What’s the dirtiest place in your home?
The toilet?
The trash can?
Hey check out underneath my bed, there’s a whole colony of dut bunnies there.
There’s so many, they even elected a mayor.
Well, these are pretty obvious answers, and those spots definitely aren’t the cleanest
spots in the world.
But you’ll be surprised to know some other unexpected places in your home are, in fact,
way more germy than that!
Some of these are enough to make you go “eeewwww”!
Try that with me: “eeewwww”!
Good, we begin.
1.
Coffee maker reservoir
It’s damp and dark, and a perfect place for germs to grow and thrive.
Even if you wash it from time to time with soapy water, that won’t do the trick.
Once a month, give it a thorough vinegar wash.
Pour four cups of it inside, leave it for half an hour, then brew vinegar like regular
coffee.
Once you’re done with that, brew water in it at least twice to make sure you get rid
of any remnants of vinegar.
2.
The fridge handle
You touch it quite often, and you can’t guarantee your hands are 100% sterile when
you do it, right?
Germs survive up to two days on fridge handles, so wipe them away with a microfiber cloth
and dishwasher soap regularly to prevent them from getting into your food.
3.
Countertop Where do you put your bags and packages when
you come home after grocery shopping?
And not just grocery bags end up there, but also your handbag or even backpacks.
I’m talking about the kitchen countertop, and now you see why it’s full of microbes,
as well.
Remember you prepare your food on it, so non-food doesn’t belong here.
Also, disinfect it before and after cooking.
4.
Cutting boards
The food you eat comes in direct contact with the cutting board you chop it on, so you’d
better keep it as clean as possible to avoid catching any food-born illness.
To give your cutting board a deep clean, scrub it with baking soda and salt.
5.
Sponges
Have you ever noticed your kitchen sponge stinks?
Ew!
Since it’s always wet and moist, it’s a playground for bacteria, including E.coli,
and the smell is a direct indicator of that.
To avoid throwing your sponge away after every use, microwave it for a minute every five
to six days to reduce those nasty germs.
6.
The sink area
Would you take a piece of food out of a toilet bowl if you dropped it there by accident?
Well, what kind of food?
Nah, of course I wouldn’t!
And how about a kitchen sink?
If you said no way in the first case, and maybe yes in the second, here’s some food
for thought: your sink is actually dirtier than your toilet!
It has more bacteria in it because left over food particles become an excellent place for
bacteria to grow.
These bacteria can easily move onto your hands, and then food.
Just rinsing the sink with water isn’t enough, so scrub it with baking soda and then run
a solution of bleach and water through it.
You should do this at least once a week, but two times is even better, to keep it sanitized.
7.
Garbage disposal
One obvious proof that your garbage disposal is home to bacteria, is the odor coming from
it.
A good cleaning tip is to pour half a cup of baking soda inside and then add a cup of
vinegar.
After a few minutes, rinse it well with a bucket of hot water.
Grinding half of a lemon will cover the unpleasant scent and make cleaning more efficient.
8.
Can opener Have you ever disinfected your can opener?
Then you shouldn’t be surprised that this important kitchen gadget is home to plenty
of germs, including salmonella, E. coli, yeast and molds.
Unless you want them to go from the blade right into your food, you’d better clean
it with antibacterial dish soap after each use and dry it before putting it away.
9.
Oven knobs Similar to the can opener, almost everyone
touches the oven knobs more than once a day, but not so many people ever clean or disinfect
them.
Take them off once a week and clean with a 1:1 mix of vinegar and water to prevent bacteria
from spreading.
10.
Stair railing
Your family members and guests come into direct contact with the stair railing, so it’s
logical that the surface is often full of microbes and viruses.
Wiping it with a disinfecting cleaner every month should keep you safe from those germs.
Whenever someone in your house gets sick, it’s a good idea to disinfect the railing
every day.
11.
Remote control
Every once in a while, you watch TV while eating, don’t ya, so you touch the remote
with messy hands.
Even if you don’t snack as you watch the news, your hands aren’t ever really sterile,
right?
So it’s a good idea to protect the remote and yourself from bacteria, cleaning it with
a cotton swab dampened with rubbing alcohol or disinfectant wipes.
12.
Mattress
The mattress you sleep on is home to dead skin cells, dust mites, sweat, and probably
stains from whatever you spilled on it.
To get rid of all of the above, vacuum the mattress and take it outside, because bacteria
can’t stand the UV rays.
Do it twice a year.
13.
Toothbrush holder
Is your toothbrush holder in the same room as your toilet?
Well of course.
In that case, there’s a good chance every time you flush, some particles coming from
the toilet bowl spray onto the toothbrush and its holder.
Oh…
So try to put them as far away from the toilet as you can, and always close the lid as you
flush.
Clean your toothbrush in the dishwasher and replace it regularly.
14.
Shower curtain
Looks like it’s curtains for you ---oh, I’m sorry.
The shower curtain is home to mold, and it’s not exactly the kind of neighbor you want
to share your bathroom with, right?
Kick it out with 1:1 mixture of vinegar and water in a spray bottle if you have a plastic
curtain, or clean your fabric curtain in the washing machine every month.
15.
Faucet
You turn it on when your hands are dirty countless times a day, and unless your faucet is touchless,
you can imagine how germy it gets!
Clean it every day with a disinfectant spray or wipes to stop that bacteria feast in your
bathroom and kitchen!
16.
Bathroom walls
If you keep the toilet lid open when you flush, (do you detect a pattern here?) the germs
from the bowl take off and spread on the surrounding walls.
A hydrogen peroxide spray will help you get rid of them and keep the walls clean.
17.
Computer keyboard
Whenever you’re typing something on your computer, you often get so involved in the
process, you don’t notice when you touch food, then your own face, and then the keyboard
again.
And this is how bacteria travels from point A to point B and takes residence in the keyboard.
To solve that problem, (stop eating there!) otherwise unplug the keyboard and wipe it
with a 1:1 mix of rubbing alcohol and water.
18.
Light switches
Another spot in the house very few people ever clean is the light switches.
Yet, a lot of hands touch them a lot of times, so it’s no wonder they’re rich in germs.
Clean them with a cloth sprayed with all-purpose cleaner.
19.
Pet toys
If you have pets, you most likely also have pet toys spread all around your house.
Spot or Mittens won’t clean their own toys, even though they’re often loaded with staph,
yeast, and mold that thrive in drool and dirt.
Appetizing, huh?
So why don’t you give them a helping hand?
You can clean hard toys with soapy water and drop the soft toys in the washing machine.
When you notice they’re getting too old and dirty, just replace them with new ones.
20.
Pet bowls
Washing your dog or cat’s bowls with just water won’t do the cleaning job well enough.
Soak them in a bleach solution for 10 minutes every week, and disinfect them in the dishwasher
every day.
21.
Floors and rugs by the exterior doors
Would you like the bacteria from outside, along with chemical fertilizers, pet waste
and what not get into your house on the bottoms of your shoes as you come home from a walk?
Of course you don’t!
You most likely answered no to this one, so take off your shoes by the door; and if you
don’t want to do that yourself, or ask your guests to do so, take good care of the rugs
you have by the exterior doors.
Choose ones that can be washed in a washing machine and drop them in there regularly.
Make sense?
Good!
Now about you -- which of these germ collectors surprised you the most?
Let me know down in the comments!
If you learned something new today, then give this video a like and share it with a friend.
But – hey! – don’t go exterminating the vermin in your house just yet!
We have over 2,000 cool videos for you to check out.
All you have to do is pick the left or right video, click on it, and enjoy!
Remember: Stay on the Bright Side of life!