Tag: Bacteria

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Health

The dirtiest places in your home…

There are microbes everywhere in our homes and most are OK or even good for us… but some organisms can make us sick. Where are we most likely to find the dangerous ones?

Bathroom

Yes, we all know there are disgusting germs in our toilets, and most of us clean and sanitize these regularly. But did you know that water (and bacteria!) are aerosolized when you flush and, according to microbiologist, Charles Gerba (aka Dr. Germ) at University of Arizona, they can easily spread 6 feet from the toilet each time you push that flush handle? Of course, if it’s your own bacteria, it won’t harm you (disgusting as it sounds). But you may be sharing your bathroom (and bacteria) with your visitors and family… Also, damp towels are a great place for all that bacteria to grow, waiting to be deposited on your clean hands and face when you dry them off. Here are some things you can do to reduce your exposure to fecal bacteria:

  1. Always put the lid down before you flush.

  2. Store your toothbrush in a cupboard or drawer or more than 6 feet from the flush.

  3. Change towels regularly, at least twice a week.

  4. Consider a liquid soap dispenser that can be cleaned, instead of bar soap that provides a nice bacteria growth medium.

Kitchen

Despite what was discussed above, the kitchen usually has even more dangerous bacteria than the bathroom. We prepare raw foods there and they often carry bad bacteria like salmonella and E. Coli that are killed in the cooking process, making the food safe to eat. But if you handle raw meat then touch other surfaces (like the fridge door handle or sink taps) without washing your hands first, you are depositing these potentially dangerous bacteria around your kitchen. And simply running water to clean the sink after rinsing raw meat doesn’t effectively remove bacteria. Here are some recommendations:

  1. Use a kitchen cleaner with bleach to clean the kitchen sink, counters and cutting boards that have been in contact with raw meat or their juices. Dr. Germ suggests 1 tablespoonful of bleach in a gallon of water (or about 1 tsp in 1 liter) will work as well. Or a solution of 1 part vinegar plus 3 parts water has been recommended to sterilize home medical equipment (like aerosol face masks), so should work for kitchen sanitizing as well.

  2. Wash your hands well immediately after handling raw meat.

  3. Use a separate cutting board for raw meat and foods that will be eaten raw (like salad ingredients)

  4. Clean fridge handles often (e.g. every time you clean your counters) and don’t forget to clean fridge storage drawers too, especially when you notice leakage of raw meat juices.

  5. When cleaning, spray surfaces thoroughly and let sit for a few minutes before wiping to let the spray do its work. Dr. Gerba also suggests sanitizing wipes, as they leave a germ-killing residue behind to slowly dry.

  6. Get rid of kitchen sponges or replace at least weekly, as wet sponges provide an excellent place for all kinds of bacteria to grow.

  7. Don’t forget to change kitchen hand towels often too.

  8. Can openers, pizza cutters and blender blade assemblies can also trap food particles and bacteria. Be sure to thoroughly clean and sanitize these as well.

Your best bet in the kitchen, is to change dish cloths and hand towels daily. I keep a bucket of dilute bleach and water solution in the laundry room sink and toss kitchen wash cloths in there to soak until laundry day.

Here’s a recipe for a sanitizing kitchen spray you may find useful:

1 ¼ c water

¼ c white vinegar

¼ c vodka or rubbing alcohol

15 drops each of peppermint and lemon essential oils (for scent)

Ideally, spray and let sit for 10 minutes to disinfect surface before wiping. Do not use on marble or granite surfaces, as it may etch the surface.

References:

The germiest place in your home and the best way to combat those microbes – CNN

Natural Disinfecting

Categories
Health

Dirty places

I believe it’s always better to prevent disease than treat it… An article forwarded by a reader prompted this blog about what you can do every day in your home to reduce exposure to disease-causing bacteria, viruses and fungi.

Here is a list of the dirtiest places in your home, and how to clean them up:

Kitchen

Sink – Food particles rinsed off dishes along with moisture create a breeding ground for bacteria like E. coli and salmonella. Your sink should be disinfected at least as well as your toilet bowl and a lot more often!

  • Rinse your sink at least once a day with bleach and water. A spray bottle with 1 part bleach and 9 parts water makes this easy. [Most spray bottles are 1 liter, so pour in 100ml bleach (measurements are usually indicated on the bottle) and fill up with tap water]. Spray generously, leave at least 5 minutes, then rinse.

Dish cloth – food particles also become lodged in your dish cloth and the cloth stays wet for hours (sometimes all day!), creating another ideal growth environment for bacteria that you then spread onto counters and dishes as you wash them.

  • Change to a clean cloth every day and consider spraying with your bleach solution when you clean your sink. I also keep a bucket of bleach and water in the laundry room and toss the dirty cloths in to soak until laundry day.

Dining room

Salt and pepper – Researchers at University of Virginia (2008) tested home surfaces touched by people in early stages of colds and found viruses on 41% of surfaces tested, including all sets of salt and pepper shakers.

  • When wiping the table after a meal (with your clean cloth!) be sure to include the salt and pepper.

  • Wash hands before eating, especially if you’re coming down with something, to prevent spread of germs to yourself and others.

Living room

Remote control – Just think about that one: it’s dropped on the floor, falls between sofa cushions, coughed on, sneezed at… and then you pick it up and use it, sometimes while having that finger-food snack in front of the TV. The study mentioned above showed the remote control was among the germiest household items they found.

  • Wipe regularly with a disinfecting wipe, or a bleach or alcohol solution to prevent spread of germs, especially when someone in the household is sick.

Office

Computer keyboard – Like the remote, keyboards are sneezed on and touched with hands that may be contaminated with bacteria and viruses, especially if shared. Some also eat at the computer, providing more food for bacteria in the form of crumbs. British researchers who swabbed keyboards found E. coli and staphylococcus bacteria. Four out of 33 keyboards tested were declared health hazards and one had 5 times more bacteria than found on the average toilet seat!

  • Wash hands before and after using your computer.

  • Avoid eating at the computer but, if you must, shake out crumbs regularly and/or vacuum with the brush attachment.

  • Wipe the keyboard with alcohol or bleach wipes but avoid anything too wet, which could short out your keyboard.

  • Don’t forget to wipe the mouse too!

Bathroom

Toothbrush – Just think: you use this brush to clean your mouth of excess bacteria and plaque that accumulates in your mouth overnight… I’ll say no more!

  • Replace your toothbrush regularly, especially after an illness.

  • Rinse your brush well and store it where it will dry well after each use.

  • Consider rinsing or spraying with peroxide after use. A small squirt bottle or sprayer works well for this – check the cosmetic department for a suitable empty container.

Toilet – Research found that flushing the toilet can send water droplets into the air as far as 6 feet, and bacteria from droplets can linger in the air for as much as 2 hours, and can be inhaled or land on nearby surfaces (including your toothbrush!).

  • Close the cover of the toilet before flushing.

  • Store toothbrushes where they can air out but away from the toilet.

Tub – Water from bathtubs, especially whirlpool tubs, has be found to contain bacteria and/or fungi. Whirlpools, because their pipes and motor tend to trap water, are especially prone.

  • Clean and disinfect tubs after every use with bleach (home made sprayer, described for kitchen use above, works well!) or bathroom cleaner.

  • Run whirlpool tubs for 30 minutes once a month with hot water containing ½ cup of powdered dishwasher detergent to clean the pipes.

Bedroom

Bed – House dust mites (tiny creatures too small to see with the naked eye) love the dead skin cells that slough off our skin at night and the moisture from our sweat. Millions can be found in older mattresses and pillows, and in our sheets and blankets too. Their feces (that looks like tiny pearls under a microscope) are especially irritating and allergenic when inhaled, and are the source of many chronic allergic reactions.

  • Change old mattresses and pillows, or cover with an allergen-proof cover. If highly allergic, a cover will reduce allergic symptoms even with a newer mattress.

  • If highly allergic, consider vacuuming the mattress when changing the bed.

  • Wash sheets and covers regularly in hot water to kill and remove dust mites.

  • Air out non-washable items like duvets regularly, ideally outdoors in sunshine.

  • Pillows can be washed too – use hot water, as with sheets.

  • Keep humidity low to discourage mite growth. Mites peak in April and October, when temperatures and humidity are ideal for their growth. Asthma and allergies also peak at these times of year!

  • Turn down your bed instead of making it, once or twice a week, or delay making it in the morning to let it dry thoroughly. I’ve always made my bed first thing in the morning – I plan to change this habit!

Of course, you don’t need your home to be sterile! But paying some attention to these potential problem areas may help to prevent the next cold or flu from spreading to everyone in the house… or prevent a minor illness from common bacteria or fungi!