10 Surprisingly Dirty Items and Places in Your House
Do you know which are the dirtiest areas in your home? Some areas in your house carry all kinds of germs and they are not always the ones we believe!
Of course, it is not a question of trying to eliminate all bacteria from our homes, but to pay more attention to certain places in order to avoid infections. Here are ten of them:
1. The sponge
A mixture of heat and humidity, means that sponges are the ideal place for bacteria, which are then spread on our dishes…
What to do?
Change your sponges regularly (once a month).
Wring them well after use.
Put the wet sponge in the microwave for 2 minutes every night (be careful to wet it).
2. The remote control
Do you regularly think about cleaning your remote?
Most people do not think about it and they could be 3 times dirtier than anything else in the room!
And yet, we are regularly touching them with hands, which are not necessarily very clean! It's a perfect vector of diseases!
What to do?
Remember to disinfect your remote when cleaning your loungeroom.
3. The toilet
As we all know, toilets are sprouting nests and most people clean them regularly.
But do you think to lower the flap of the toilet before flushing the toilet to prevent it from spraying microbes?
What to do?
Always lower the flap before flushing.
4. Door and cabinet handles
80% of infectious diseases are transmitted by the hands and we are constantly touching the handles of doors and cupboards ! Yet this is a place we often forget to clean.
What to do?
Remember to clean them when cleaning your benches.
If you have just handled food (especially raw meat), wash your hands before touching the kitchen cabinet handles. Same thing for the bathroom, after going to the bathroom.
5. The kitchen faucet
They can contain up to 16 times more bacteria than toilets! Because after handling raw meat, eggs, sponges, we touch the tap. But we do not always think about disinfecting after!
What to do?
Try to avoid washing your hands in the kitchen or remember to disinfect it regularly.
6. The washcloth
Similar to the sponge, the washcloth is very popular with bacteria.
Badly wrung out and left in a ball, the bacteria can grow at lightning speed.
What to do?
Avoid using it as much as possible.
If you still want to use washcloths, change them regularly.
7. The cutting board
The cutting board is used for a range of foods: raw meat, fruits and unwashed vegetables… And in the many scratches swarms of bacteria lurk!
What to do?
Wash and dry thoroughly after each use.
Change board when it is too scratched.
Immerse it from time to time in boiling water.
8. The toothbrush
Like the sponge and washcloth, this is another item used for hygiene, but it is an ideal medium for bacterial growth.
What to do?
Rinse it after each use.
Change it regularly (and systematically after an infectious disease).
Never lend it.
Avoid storing it in a closed, damp cabinet that is conducive to microbacterial growth.
Remember to disinfect the container.
9. The computer and the phone
According to a British study commissioned by Which? Computing magazine, the computer keyboard contains more bacteria than your toilet and about 7000 of them would coexist on a mobile phone…
Not surprising when you know that bacteria can stay alive for 3 hours on your hands.
What to do?
Regularly disinfect your computer keyboard and the screen or keyboard of your phone.
Protect your nose and mouth when you sneeze or cough in front of your computer.
Don't take your mobile phone into the toilet.
Avoid eating over the computer keyboard.
Avoid as much as possible to lend your mobile phone.
Wash your hands regularly.
10. The refrigerator
All kinds of foods come together in the refrigerator, not always packaged, raw or cooked… In addition, this wet and dark environment is very pleasing to bacteria. Yet, few people clean it very often.
What to do?
Make sure that the temperature of your refrigerator does not exceed 6 to 8 °C.
Clean it twice a month.
Separate the foods well and cook it.
Pack everything into your own packaging.
