7 Hidden Sources Of Germs In Your Home

Our homes are full of germs. There’s no use in getting paranoid over every single germ – you’ll never get rid of all bacteria. Besides, small amounts of bacteria typically aren’t a risk.

It’s those bacteria breeding grounds that you need to be more cautious about. Certain objects in your home harbour huge amounts of bacteria and could make you ill if you’re not careful. These hidden sources of germs are worth protecting yourself against. Below are just a few examples.  

Your smartphone

We’re constantly handling our smartphones throughout the day. Consequently, our phones are constantly picking up bacteria. Many of us never clean our phones, and so this bacteria stays on our phones. In fact, there’s believed to be 10 times more bacteria on the average phone than the average toilet seat. 

Talking of toilets, this is where the big danger often lies. Many of us use our phones while sitting on the toilet and then use it again hours later when preparing food in the kitchen. While we may wash our hands after using the toilet and before handling food, we typically don’t wash our hands before touching our phone, which can make it easy to pass on germs from our toilet to our food. 

Just how should you clean your phone? Obviously, you cannot run your phone under a tap, so it’s best to use disinfectant wipes. Lysol wipes are much less likely to damage your case and screen. You can buy wipes designed specifically for smartphones online. Turn your phone off while cleaning it so you can get into all the sockets and leave it to dry.

Your TV remote

The TV remote is another object that’s regularly handled each day, but rarely cleaned. Fortunately, most people don’t take their remote to the toilet with them. However, TV remotes can still contain huge amounts of germs and can often be a source of illness being spread between people as different people each use the remote.

To clean a TV remote thoroughly, take out the batteries, and then clean it thoroughly with rubbing alcohol and a cloth. You can also use disinfectant wipes.

Your kitchen sink

All kinds of bacteria end up in your kitchen sink while cleaning dishes. Most of this ends up being washed down the drain, but some of it clings to the sides of your sink. If you don’t regularly scrub down the sides of your sink, this bacteria can build up.

Your refrigerator

When placing opened and uncovered foods in your refrigerator, spillages and leakages can occur. This food debri can start to become prone to mold and bacteria over time. This in turn can spread to other foods in your fridge.

This is why you need to periodically clean your fridge. By wiping down all the surfaces of your fridge, you can get rid of any grime that could be thriving with bacteria so that food isn’t contaminated. Make sure to take out all the shelves so that you can access all areas of the fridge and reach any hidden grime.

Of course, you can also take steps to keep your fridge clean by always making sure that opened and exposed foods are sealed. This prevents sauces from dripping out or crumbs from being left. 

Your toilet

Okay, so the toilet is hardly a hidden source of germs. Everyone knows that you need to regularly clean your toilet seat and flush. But what most people don’t know is that toilets can contaminate your entire bathroom if you’re not careful. It all comes down to whether you put the lid down or not when flushing.

Your faucets

When was the last time you cleaned the handles of your taps? Ideally, you should be cleaning these all the time as they are constantly being touched by dirty hands. If you don’t regularly clean them, you’re likely to be putting more bacteria back on your hands every time you turn the faucet handle off.

You should clean faucets two to three times per week – running a soapy cloth over them is all that’s necessary. To minimize the need to clean taps, an alternative solution could be to switch to touchless faucets. These are taps that automatically run by hovering your hands underneath. This guide explains how touchless faucets work. 

Your towels

While towels are often used to dry us off after cleaning ourselves, they can still harbour bacteria. The warm dampness of a towel provides the perfect environment for bacteria to breed. After several uses, you could find that your towels are covered in germs. 

It’s recommended that you throw towels in the laundry after three uses. This includes bath towels and hand towels. 

Finally, it’s worth considering any beloved toys belonging to your kids and pets. Whether they’re being handled by dirty fingers or put in your dog’s mouth, they’re likely to be exposed to all kinds of bacteria.