Watchout For 7 Unlikely Places Where Germs Hide
You know germs live in dark, dirty and dingy places. The likelihood of finding them in apparently cleaner surfaces and items is not a possibility. Surprisingly, they even exist in lesser thought of places. Often you are either ignorant about them, or too casual to pay attention to these corners, which are in fact heavily laden with germs. A reminder would obviously be helpful, so that next time you are more alert.
Here are 7 unlikely surfaces where germs hide
1. Dishwasher –
There is moisture, food particles and warmth, making it easy for germs and bacteria to thrive. If you stores unwashed dishes in dishwasher it can again contributes to making it place where microbes can flourish. The outer rim of dishwasher is also infected with fungus and molds.
Good Practices
- Don’t accumulate your load. If you do, then rinse it once with bleach to disinfect.
- Use hot water, preferably 60 C to wipe out the bacteria and fungus.
2. Kitchen Tops & Sink
Researchers have found them to be dirtier than garbage can. Kitchen sink can harbor bacteria like E.coli, fungus and bacteria causing urinary tract infection. A wipe with cloth doesn’t clean the kitchen top surfaces off micro-organism.
Good Practices
- Clean kitchen sinks with hard brush and antiseptic disinfectant liquid.
- A simple rinse with hot water only cleans the equipment like sponge, cloth duster etc. To make them hygienic and reusable wash them with either bleach or anti bacterial cleansers.
- Show them sun. Leaving all cleaning equipments overnight to dry doesn’t equate the effect of thorough drying in sun.
3. Cutting Board
Charles Gerba, a microbiologist at the University of Arizona found that an average household cutting board has 200 times more fecal bacteria than found on the toilet seat. That is excruciating, because the level of contamination a simple cutting board brings is shocking.
Good Practices
- Baking soda + water and salt – Occasionally washing cutting board with this mixture and then a rinse over hot water ensures good results.
Lemon or lemon juice would be great to sanitize the surface of cutting board. Vinegar is another great disinfectant and deodorizer. It hardly takes few seconds and you are done with making your cutting board disinfected
4. Toothbrush
The very tool that is meant to clean is pretty unhygienic. You keep it anywhere and it is left in stand for a long time. This makes it susceptible to catch airborne pathogens.
Good Practice
- Rinse your brush with hot water before and after use.
- From time to time keep it soaked in boiling hot water or mouthwash to sanitize.
- Regularly change your brush, once its bristles wore off and it has been in use for long.
- Use some kind of cap to cover the brush.
- Always store your brush in a closed cabinet.
5. Washing Machine
Yes, they are contaminated. Your freshly laundered clothes aren’t clean as they might appear. In fact researchers have found traces of E. coli bacteria, feces and MRSA strains
Good Practice
- Avoid mixed loads.
- Wash undergarments separately.
- Use laundry disinfectant to sanitize clothes completely.
- White clothes can be washed using bleach. It also sanitizes washing machine.
- Regularly wash washing machine with hot water and some kind of sanitizer
6. Restaurants
On the surface everything seems perfect, but who is watching beneath. The restaurant employees need to wash their hands after going to washroom. But who’s checking and if a restaurant employee doesn’t believe in personal hygiene there starts the process of contaminating food. Then again, raw food is quite vulnerable to contamination.
Good Practice
- Always go for restaurants that have proven record of hygiene.
- From time-to-time check their food handling practices
- Keep a close eye on the quality of products used by restaurant.
- Avoid raw and uncooked food
7. Airplanes
Where people share common places and resources germs and bacteria tend to thrive. The surface of cabin, seats and in particular the lavatory of the airplanes tend to host maximum germs. Also you can’t possibly escape the transfer of germs from your next seat neighbor if he has cold, cough or other respiratory illness.
Good Practice
- Always clean your seat when you board an airplane
- After using the lavatory wash your hands sufficiently, use a sanitizer or good quality antiseptic-antifungal body wipes.
- Stay hydrated, take care of the hygiene and the quality of food you eat.
Author Bio:
Lisa Fletcher is a beauty blogger and natural skin care expert. She understands how natural solutions demonstrate a positive effect on skin and health. She dedicated her carrier to redefining the meaning of skincare with natural skin care products.
