EThere are waves, humans living in nature have been exposed to each germinal nature that could throw them – Mud, microbes and everything that derived around the common water hole. We have exchanged trees of trees for roofs, but the germs always appear, hiding in our household goods.
We often neglect the dirtiest objects of our houses because the dirt is invisible (think of bacteria) or accumulates too gradually for us to notice. Another factor: our brains tend to eliminate the appearance of familiar and everyday objects, in a phenomenon called attentional blindness. This means that we are the least likely to examine the things we touch the most, even if they become overwhelmed by bacteria.
Some argue that the chronic immune conditions that afflict modern humans flow from our tendency to avoid beneficial germs that would lead to the immune system to fight pathogens. (This is called the hygiene hypothesis.) “There is real to that,” explains Kelly Reynolds, professor of environmental risk at the University of Arizona. “But we have to reduce the risk and exposure to bad bacteria that can cause disease,” she said, including colds and skin infections.
Here, experts reveal which articles in your home are home to the most bacteria and how to clean them.
Toothbrush
If you keep your toothbrush near your toilet, Michael Schmidt, professor of microbiology at the Medical University of South Carolina, has bad news: “You can also swirl it in the water in the toilet,” he said.
The toilets release a plume in the air when rinsed. This plume of particles not mentionable – particles based on fecal matter – rises and generally spreads approximately one foot in all directions. However, the older toilets which are less energy efficient are volcanic limits, spitting the particles of six feet in all directions, says Reynolds.
If these microbes are deposited on your toothbrush, they can cause halitosis, says Schmidt – or as he says, “a breathing that could literally peel the painting of the walls”.
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Brushing with these microbes could also make you sick. “The human race has evolved with these creatures, and we can above all resist them”, but those who are immunocompromised are more vulnerable, “explains Schmidt. Reynolds, however, notes that the more you are exposed to germs, the greater the chances of illness, even for people without vulnerabilities. Depending on the person, the overload of germs can cause fatigue, light stomach aches, anxiety or even neck pain, she says. “That it affects your quality of life is really an individual thing.”
Fortunately, it is easy to thwart the invasion of the toilet of your toothbrush. Reynolds protects his toothbrush in a drawer. Or close the toilet cover before rinsing; Studies are mixed on this point, but some research suggests that it helps. “This eliminates the argument of the seat and the seat,” explains Melissa Maker, creator of the YouTube channel, clean my space. “The rule is the cover and the seat.”
And always dry your toothbrush with a (clean) towel after using it. Reynolds does it before placing it in the drawer. This prevents bacteria. “Drying is the great sterilizer,” says Schmidt.
Water bottle
The modern water source for many people – their water bottle – can be as full of germs as the essential watering hole of our old ancestors. When samples of reusable water bottles were analyzed by a laboratory, they contained 14 times the bacteria of a bowl of dogs, at least according to the research of a water filter company.
Unless you take precautions, water is a reproductive ground for germs, especially if it is in your bottle for a while and bacteria have time to multiply, explains Schmidt. Again, some simple habits can protect you. Fill the bottle with clean water and a little soap, then shake and empty yourself. Go to full maraca with your tremor to disrupt the microbes hanging on the interior surfaces, recommends Schmidt.
Maker underlines that a long bottle brush can clean the bottles when used with non -flavored dish soap. However, there is a risk: to be confused with a toilet brush, even if it is in the kitchen. They are the same shape. Maker carefully labeling her brush, water bottles only. “I’m really paranoid about this thing,” she admits.
ATHD-COUTUM
Yes, we are talking about the living room. Despite the aforementioned plumes, the bathroom is not necessarily the dirtiest place in the house. The kitchen is just as charged with germs and, “after picking up the germs in the kitchen and the bathrooms, people go directly to the sofa … A hot spot for germs”, explains Reynolds. “Mainly armrests and remote controls – this is where your dirty hands touch.”
In 2010, several Tucson firefighters fell ill and died of SRM infections in a few days. Reynolds’ research team investigated the source, looked everywhere and finally found the Sarm on the soft surface of the padded sofa at the house of the station.
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You shouldn’t use Bleach on your sofa, but you can use alcohol -based disinfected sprays, Reynolds note. Folding sofas can be suffered from disinfectants occasionally. Wash your hands on the kitchen path in the living room and take these crumbs out of the cushions. It worked with the firefighters. “We stopped the epidemic simply by replacing their sofas and teaching hygiene practices,” said Reynolds.
Taps
Whatever you use to clean up dirt and germs, you should also clean. This applies to aspiraters, sponges and, perhaps above all, to well valves.
The taps are hot spots for germs because, before lighting them, your hands are dirty, especially during the preparation of food. “When you turn them off, you take organizations,” says Schmidt. He notes that during the cooking of the chicken, for example, you could contaminate yourself by bacteria called CampylobacterWith two weeks of diarrhea in your near future.
Sometimes just wipe the taps with a paper towel and soap.
Dishwasher
The dishwasher is another cleaning instrument that cannot be cleaned automatically. “It is a wet and dark environment ripe so that all kinds of germs grow and thrive and live their best life,” explains Maker.
Often people do not realize how the food debris falls from dishes. “He accumulates below,” said Maker, crushing the filter. This could lead to dirty persistent molds or disisters. “If the filter is obstructed because food particles do not rinse, the dishes will never be clean.”
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Grape large food particles in the compost before loading the dishwasher and use a dishwasher cleaning tablet each month or four times a year, depending on the frequency you use, suggest Maker.
Another honorable mention linked to food is reusable grocery bags. Reynolds colleagues found that 97% of people had never washed them, and many were contaminated by bacteria, including E. coliFoods such as raw meats and products. Wash them regularly.
Reynolds thinks that many people are too concerned about cleanliness in public spaces, then completely lowered the custody at home. However, the goal is not to go crazy with too zealous cleaning, however. Do not forget, comfortable and familiar are not equal.
