Bacteria are a menace to not only our bodies, but our homes also. They can congregate in many parts of your house and travel via air, sneezing, food, pets, human contact, shoes and even water. What makes bacteria so difficult to combat is that they are completely invisible to the naked eye, and as such, prove difficult to eradicate. They could be living with us in our homes for an unknown length of time, and not have any effect on our health, but there will always be occasions when problems arise due to the bacteria, and infections, some serious, can occur. To maximize your chances of escaping infection from bacteria in your home, you must clean regularly and be diligent with your cleaning.
1. Lots of us find it hard to clean regularly, to maintain a routine and in the frantic working lives of adults, we usually put cleaning down the list of priorities.However, it must be emphasised that daily cleaning reduces the levels of bacteria you will have in your home, which directly increases your chances of better health. Make sure your worktops and surfaces are regularly cleaned with disinfectant, as these are common areas for bacteria to gather.
2. The kitchen and bathroom are the major hot spots for bacteria and so concert your energies into these rooms in particular. There are lots of products on the market for fighting and killing bacteria, and will be up to you which you choose, although try using greener cleaning products as these are less harmful to yourself and the environment. Always use different cloths or sponges in these rooms, as this could cause bacteria to cross over, spread and create nasty infections or bugs that you do not want. It’s best to assign a cloth to each and change them when they get dirty.
3. Human contact has a huge role in creating bacteria, and so areas where you often sit or touch should be regularly cleaned. These include door handles, light switches, drawer and cupboard handles as well as many others. It doesn't take long to give these a quick wipe every week to ensure good hygiene.
4. Alongside this, it is really helpful if people wash their hands regularly with soap or disinfectant, so as to prevent the spreading of germs around your home.
5. Use a good quality vacuum cleaner for your daily cleaning. With very good suction and useful cleaning tools to cover any corner or odd place in your home. Or at least buy high efficiency filter bags which will prevent bacteria airborne after using vacuum cleaner.
The way you clean your house and maintain personal hygiene will have a huge effect on how much bacteria you allow to live alongside you. By having set routines and positive cleaning habits, you can help make sure they are kept to a minimum.
There are cleaning products all over our homes and offices: on washing up to worktops, clothes, floors, furniture, ornaments and windows, to name a few. However, in this battle against grime, dust and germs, there is a risk of actually creating a worse scenario.
A lot of, if not all of the traditional cleaning products we were used to in days gone by were petroleum-based and had detrimental effects to the personal health of the consumer, as well as the environment. They are still in circulation today. So why not choose something that contains less toxic chemicals and opt for a more natural product instead?
Green cleaning products are a growing market in the cleaning industry. Most of these products are non-toxic, biodegradable, and made from renewable resources (not petroleum). If the cost puts you off, then home made recipes such as lemon juice, vinegar and baking soda can fight off a great many marks and stains. Baking soda in particular has multi faceted pros. It can eliminate bad odours from carpets; it can remove smells from your fridge, and help defeat bacteria in your washing machines.
To clean the air in your home or office, try using natural products instead of spray fresheners. There are many ways of creating great odours by boiling herbs or cinnamon and other cloves or by burning aroma oils.
If you are going to replace your old toxic cleaning products, don't just throw them in the rubbish or pour them away down the drain. Try and recycle them as they can cause harm to the environment, animals or the local water supply, which means you and me.
If you employ a house cleaner, then make sure you ask the right questions and do the right amount of research about their methods. Enquire about what products they use and about how green they are. Some cleaners promote the use of green products and should be valued over others that use older, more toxic varieties.
Be more aware of what is getting into your home.
Take your shoes off at the door, and wash your hands when you get in. Think of the toxins and germs that may be spread about your home if you don't make small changes to your daily routines. It doesn't need to be a major overhaul, rather a few small steps that will ultimately, it will make you feel cleaner, healthier and happier.
It is а widely known fact that good hand hygiene is considered as one of the most important factors in minimising the spread of germs and disease. However, many people overlook this task and forget to wash their hands as frequently as they should or do not use adequate techniques and efforts to dry and wash their hands.
According to a study from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and Queen Mary, University of London, samples taken from 300 participants, found that the level of bacteria found on hands is equivalent to the contamination of a dirty toilet bowl. However, another research illustrates that nearly 50% of men and 25% women do not wash their hands after they have been to the toilet!
Ongoing media coverage on problems such as MRSA in hospitals has highlighted the need to get the basics right and to educate people of the need to maintain good hand hygiene. The effects of bad hygiene tend to be more severe in hospitals, but this problem is not restricted to hospital wards; it is a collective problem that offices, schools, restaurants and factories must act upon by providing the adequate facilities to encourage good hand hygiene and help prevent the spreading of germs. As a society we are becoming increasingly aware of the importance of good hand-hygiene in the fight to reduce the spread of germs.
So how regularly should we wash our hands?
In order to help prevent the spread of germs, regular hand washing must take place throughout the day especially in the following situations:
Before
- Looking after the sick
- Baby sitting or looking after the elderly
- Cooking and Eating
- Starting work; especially if you work in the health sector or will be handling food
- Putting in/removing contact lenses
After
- Using the toilet
- Coughing or sneezing
- Touching raw foods (meat, fish, poultry and eggs)
- Looking after the sick
- Changing the bin bags/ throwing the rubish
- Changing nappies
- Playing with animals
- Gardening
Best hand washing practices
- Wet your hands with clean, running water
- Apply soap and rub your hands together to make a lather and scrub them well
- Make sure to scrub the backs of your hands, between your fingers, and under your nails.
- Rubbing your hands for at least 20 seconds.
- Rinse your hands well under running water.
- Dry your hands
Best hand drying practices
Drying your hands thoroughly is another important step in reducing the risk of germs spreading. There are several common ways in which you can dry your hands - towel, paper and warm air but when it comes to which is the most hygienic one, the statistics below speak for themselves:
- Electric devices increase bacteria levels by 162%
- Paper drying decrease bacteria levels by 29%
- Hot air driers draw in the air from the immediate environment and re-circulate it in a more concentrated form. The bacteria present in the air are then blown directly onto the hands, face, clothes and hair.