Walk into any hostel kitchen in Lahore, and you will see tons of unwashed plates, half-eaten curries, and naans all around, and amidst all this chaos a question arrives, is a hostel kitchen safe and clean?
If you’re worried about hygiene and overall food safety, you’re not alone. Most of the working professionals in Lahore are always caught up in a lot of things and wondering if they should cook without having to second-guess every utensil they pick up. Let’s shed some light on what goes on in these kitchens and how you can keep things safe and okay for yourself and the people around you.
Here’s How a Hostel Kitchen Looks Like
A hostel kitchen doesn’t look like a fancy kitchen like your home and nor like a restaurant kitchen, it’s usually a small room with limited space. Most hostel kitchens have one or two stoves. A few pans to cook eggs and chai, and a small fridge that everybody on the floor shares.
Everyone’s struggling with jobs and work, and no one focuses on keeping things aligned. Most individuals have more important stuff to take care of, such as their freelance projects and job deadlines.
Daily Upkeep and Management Efforts
Most hostel management teams, such as Job Pro Hostel in Lahore, do try to maintain a baseline level of cleanliness. They might employ a cleaner who comes in once or twice a day to take out the trash, wipe down counters, and ensure there’s no major buildup of leftover food.
However, it’s rarely a deep clean, and you definitely shouldn’t expect a spotless environment at all times. The management’s role often ends at scheduling regular garbage collection and providing basic cleaning supplies like dishwashing liquid and mops.
Tenants Responsibility
The true safety and cleanliness of a hostel kitchen majorly depend on the people using it. Management does play its part by setting a baseline of cleanliness and by providing maintenance checks, but it’s the young professionals/tenants who can keep the hostel kitchen safe and clean. Below are a few points every hostel tenant should never ignore to keep the hostel kitchen tidy.
- Washing Up Right Away
If people wash their utensils and dishes immediately after eating, the sink area stays under control and doesn’t turn into a disaster and leftover food plates. - Storing Food Properly
Sealing or covering leftover food can help prevent the fridge from smelling bad in case someone’s food sits around for too long. - Keeping Shared Areas Clean
Basic things like cleaning your chai and oil spills once you’re done cooking so the next user doesn’t have to take care of the mess you’ve created.
Tips for Staying Safe and Clean in a Hostel Kitchen
Bring Your Own Essentials
Having your own personal bowl, plate, and set of utensils can eliminate the uncertainty of whether someone else actually washed them properly.
Use Boiled Water for Cooking
Instead of using tap water to cook directly, boiling the water first is a safe option if you’re not okay consuming the tap water directly.
Disinfect Surfaces
Buy yourself a small bottle of disinfectant spray and keep wipes as you go to the kitchen. If any area that you need to use feels dirty or smells bad, you can always disinfect that and clean it up with a wipe.
Keep Leftovers in Airtight Containers
Try to keep your leftover food in airtight containers in the fridge to avoid bacteria and unwanted odor inside the fridge.
Clean Sponges
The shared sponge in the kitchen sink can be a bacteria magnet. Rinse it thoroughly after each use or it’s better if you keep your own personal sponge.
Cook With Your Mates
If you share your room with two, three, or more people, instead of everyone preparing their meals, try to coordinate with them and cook altogether as it would help minimize the chaos in the kitchen.
Conclusion: Is a Hostel Kitchen Safe and Clean?
Is a Hostel Kitchen Safe and Clean? is a valid question, but the bottom line is that while it might not be perfect, it’s manageable. Most issues come down to human habit. If you’re the kind of person who takes care of cleanliness and is willing to do a bit of extra work like wiping down surfaces and washing your dishes immediately, you’ll be just fine.
You can’t control everyone else’s habits, of course, but maintaining your own standards goes a long way toward making the hostel a better place.
