Where are more bacteria... in the kitchen, in the bathroom...?

Find out where the main sources of infection are and what you should give priority to in cleaning and disinfection.

The sources of infection where there are more bacteria in the home

If you've ever heard the news that scientists have discovered that "this or that everyday object has more bacteria than the toilet seat," you're probably familiar with the work of Dr. Charles Gerba.

He is a microbiologist at the University of Arizona, but his friends and colleagues call him “Dr. germ”. Why? He has dedicated his life to publishing countless studies on the germs that infiltrate our daily lives and is one of America's leading experts on the subject.

And since you've spent decades studying bathroom spray, kitchen sponge germs, how quickly viruses can spread in an office, and more, we had to ask ourselves: How do you clean your own home and ‌keep scratch germs?

This is what we discovered.

People care more about the bathroom than the kitchen, but there are more germs in the kitchen.

Dr. Gerba says that since we've been conditioned to want to clean our bathroom regularly, it seems like the grossest place, right? Well, we don't overlook it the way we do the kitchen.

"Spaniards are terrified of their toilet seats," he says, "as well as bathroom sinks, the faucet and the floor are usually cleaner than the kitchen."

Also, the kitchen is where the kids usually come in after playing.” That is where we should focus our attention: in the kitchen.

What places deserve more attention to know where there are more bacteria?

"Cutting boards would also be high on my list," says Dr. Gerba.

“When trying them, we have noticed that they seem to be sloppy and you should also remember to have some dedicated to vegetables and others to meats.

The fridge door handle can also get pretty bad, as it's heavily used and people tend to hang their towels there.

The same goes for kitchen faucets.

Discovering places where there are more bacteria

Pay special attention to the bottom of the refrigerator.

“Everything drips and falls down there”

“So anything stored in the bottom of the fridge is much more likely to get contaminated. And it's the first place mold will form."

Reusable grocery bags.

“There should be warnings that come with this”

"50 percent of people never wash them, and they have more bacteria on them than on your underwear, plus your car is like the incubator."

Because people consider these bags to be “green”, they tend to forget that bags also get dirty and harbor bacteria, just like anything else that is handled often.

The towels are another focus where there are more bacteria

Wash hand towels once a week, but generally think about switching to paper towels.

“I used to wipe my face with a towel in the morning, but now I can't,” says Dr. Gerba.

You should change your face and hand towels at least once a week and more often if you have small children.

Better disinfectant wipes than sprays.

"If you use a spray, you're supposed to wet the area and let it sit for 10 minutes, which no one does."

Disinfecting wipes are as good as bleach for disinfecting.

How to wash your hands

"You have to wash your hands for 15 or 20 seconds and then they can become contaminated again when you touch the bathroom doorknob and worse if it's a public bathroom."

Most bacteria are on your hands, and research shows you get sick less often if you use hand sanitizer.

Use hand sanitizer after doing laundry.

Bacteria from your clothes (including the worst, like underwear and bath towels) don't get washed down the drain.

They accumulate in the drum of the washing machine and the detergent is not enough to kill the bacteria (hot water and/or we need sanitizer to do it).

Safely fight germs by washing your hands properly.

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