Germ and Bacteria Hot-Spots: 12 Things You Should Know
Pages in this Story:
- Germs: Dangerous or Not?
- Dirty Door Handles
- Unclean Office Objects
- Filthy Floors
- Scuzzy Sponges
- Unsanitary Kitchen Sinks
- Bunking with Bacteria
- Bedbug Elimination
- Toothbrush Trouble
- Bathroom Bacteria Buildup
- Laundry Mildew
- Contaminated Makeup
- Dirty Money
- Should You Use Antibacterial Products?
Scuzzy Sponges
Claim: Washing a sponge in the dishwasher removes germs.
True. Running sponges in the dishwasher with detergent gets rid of a lot of germs, but putting the sponge in the microwave for a minute will zap even more, since it gets much hotter in there, says Brown. Whatever method you use, be sure to do it every other day. Studies by Gerba indicate that sponges are the most contaminated object in the home and can harbor billions of bacteria, including staphylococcus or salmonella, both of which can cause food-poisoning symptoms such as vomiting and diarrhea. It's also wise to rinse sponges well and keep them out of the sink so they can dry out between uses, notes Larson: "Drying kills a lot of germs." You should also change sponges frequently to avoid bacteria buildup; definitely toss them after three weeks.
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Don't forget the buffet restaurants where everybody touches the serving utensils before you do and then you get your stuff, go back to your table and start eating. Maybe you cleaned your hands before you got your stuff but don't assume everyone else did!!!!!!!!!!
11/20/2012 10:56:46 PM Report Abuseon the topic of dirty door handles, i again disagree! Someone with damp hands touching a door handle has 500% more probability of cross contamination! However, I have seen in the British press recently that there is a new hygienic door handle from a company called Pure Hold that actually cleans your hands - if these get rolled out in hospitals we will all be better of! Have a look for yourself http://www.purehold.co.uk/
12/31/2011 03:44:01 PM Report Abusetotally disagree with this - inanimate objects such as door handles, phones, money have been proven to transfer germs and viruses - there is a wealth of research on the web that proves this!
12/31/2011 03:35:22 PM Report Abuseis phone funk on the mouthpiece of a phone mean there is bacteria on it? same for the sweaty musty smell that comes from my washing machine?
4/13/2011 03:46:24 PM Report Abusei am throwing out my cleaning sponges pronto. i have used these for several months. i just assumed the cleaning stuff i use was keeping them from harvesting bacteria.
4/13/2011 03:43:45 PM Report Abuse