5 Surprising Household Items Which Are Full Of Bacteria
When you think about bacteria and germ-filled household items, most people immediately think of the humble household toilet. The toilet bowl and seat are commonly thought to be the dirtiest and most unhygienic areas of the home but you’d be surprised. The bathroom is actually one of the most hygienic places to be as most people pay particular attention to keeping the bathroom, in particular, the toilet fresh, clean and disinfected daily. Most of us don’t have the time to clean every item in our home, so how do we keep germ and bacteria free when we don’t have time to clean!
We’ve listed some surprising household items that are full of bacteria and germs. It might be time to reach for the disinfectant wipes!
Purses And Wallets Are Full Of Nasties
Think about your handbag, what’s in it right now? old bits of food and snacks, a lipstick missing a lid? Crumpled up tissues from when you blew your runny nose? That’s before we get to purses and wallets. Think about how many people have held your EFTPOS card today and how many times you have tapped the side of a sticky cafe payment terminal or had a salesperson take and swipe your card for you. Your cards bounce around all day long, exchanging hands and touching machines that many others have touched before. Cash is also bacteria-laden and stuffed in your wallet, changing hands constantly.
Empty out your bag once a week and give it a good spray of disinfectant and wipe down your cards and sort out your wallet while you’re watching TV now and again to keep your wallets and bags germ-free.
Kitchen Sponges Breed Germs And Bacteria
You can be forgiven for thinking that your kitchen sponge is one of the cleanest items in your home. After all, it’s full of soapy washing up bubbles every day right? Wrong! Leaving your sponge heavy with old dishwashing water becomes a breeding ground for bacteria and germs which you then transfer onto your cutlery and crockery.
There are a couple of things you can do to combat the germs and bacteria on your sponge. Firstly, rinse thoroughly with clean hot water after use and wring as much water out as you can, leaving it somewhere to dry. Secondly, you can rinse your sponge in hot water and microwave for 30 seconds to zap the nasties. Thirdly, its advisable to replace your kitchen sponges regularly to reduce the transfer of germs.
Chopping Boards Can Hide Bacteria
Staying in the kitchen, the chopping board can be a hazard and risk for food poisoning. Raw meat, fish and vegetable particles can stick in the grooves of an old chopping board and when you go to chop next they can be lifted up and added to your evening meal. Reduce the chances of food poisoning and feeling icky after your meal by investing in an antibacterial chopping board and disinfecting thoroughly with hot water after use. Once wooden boards become deeply scratched or begin to split, it’s time to bin them and invest in a new set.
Keyboards Collect Germs
Your work telephone, keyboard and computer screen probably gets cleaned regularly by the local office cleaner but how often do you clean your own keyboard? If you take a look at your home computer you are likely to find grubby keys, some sticky from where the kids have touched and with crumbs between the keys from your late night snacks whilst doing the family accounts.
Clean your keyboard regularly shake out the crumbs and debris to keep your home office gleaming and germ-free!
Screen Time Not Germ Time!
We live our lives through screens these days and the kids seem to be more tech savvy than we ever were at their age. This can bring benefits, but when mobile and tablet screens follow us everywhere we go, so do the bacteria and germs. Children eat, lick their fingers and then swipe sticky fingers all over the screen, whilst the other half may sneeze all over their phone whilst on a call and thin nothing of giving it a quick wipe with a sleeve. Mobile phones get put down on sticky bars, on the backs of car seats and swimming around in bags ringing away waiting to be found. Invest in some screen wipes and give your tablets and phones a weekly wipe down, paying attention the grooves between protective covers which can become full of grime.
Feel like you need to clean all of the things? Don’t panic, it’s healthy to be exposed to low amounts of germs and bacteria to build up resilience, but clean your household items regularly to avoid germs and sickness, especially when its the change of seasons and cold and flu breakouts. You can also ask your local cleaner to focus on some of these items for you while they do their weekly clean!
