Germs are invisible to the naked eye and letting these grow inside your home can put your own and your family’s health at risk. Germs carry illnesses and diseases that can make your entire household at high-risk for common coughs and colds. Over time, these health conditions can worsen and weaken your family’s immune system. In fact, coughs, colds, and upper respiratory infections are one of the most common reasons for people needing to seek urgent care in philadelphia and other care centers across the U.S.

The effects of germs on human health are one of the most obvious reasons why you should exert time and effort in cleaning your home. The money you spent on buying a new home will be useless if the entire space is only covered in germs. This is especially true if you are living with kids, seniors, or people who have highly sensitive skin. 

More often than not, you already clean most areas around your home. These areas are often used by the people living in your home. But aside from the obvious places that germs lurk in our home, like the toilet, kitchen counters, and floors, there are more areas that you must clean. These areas or items are also used by the entire family, but usually, not everyone realizes how dirty these are.

Cleaning and disinfecting your home is part of everyone’s daily routine. Washing dishes and mopping floors are part of everyday life. But did you know that the places we least suspect of being dirty are actually the dirtiest? Read our list to find out!

1. Reusable Water Bottles

A study of students’ water bottles found that they were so dirty, that if the water came from the local tap it would be declared unfit to drink! Talk about dirty! What you can do to prevent your water bottles from becoming a breeding ground for bacteria is soak them in bleach for a few minutes once a week. Make sure to wash your bottle thoroughly after each use, too. You can also put it in your dishwasher on the hottest setting.

2. Keyboards

These days we’re always tapping away at our keyboards at all hours of the day, making them ideal for bacteria – especially for those that don’t wash their hands! Since our keyboards are in constant use, cleaning them regularly is a must. You can wipe down your keys with rubbing alcohol a few times a week to keep germs at bay. Nail polish remover can also be used as a disinfectant. Simply use a cotton swab to gently clean the keys, taking care not to get any remover between them.

You can also clean the insides of your keyboard by disconnecting it from your computer, pulling the keys off using a screwdriver (if the parts are removable), and soaking the keys in warm water. Make sure to also clean the faceplate of the keyboard using soap and warm water. Let the keyboard dry for about 24 hours before you start using them again.

3. Cutting Boards

Cutting boards, especially those made of plastic, are a hotbed for cross contamination. Meat and vegetables are cut on them daily, and without proper cleaning, can become a breeding ground for bacteria. You can keep your plastic cutting boards clean by running them through the dishwasher after each use. Wooden cutting boards can be microwaved to remove germs.

4. Bath Mats

Bath mats get soaked with water every time you step out of the shower, and they usually sit there on the floor of the bathroom, which slows water evaporation. This becomes an ideal space for bacteria to form. Wash your bath mats once a week on the hottest setting of your washing machine to keep germs under control. Make sure to wash them separately from clothes and bed sheets.

5. Knobs and Handles

The knobs and handles on doors in our homes are in constant use by everyone who passes through them. Bacteria gets transferred from our hands to the knobs, then is picked up by someone else using the same knob later. To prevent the spread of bacteria throughout your home, spray the knobs and handles down with rubbing alcohol regularly.

Photos: Bottles Mall, 551 East Design, Cleanipedia.

In Conclusion  

Regularly cleaning your home is an important responsibility among all homeowners. Investing in a home that is worth thousands or millions of dollars will be useless if you don’t know how to properly take care of it.  

If you don’t have the time and knowledge on to properly clean your home, have your home cleaned by SwiftClean. These pros have the necessary equipment and experience to clean all the areas of your home and ensure that everything is germ-free!