Ten Of The Dirtiest Places In Your Home

This blog might be a little disturbing once you learn some of the dirtiest places in your home, but it is also a great awakening to clean those places/objects more often so that you can keep yourself and your family safe. Here are ten of the top dirtiest areas and objects in your home and what to do about it:

1. Kitchen sink. In a study posted on CBS News, 45% of sinks tested positive for bacteria and 27% of sinks contained mould).
   -Clean your sink out with hot water and vinegar every couple days to keep it clean and use a disinfectant wipe weekly to ensure all germs are killed!
   
   
2. Kitchen sponges, scrubbers and dish towels. Isn’t it ironic that the items used to clean your dishes are actually some of the filthiest… In a study posted by CBS News, 77% of these items had bacteria on them, 86% had yeast or mould on them and 18% contained staph bacteria (which can make a person very sick).
   -Be sure to change out or wash sponges at least once a week. You can wash them in your dishwasher with all of your other dirty dishes on the sanitizing function.
   
   
3. Makeup brushes (especially if you touch up your makeup throughout the day). Makeup brushes can accumulate dead skin, oil, pollution, dirt and bacteria over time. 
   -Use an all natural makeup remover or mild soap to wash your brushes every few months to keep them clean!
   
   
4. Floor area around the toilet. Every time we flush the toilet germs spread everywhere and then land on the floor… and let's face it, sometimes your loved ones can miss the bowl too! GROSS!!!
   -Best to use a disinfectant wipe around the floor each time you clean your bathroom to be sure to kill all those inconspicuous germs. Or use a steam mop to clean your bathroom floors!
   
   
5. Cell phones. The Seattle Times recorded that your mobile phone / tablet is covered in 25,127 bacterias per square inch - making our cell phones one of the dirtiest objects we come in contact with each day.
   -Use an alcohol wipe daily on our phones to keep them clean!
   
   
6. Bottoms of purses. You take your purse everywhere and fling it on floors, seats, public transportation, etc. and then you bring all those germs back into your personal space with you.
   -Create a designated wall hook or shelf where your purse can live in your home so that it is not thrown on your furniture or counters. You can also use an alcohol or disinfectant wipe on the bottom of your purse if the materials allow for it.
   
   
7. Remote controls. Everyone touches these multiple times a day. Although they are not the dirtiest place in your home, they still accumulate germs.
   -Use alcohol wipes to surface clean remote controls weekly. Pro tip - definitely do this if you are staying at a hotel before because those remotes are almost never cleaned and are known to be pretty gross!
   
   
8. Throw pillows. Your decorative pillows come in contact with many different people and clothing that you have worn outside your home. This can be a breeding ground for dead skin, dust mites and bacteria.
   -Wash or dry clean the outside covers every few months depending on how often they are used. You can also steam them to help kill those pesky germs.
   
   
9. Keyboards. The majority of keyboards contain various strains of bacteria since we use these an average of 6.5 hours per day (and let's face it… we do not wash our hands each and every time before using).
   -Unplug or turn off mobile keyboards then use an alcohol or disinfectant wipe to remove germs off the surface.
   
   
10. Bed sheets! According to WebMD, lab tests done on swabs from week old pillow cases had 17,000 times more colonies of bacteria than samples taken from a toilet seat. Dead skin, sweat, saliva and ‘other’ things on your bed sheets can turn your sleepy oasis into a petri dish for germs to grow.
    -Launder your bed sheets on a sanitize wash weekly to avoid unwanted bacteria and dust mites!