10 of the dirtiest items in the household that you probably do not wash

Maintaining a household clean and free of bacteria is the basic premise of human health, but in view of their nature is practically impossible to eliminate every dangerous bacterium from our immediate surroundings. However, there are places in the household that are particularly suitable for the growth of harmful bacteria. We present a list of a few places that you need to pay attention to clean, as well as some useful tips related to their maintenance.

  1. 1.      A cutting board

You use it while cutting vegetables, meat, fish and much more, and microbes are frequent habitats of the kitchen cutting board. About 18 % of the tested cutting boards had coli forms, which include E. coli and salmonella.

Clean it: Ideal would be to use boards made of non-porous materials. Wooden boards should be made of hard wood such as maple. It would be best to have at least two boards, only one for cutting raw meat to avoid spreading bacteria, and other for other foods.

Always wash the board with detergent between cutting different foods.

If you use wooden boards, sprinkle them with salt, vinegar or lemon juice, which will penetrate into the slots and clean them thoroughly, and then rinse with warm water and detergent.

  1. 2.      Stove switches

No wonder that the stove switches are considered to be one of the top 10 dirtiest places in the house, because during the storage, the food can be sprayed on all sides.

Clean them: Remove the handles, wash them with warm water with detergent and wash them off thoroughly.

  1. 3.      Kitchen working area 

Just remember what exactly you put on your kitchen working area: meat, unwashed vegetables, and bags of groceries…

Clean it: Working surfaces of non-porous and smooth materials have less germs, but regardless of that, wash your kitchen working area at least once a day with a detergent and rinse thoroughly.

  1. 4.      Pets toys

 

Not only do pets’ toys contain bacteria, but the toys can be home for yeast, mold and staphylococci – and none of them are good for your pet.

Wash them: After playing with a pet, you should always wash your hands. Rubber and plastic toys can be washed with warm water and detergent once a week or once every couple of weeks. As for fabric toys, they should be washed in the washing machine or in hot water every few weeks.

  1. 5.      Tap screws

We unscrew kitchen taps every time we wash our hands after preparing dishes and we tent to touch the tap screws with dirty hands. Therefore it is not uncommon to find traces of coli form bacteria, yeast and / or mold on the screws.

Clean them: When cleaning the sink, remember to clean and screws. It would be best to clean them with disinfectants as often as possible.

  1. 6.      Coffee maker

We are sure that you wash regularly the carafe, but are you are doing the same with the water tank? The tanks can be ideal place for growing of yeast and mold.

Clean them: standing Water creates residues that can be suitable for the growth of bacteria. Therefore, it is wise to wipe the tank with the paper towel before each use and wash it once a week with vinegar – leave it to rest for 30 minutes, and rinse until the smell of vinegar disappears.

  1. 7.      Pets food containers

Food for pets often stands in bowl for hours. This can be a fertile ground for the development of microbes, which are not good for the health of your pet.

Clean it: Pets food containers should be washed every day, in the dishwasher or hot soapy water.

  1. 8.      Toothbrush disposer glass

Toothbrush disposer glass may contain traces of coli form bacteria and staphylococci.

Clean it: Wash them once or twice a week in the dishwasher or wash them with hot water and detergent, and then wipe.

  1. 9.      Sinks

Just remember what you put in the sink. In addition to it, we wash a variety of foods and dishes, sometimes some other house items. No wonder almost every sink has a coli form bacteria.

Clean it: Wash the sink once or twice a week with a disinfectant.

  1. 10.   Dishwasher sponge

The fact is that the dishwasher sponge is considered to be one of the most polluted things in your house. Many sponges contain coli form bacteria.

The main problem is that we use to wash everything, and rarely wash them, so they remain soil and thus become suitable for bacterial growth.

Clean it: the dishwasher needs to be washed and cleaned every day. Put it every day for two minutes in microwave to kill the bacteria with heat. Replace the sponge every two weeks. Instead of sponges you can use microfiber cloths that are designed to pick up dirt and absorb liquid, and can be washed in a washing machine after use.

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