Top 3 Germiest Places in Our Homes

People avoid touching dirty things for obvious reasons, but for every overlooked nasty place, there are thousands out of our sight threats we put in our mouths, sleep on all night and regularly rub on our faces. In order to keep our homes clean and healthy, here are some of the dirtiest places and how to deal with them.

*The Bathroom*

We tend to overlook the bath mats in our bathrooms. Whenever they get soaked with water and pressed against the floor, they are providing the perfect environment for mold and ground for bacteria. In fact, bathroom floors are one of the most germiest surfaces in our baths.

Solution: Wash the bath mats in the washing machine every week on a high temperature with your usual cleaning detergent. Also, check the mat’s washing instructions and if it allows it, use bleach. An easier option is to go for wooden mats, but it is essential to remember to clean the floor so that you avoid re-infecting again.

*The Kitchen Appliances*

Kitchen sponges are the perfect home for bacteria as food can easily get trapped in there. The crevasses of sponges create the perfect conditions needed for bacteria to breed. Same goes for the kitchen knobs, handles, etc. When cooking it is normal for our hands to get dirty, like when touching raw meat, the bacteria from it goes on all the surfaces you’ve come into contact with.

Solution: Try using antibacterial sponges and dish soap so that you can limit the spread of bacteria. You can even try to soak the sponge once in a week in a cleaning solution for about 5 minutes. To reduce the risk of infections it is essential to frequently clean the kitchen surfaces, especially before and after cooking.

Cutting boards also provide great environment for bacteria. Usually, the most used types of cutting boards are made of plastic or wood. The plastic one has no pores and it is easier to clean, but after some time of use, the surface is scored and it is very hard to clean the microscopic grooves. Wooden boards easily absorb the bacteria from the food, but it is still disputable whether the germs resurface again.

Solution: Keep the cutting boards clean by washing them in the dishwasher, or when this is not an option, run them with near-boiling water and let them air dry completely.

*The Bedroom*

Our pillows and sheets can give home to various allergens. In fact, pillows are not just cases with feathers, they absorb our sweat, shedded skin and drools. All these provide the perfect conditions for dust mites. When being ill, we tend to sweat a little more than usual, so, washing the beddings is an absolute must.

Solution: Use anti-allergen covers on your pillows in addition to your regularly laundering. As for the sheets, wash them on the highest possible temperature with a cleaning solution, you can also try a little dose of bleach, as it will kill the bacteria in the machine thus stopping the germs from spreading around.

Germs may be invisible to the naked eye, but that doesn’t save you from the regular housekeeping. Each room in your home is a cleaning challenge, but having a good hygiene makes your place more welcoming and safe place to live in and protects your family from illness and diseases that can be caused by bacteria. Keep in mind that cleaning the spots you mostly overlook when you do your day-to-day cleaning is the way to remove the potentially harmful germs.

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