There is an old saying, "Cleanliness is next to Godliness". Meaning that it is just as important to keep yourself and your environs clean as it is to be a Godly person. Cleanliness in the kitchen helps prevent the spread of disease. Salmonella, listeria, and other food borne illnesses start in the kitchen. If you've ever had a case of "food poisoning", you know first hand one of the main reason to keep the kitchen clean. Food comes from outside! Vegetables are grown in dirt! It only makes sense to wash your fruits and vegetables to get the dirt off. Eating dirt, real live soil, is not an attractive option for most people. With the chemicals sprayed on food today, washing everything is imperative for eating. Chicken carries salmonella. Surfaces where chicken has rested needs to be disinfected, or that nice clean salad you just made could be contaminated. Food poisoning on a plate is what you serve to your family when you are not clean in the kitchen. And of course, no one wants to eat off dirty plates with dirty forks and spoons. The sink with hot soapy water is your friend. I like to have a sink full of water when I am preparing food just to make sure that my family doesn't get accidental contamination. Washing the counter after each preparation will contain the bacteria, and the counters won't have to be washed again after I'm done cooking. Besides...it's easier to clean as you go. That way, you won't have a huge mess to clean when you're done.