What are the dirtiest things in the house: most housewives have no idea

It may seem strange and even counterintuitive, but research shows that the dirtiest things in our home usually look perfectly clean. That's because they are contaminated by invisible and potentially dangerous microbes.

As you might guess from this introduction, most of these items are the things we touch most often with our hands. Thus, germs from our fingers end up on the surface and begin to actively multiply on it. The next person who touches this object will get a part of this "zoo" on their fingers and carry it further. OBOZ.UA tells you what items are on this list and how to properly care for them.

Door handles, taps, switches

All items that we touch regularly are contaminated with bacteria as much as possible. And what do we put our hands on more often than door handles, light switches, and other things, as well as taps. The world learned how dangerous they can be during the coronavirus pandemic. You can clean these points with a household disinfectant, a weak solution of chlorine bleach, or white vinegar. Simply wipe the handle or switch and repeat the procedure at least once a week.

Remote controls

A TV or air conditioner remote control also seems to be a fairly clean object, but in fact it suffers from the same thing as door handles - from constant hand touching. An ordinary household remote control can harbor a whole crop of potentially dangerous microorganisms. Therefore, it should also be treated with a disinfectant once a week.

Toothbrush holder

Since most modern bathrooms are combined, splashes from the toilet invisibly spread bacteria to all objects around it. This also applies to toothbrush holders. You wash the brush itself every time before and after use. But what about the glass in which it is stored? It should be made of a material that is easy to clean. Once a week, take all the brushes out of it and rinse the container with at least hot water. Also, get into the habit of closing the lid of the toilet every time you flush to keep any splashes inside.

Coffee machine

The inside of this gadget is dark, warm, and humid, which are ideal conditions for the growth of bacteria and fungi. Therefore, an automatic coffee machine needs regular cleaning with vinegar. Simply pour up to four cups of undiluted vinegar into its tank, leave it for 30 minutes, and run it through the device. Afterwards, rinse the machine with two to three cycles of clean water to remove the vinegar odor. A citric acid solution works in a similar way. Repeat this procedure after 40-80 coffee brews, or once a month.

The keyboard

It's a common occurrence: we drink and eat at the keyboard, and we talk while we work. As a result, in addition to hand bacteria, saliva also gets on the keyboard. As a result, the keyboard is one of the dirtiest places in the house. To clean it, turn off and unplug your computer, vacuum the keyboard on low power, and then wipe it with a cotton pad dipped in alcohol cleaner. Finally, use a cotton swab to go between the keys with the same solution.

Kitchen sponges

We wash off a huge amount of dirt with sponges. At the same time, the objects themselves collect a lot of bacteria, viruses, and fungal spores. And all this is trapped inside because of the sponge's porous structure. To clean the object, soak the sponge for 15 minutes in a bleach solution, wash it in the dishwasher on a hot cycle, or hold it in the microwave for a minute, after placing it in a bowl of soapy water.

Subscribe to the OBOZ.UA channels in Telegram and Viber to keep up with the latest events.