It is estimated that as many as 15 million Americans have at least one food allergy, including one out of every 13 children. If someone in your household has a food allergy, one thing that you might worry about is cross-contamination. Even mild contamination can trigger serious allergy symptoms for someone who has a major food allergy, so this is something to take very seriously. Luckily, following these tips can help you keep your family member safe.

1. Convert the Entire Family

First of all, it's not a bad idea to convert the entire family to that diet. If someone in your household cannot eat gluten, for example, it can be wise to purchase gluten-free bread and other gluten-free products for the entire family. This can help reduce the chances of contamination, and it can make shopping easier, more streamlined, and even more affordable. This can be done with all sorts of allergies, such as choosing alternative "peanut" butter if someone in your home is allergic to peanuts. In many cases, it is relatively easy to get accustomed to these products over time.

2. Consider Separate Storage

Storing grocery items side-by-side in your pantry and cabinets can be dangerous, since something could leak or someone could touch the allergy-free products after touching something that does have the allergy-inducing ingredient. Consider keeping the items that contain the allergy-inducing ingredient in a separate cabinet. If the person in the home who has the allergy is a child, consider putting a child lock or another device on the cabinet to help prevent him or her from accidentally ingesting something that he or she shouldn't.

3. Be Diligent About Cleaning

Keeping the kitchen clean is always important, but it becomes even more important when there is someone in the house who has allergies. Make sure that you wipe down the counters, thoroughly clean the sink, and thoroughly clean the top of the stove after preparing foods with the allergy-inducing ingredient. Make sure that you wash any rags or sponges that come in contact with the ingredient. For more serious allergies, you may want to keep separate pots, pans and cleaning rags and sponges to help prevent contamination.

Avoiding cross-contamination is important when someone in the home has food allergies. Luckily, following these tips can help. You may also want to talk to an allergy specialist like those found at The Regional Allergy Asthma & Immunology Center, PC about specific steps to take regarding you or your family member's allergy, since some people's allergies are more serious than others and since each situation varies. If you have any additional questions, make sure that you talk to a specialist for the best possible advice.