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| Dirtiest Room In Your House |
I don’t know about you, but I love to go on adventures! Whether it’s a hike in the mountains, a dip in the ocean, or a stroll through the woods, it’s easy to end up pretty dirty after a long day of adventuring. Thankfully, when we’re done, we can always clean up and hide in our perfectly clean houses to escape from all of the dirt and germs, right? Well, huh… Wrong! Yeah, I know! Your house may seem like a safe haven of cleanliness, but if you take a closer look, you’ll see a pretty different story that’s, well, not all that pretty. So, just how dirty /is/ your house? Well, of course, that varies from house to house, but in general, they’re probably dirtier than you think... and /filled/ with germs. I’m talking nearly countless levels of tiny little germs hanging out on practically everything. In fact, according to the Microbiology Society, in around 7 hours one bacterium can generate roughly 2 /million/ bacteria. You know, somehow my roommate doesn’t seem so bad now. So what’s the winner for the most germ-filled room in your house? Well, you might think it’s the bathroom, but it’s actually the kitchen. That’s according to a 2011 study done by NSF International, an independent public health organization. Performing a swab analysis on 30 common household objects in the homes of 22 volunteer families, researchers found that dish rags and sponges were the worst germ-covered culprits. Toothbrush holders, pet bowls, and even kitchen sinks came in the top ten. Compared to toilet handles, which were surprisingly clean, kitchen sinks had an average of nearly 700 times more germs per unit area. Yeah, you know what? I think I’m going to need a new place to wash my hands, I’m sorry! It’s just not working out! Of all the homes tested, they also found Coliform — a family of bacteria that includes E. coli and Salmonella— present in around 81% of them, and mold and yeast in about 31%. But that’s just about germs. Dust is a whole other not-so-great thing that’s probably more prevalent than you think. The average home in the US can collect a little under 20 kilograms of dust each year. This can be made up of stuff like hair, sand, dirt, and even dead human skin. By itself, dust isn’t that great, but things get even worse when you talk about what’s /on/ the dust. I’m talking about dust mites, those microscopic, insect-like creatures that live in places like your carpet or mattress and munch down on dead skin and dander. They’re essentially impossible to get rid of, and there can be quite a lot of them in your home. With just a single gram of dust, you could easily be looking at hundreds of dust mites! Add up all their fecal matter and tiny dead bodies, and you have a pretty bad combo for your allergies. Now, even if you make it your life’s mission to try and get rid of all the dust and germs in your house, you’re not really going to reach perfection on the cleanliness scale, but there are ways to do better. Taking some helpful tips from Good Housekeeping, you should try and clean certain things daily, like kitchen counters and the walls of your shower, while other things can be cleaned on a weekly basis, like changing your bedding or cleaning the microwave. Dusting your blinds and light fixtures should happen monthly, though a good deep clean of your carpets and upholstery can probably wait for the Earth to get a full orbit around the Sun. So what do you think the dirtiest place of your home is? You think it’s your bedroom? It might be your bedroom. Let me know in the comment section below or tell me what should I talk about next!
Curious to know why you might talk in your sleep? Don’t forget to keep on cleaning… thinking… thinking!
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