How's the cleaning the house thing going, mamas?
Do you get to give all the rooms a good going over ever week, or (like me) emergency clean visible surfaces with baby wipes and then, eventually, when the grime can no longer be ignored, start angry-cleaning at lightning speed, often at 11pm at night when the rest of the house are in bed?
Giving up eating to afford a cleaner is starting to look more and more tempting these days.
I don't know about you, but I tend to worry a lot about the bathroom and the state of things in there. But did you know, according to
The New York Times there are actually
other areas of our homes that are far grimier than the bathroom – heck, even dirtier than the
toilet seat?
Want to know where you
should be cleaning? Here are seven things in your home that are more germ-ridden than your toilet seat or even floor:
1. Mobile phone
These little devices that we cannot stop fidgeting with are some of the absolute dirtiest items around.
2. TV remote
A whopping 67.6 colonies of bacteria per square inch is what you can find on your remote control.
3. Fridge handle
We all stick our head in here several times a day, and those dirty hands grab at the handle, making it the third dirtiest place in your home.
4. Toilet flush handle
Because we all flush
before washing our hands, the flush handle can have as many as 34.65 colonies of bacteria per square inch.
5. Kitchen counter
Think twice before chopping your bread or veggies directly on the kitchen counter. A staggering 5.75 colonies of bacteria per square inch lives here. Note: The average chopping board is choc-a-bloc with bacteria too.
6. Sink faucet
Yuck, 15.84 colonies of bacteria per square inch.
7. Kitchen sponge
Listen to me: Throw this out and buy a new one! And remember to replace
often. Kitchen sponges often contain more than
20 million colonies of bacteria per square inch, making it the absolute most disgustingly dirty thing in your house.
Before you freak out though, remember that our immune systems are pretty hardy, and that a normal amount of dirt and grime actually contribute to keeping them that way, OK? But seriously; throw out the sponge!
