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Six Germiest Spots in Your Home
TV Remote: These are in every home and covered in everyone’s germs. Even when we’re sick, we watch television! Wipe them down with a bleach or disinfecting cloth on a regular basis!
Toothbrush: When a toilet flushes, it can send a spray of bacteria and germs into the air. Protect your mouth and your health by keeping your toothbrush in an open top container so it can dry – away from the toilet.
Kitchen Sink: Your kitchen sink gathers bacteria from all around your kitchen. Worse, we tend to keep sponges in service for too long. Replace that dishrag and use a bleach cleaner to remove up to 98% of bacteria.
Keyboard: Unless you wash your hands before you touch your keyboard every single time, it’s one of the best homes for bacteria out there. Clean your keyboard with a disinfecting wipe, and use a vacuum to remove debris!
Bathtub: It’s only natural that where we rinse off the day’s germs will be full of germs! Consider a daily disinfecting spray after your shower, and scrub out that tub once a week!
Salt and Pepper Shakers: Unexpected, but true – Our salt and pepper shakers are the germ farms of our kitchens. When was the last time you cleaned yours out and gave them a good washing?
Why Are They So Gross?
These top six are the germiest, nastiest, most bacteria laden spots in your home, but why? What is it that makes these particular surfaces the top “grossing” spot for germs?
Location, location, location! Bathrooms, kitchens, and top-used everyday items gather the most and worst of our bacteria. Salt and pepper shakers are a top item touched after touching a plate full of cooked meat or vegetables. While those things aren’t thick with germs when you eat them, natural germs and bacteria in food will develop over time.
Kitchen sinks and toothbrushes get the worst of our bad behavior. Some people put their toothbrush in the holder brush-side-down in a cup to protect it from the toilet spray, but that isn’t any better. Your mouth is a mess of germs just waiting to set up shop somewhere, and when you put that in a semi-closed cup with the end down, it creates a perfect breeding ground for germs.
Why Don’t We Clean Them More Often?
The simplest answer is the right one! When it comes to the germiest places around the home, we don’t clean them because they’re places and items we touch every day. It’s easy to get “out of sight, out of mind” with everyday items that never really sit “idle.”
There’s also the problem of “but I need it now!” If you only touch a salt shaker when you use it, then it’s easy to forget to clean those germs off.
How Do We Keep Them Cleaner?
Television Remote
Keep that remote clean with a quick wipe down once a week to kill accumulated germs. Disinfecting wipes will do, but we recommend reusable alternatives. Washcloths can be completely safe if cleaned on high temperature in your washing machine! Once in a while, do a thorough deep cleaning to get all the germs off (and out of) the remote.
If you have someone in your house home sick, consider putting a clear plastic bag on the remote to keep their germs off of it. Don’t let that flu bug spread to the whole family!
Toothbrush
Move your toothbrush as far away from the toilet as possible in that room, or even better, consider bringing it back to your room or keeping it on a windowsill where sunlight can kill germs.
Remember, your toothbrush needs to dry completely, so don’t make the mistake of snapping a travel-cover over it and thinking that’ll stop the problem!
Kitchen Sink
This might be the easiest one to clean! Wipe down the entire sink and surrounding counters with a clean (sanitized) cloth, and make sure to use some drain cleaner if your drainage gets slow. Do you have a stainless sink with gritty, ugly leftover food? Try Barkeeper’s Friend, a corrosive cleaner that will take anything off of metal. Don’t use it on porcelain, though!
Keyboard
Keyboards are arguably the hardest thing on here to clean, but don’t despair! To begin with, you can cut down your exposure by making sure that the keys and spaces between are regularly wiped down with a nearly-dry cloth soaked in disinfectant. Make sure you give it a thorough deep clean once every few months, and keep doing that surface wipe-down in between!
Bathtub
Consider getting a tub and shower cleaning spray, but stick to eco-friendly products which won’t pollute your ground water! After each shower, give a spritz of your cleanser and if you can, spray the shower head over the walls to get off any lingering soap scum.
Most shower germs come from scum that has dried onto the walls! You can put that to a stop by giving it a good rinse while the water is hot and the soap is still drippy. Once a month at least, put some time aside to give it a full cleaning!
Want more info on how to keep your home clean and your family healthy? Follow us on social media for new posts and tips! Call us for all your commercial cleaning needs!
