The Dirtiest Places in Your Home

Germs are everywhere in your home. They linger on the toilet, door handles, your kitchen, and more. Some germs are responsible for food poisoning, and can lead to serious illnesses including salmonella, staphylococcus, and other infectious diseases. You’d be surprised to learn about the dirtiest places hidden in your home, and we will tell you about the best ways to keep them clean.

cutting board

1 – Cutting Boards – Cutting boards are one of the worst offenders and can contain well over 100 times the amount of bacteria found on a toilet seat! It’s crucial to have 2 cutting boards – 1 for your fruits and vegetables, and the other for raw meats, fish, etc. You don’t want any E. coli or Salmonella added to your salad or vegetables! You could end up with a bad case of food poisoning. So what’s the best way to disinfect your cutting board? Aside from hot water and dish detergent, one of the most effective ways to clean these is using white vinegar. If you are cleaning a wooden cutting board, sprinkle baking soda on both sides and spray with vinegar, allowing it to sit for up to 10 minutes. Once the time is up, you can rinse with a wet towel. For plastic cutting boards, it is recommended to mix 1.5 tsp bleach and add to a water spray bottle. Thoroughly spray both sides of the board and allow to sit 2-5 minutes. Rinse with water and allow it to air dry.

sponge

2 – Sponges – Sponges harbor millions of bacteria and once again are dirtier than your toilet seat! A combination of old food, contact with contaminated surfaces, and a warm, wet environment are the perfect breeding ground for bacteria. Unfortunately, there isn’t really any effective way to disinfect them, so it is recommended to replace them every week.

door handle

3 – Bathroom door handles – All it takes is 1 contaminated door handle to infect the rest of your household. If you aren’t washing your hands properly, the door handle or knobs in your bathroom can easily accumulate harmful fecal bacteria, leading to the spread of infections! Washing your hands properly is the single most important thing to do to prevent the spread of germs. You should wet your hands with water, and then scrub your hands with soap at least 20-30 seconds before rinsing them under running water.

handbag

4 – Handbag/purse – A handbag is a woman’s best friend and goes with you everywhere! Grocery shopping, subways, restaurants, the mall, etc. Handbags tend to get set down on everything, including public bathroom floors! E.coli can be found in numerous places including shopping carts, while norovirus has been found on reusable shopping bags. To keep your bag germ-free, wipe down your bag with antibacterial wipes making sure to clean everything including all of your belongings (lipstick, makeup, phone, etc.)

toothbrush holder

5 – Toothbrush holder – One of the most common places people forget to clean is their toothbrush holder. You do not want to be spreading these germs to your toothbrush. The easiest way to clean on of these is to rinse it out with hot water and clean out the inside with a pipe cleaner. Take antibacterial mouthwash, fill up the holder allowing it to sit for 2-5 minutes, and rinse again. That’s it!