Keeping your home clean is about more than just creating a pleasant aesthetic and impressing guests; it's about maintaining a healthy living environment for your family. When not properly cleaned, your home can accumulate germs, bacteria, and other toxins that can negatively impact the health of you, your children, and even your pets. Due to the frequency and nature of their use, certain areas have a greater tendency to cause problems than others. The following five areas of your home are perhaps some of the biggest germ-carrying culprits:
- Kitchen Sink
With all of the dirty dishes, sponges, and food debris that your sink sees, it should come as no surprise that the kitchen sink is one of the dirtiest places in your home. In fact, studies have shown that many homes have kitchen sinks that contain more germs and bacteria than the toilets. Keeping your kitchen sink clean is crucial to both the cleanliness of your home as well as your health. Make sure to bleach your sink each day and rinse thoroughly. Doing so will help to eliminate dangerous bacteria such as E. coli and salmonella. Along with cleaning your sink, you will also want to clean your sponges daily in the dishwasher and replace them every two to three weeks.
- Kitchen Counter
Your kitchen counter, like your sink, encounters all kinds of germ-filled items. From raw meat to unwashed produce, your counter can become a real breeding ground for bacteria and other potentially hazardous substances. To keep the area clean, make sure to wash with soap and water once per day and, each month, use a bleach and water solution to thoroughly clean and sanitize the space.
- Cellphone
The biggest bacteria culprit is one that you use the most. You use your phone everyday and take it everywhere you go. Think about all the surfaces where you place your phone or how dirty the bottom of your purse is. Moreover, anything your hands pick up from all the surfaces you touch throughout the day can transfer easily to your phone. Since phones are used near the face, it contagions can quickly move to your sinuses. Be sure to wash your hands regularly, be aware of where you place your phone, and wipe it down regularly with an alcohol pad.
- Toothbrush Holder
Our mouths are full of bacteria and germs. After all, this is why we're brushing them to begin with. This, along with being stored in the bathroom environment, can really make toothbrushes and their holders into little germ factories. Along with regularly replacing your toothbrushes, you will want to make sure to clean your toothbrush holder at least once each week. Just stick it in the dishwasher, or wash it thoroughly with soap and water.
- Computer Keyboard
Between eating at the computer, sneezing on the keys, and typing with unwashed hands, germs and bacteria have an easy time finding their way onto your keyboard. Avoid eating at your computer and make sure to wash your hands regularly. Similarly to your cell phone, you can't go wrong with wiping down your keyboard frequently with an alcohol wipe.
