Platinum Home Mortgage
Here's a list of some of the nastiest places in our homes we don't even think about cleaning.
Next time you’re in a battle over rights to the remote control with your family or roommate, you might want to let them have it. Why? Since remotes are handled by everyone in your house and are rarely (if ever) cleaned, they harbor germs and bacteria, including the nasty rhinovirus, which causes the common cold.
You’ve heard of a QWERTY keyboard, right? More like DIRTY keyboard. Keyboards are breeding grounds for bacteria and are known to have trace amounts of staph (including drug-resistant MRSA) and E. coli. It’s in your best interest to sanitize your keyboard regularly to prevent illness.
The dish washer cleans dishes, so that means it is clean, right? Wrong. Food particles, soap and grease in the dishwasher allow germs to flourish. According to expert, Bob Villa, the inside of the dishwasher should be cleaned monthly.
While it is common knowledge to clean the dirty dishes in the sink, it is easy to overlook cleaning the actual sink. Believe it or not, the kitchen sink harbors more bacteria than the bathroom, including the toilet seat.
There is a reason that pillow cases were invented, it’s because pillows are dirty! Did you know that pillows should be washed twice a year and replaced every 2-3 years? Sounds extreme, but it’s because over time pillows collect dead skin cells, dust mites, fungus and mold.
We all know to use a paper towel to open the door of a public restroom, but what about door knobs in your home or office? In one study, researchers intentionally contaminated doorknobs at an office with a virus, and within 2 to 4 hours the virus was spread to 40 to 60 percent of the office. To prevent the spread of germs and illness, use disinfecting wipes on door knobs daily.
Unless you have lights activated by clapping, you (and everyone in your home) touch light switches every time you walk into and out of a room. This allows germs to be easily transferred from person to person without even thinking about it. Prevent the spread of germs by disinfecting light switches regularly.
Before you get scrubbing, you may want to toss that sponge and head to the store for a new one. Although sponges are designed to help you clean, they are actually much dirtier than what you are trying to clean in the first place. Experts say that sponges have around 10 million bacteria per square inch! So, do yourself and your home a favor, and invest in new sponges (and maybe even some rubber gloves) before you start that spring cleaning session.
