these remedies.

Stainless Rust Spots: Mix 1 part cream of tartar with a dash of lemon juice. Rub the paste on the stain and wipe away. If it's a stubborn rust spot, leave the mixture on the stain for a little while before removing it.

General Granite Countertop Stains: Mix 1 cup flour with 1-2 tablespoons of dishwashing liquid. Rub the paste onto the stain, cover with plastic wrap, and let it sit overnight.

Oil Stains on Granite: Mix 1 cup flour with 1-2 tablespoons of hydrogen peroxide, apply to the stain, cover it with plastic wrap, and leave overnight.

Whatever you do, never use harsh chemicals (ammonia, bleach, lemon juice, and vinegar) or abrasive products on granite. Most products, except steel wool, can be used on stainless steel.

A little cleaning and awareness when using various food products in the kitchen can go a long way to keeping your family safe from harmful bacteria.