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  • Peanut residue/oil cleanup

    Posted on January 11th, 2010 Marc 6 comments

    Photo by sheilaz413 @ FlickrWe recently received an email asking a question that I am sure is on many people’s minds, especial those who are new to nut/peanut allergies.

    I.P. asked:

    I have been searching and searching to try to determine how long nut/peanut residues last on surfaces.  I cannot seem to find an answer to this question.  My son suffers from peanut and nut allergies and I was wondering how long an allergen stays on door knobs or other surfaces before they “die” or does it just sit there until someone cleans it up.


    Want to advertise with us? marc @ eatnutfree.com

    My reply was this:

    You will be glad to hear that it is actually quite easy to get rid of peanut and nut residue.
    This article outlines a study from a few years ago on how most cleansers will remove it from surfaces. Take note that dish soap does not work very well. You need to use a cleanser like Fantastic or Lysol wipes.
    http://www.webmd.com/allergies/news/20040510/peanut-allergy-cleaners
    Also it is important to realize that nut proteins are not living things and they do not die. They will last (practically) forever on a surface if left alone.
    Just so you understand, the theory of why dish soap does not work well is because they think that it produces a barrier around the protiens that prevent it from being washed away. Water alone actually does a better job than dish soap.
    As you can see, though peanut cleanup is very important, it can be done very easily so don’t cut corners.
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    • http://www.best-registrycleaner.net registrycleaner

      Water alone actually does a better job than dish soap.

    • Nancydumont

      does vinager work to clean peanut residue

      • http://tankgadget.com/ Marc

        Thanks for visiting!
        To my kowledge, vinegar has not been clinically tested as a remover of peaut residue. However, plain water, all-purpose cleaners, sanitizing wipes, and bleach-based cleaners were found to be very effective.
        remember that dish soap is not very effective.

        I would think that vinegar might be effective (it is an effective cleaner overall), but it has not been tested ot my knowledge.

    • Laura

      I have a quick question. I have been given some glass jars to use for storing homemade jam and jelly, but some of them had nuts in them. I don’t think anyone I know has a nut allergy, but to be on the safe side I have washed them out thoroughly twice with washing up liquid and hot water and have scalded them in boiling water twice. No one in our house eats nuts, so there are none around (some things in the house will include nut-based ingredients if you look hard enough, I bet, but nothing I can think of really).

      I’d be really grateful for your advice on this!

      • http://tankgadget.com/ Marc

        Laura,
        Thanks for contacting us and even more thanks for thinking of this during your process!

        You did the right thing with the scalding in boiling water. This likely did the trick more than using dishwashing liquid. The liquid actually can form a protective barrier around the nut proteins locking it in and stopping it from being removed. Your jars should be safe now.

        • Laura

          Thanks very much Marc! Scalded them a third time, just to be safe. I am not allergic to nuts myself, but I HATE the taste and smell, so it always tends to be something I want to get rid of thoroughly, and as I’m giving them away as Christmas presents, thought it was a good time to check I’ve been doing it correctly. 
          Thanks again,Laura

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