15 Germ Hot Spot Objects in Your Home

Our hands keep loitering from object to object throughout the day. There is no count of the things we touch daily, but do you know how many germs reside on these things, which unknowingly we are harboring on our own bodies as well. While some of these germs stand insignificant, some can be really harmful for the health and can be spread from the simplest of commodities.

1. Cellphone

   Your cellphone is said to be 10 times dirtier than a toilet seat for a very simple reason that it is carried almost everywhere with us. The warm surface of the back of the phone creates a very suitable environment for the harboring of bacteria like E. coli on it. This bacterium can cause diarrhea, stomach cramps and other disorders to the digestive system and any infection from it must be highly avoided. You can check the increase of bacteria on your phone by not taking it to the bathroom with you, washing your hands very well once you are done with any chore and then touching the phone. You should also avoid placing your phone on any and every surface. This placing may cause the phone to pick up germs of that surface as well.

2. Remote Control

   While we keep cleaning the floors and walls all the time, a few things go unnoticed. Even if the decorative collectibles are given a wipe once in a while, nobody really cares to clean their remote control. But that is where lots of germs grow. When the remote is idle, it is kept anywhere, either on the table or between the sofa cushions, which is again a very comfortable, dark and warm place for germs to grow. Everyone touches it with their germy hands, right from you while cleaning the house to your neighborhood kid who might have been rolling mud in his hand outside. This multiple usage makes it a very ideal place for germs to grow and thus it is very important that you give it an antibacterial wipe once in a while.

3. Computer Keyboard

   Kids, nowadays, use the computer almost all the time while eating, studying or even playing. The germs being attached to the computer keyboard with almost every activity does not get enough notice. It had been an old theory that computers should be kept away from all kinds of exposure to pollution. But now, people have started using it in any situation without wondering how many germs these uncleaned surfaces may be carrying. It is very important to use rubbing alcohol on a cotton ball to clean around each key and get rid of the germs hovering on your device.

4. Dish Sponge

   It is one of the dirtiest things in a household and that makes complete sense. A dish sponge is wet almost every time, absorbs any liquid very quickly and all the waste materials are scrubbed away by it, which again leads to the addition of germs to it. It can be said that dish sponge has been made to clean the utensils, so how can we stop germs from breeding inside this absorbent mat. The answer is, keep replacing your sponge in frequent intervals; as soon as you feel that it is getting smelly, and replace it.

5. Toothbrush Holder

   A toothbrush kept in open air for almost 12 hours provides a nice place for the germs to settle from all around. But the toothbrush holder is even dirtier because the germs fall on them from the bristles of the toothbrush. It has been proved that toothbrush holders have one of the highest bacteria readings out of all things that we touch regularly. Therefore it must be washed properly once in a while, not at very long gaps.

6. Anything in the Office Kitchen

   Right from the refrigerator to the coffee pots, everything in the office kitchen is used by so many people who may or may not have sanitized their hands before touching them. There are also lots of yeast and mold in the dark, damp areas of the kitchen which go uncleaned for long. Hence, you should always be more careful while using the appliances and also rinse your coffee mug with vinegar once in a month.

7. Pet Toys

   For those with pets, they love their pet animals more than anything and have often seemed claiming that their pet is very healthy because of proper sanitation from germs. However, this is not at all true. Animals act as the breeding ground for different kinds of germs and when they lift any toy with their mouth, they leave the saliva on it, which turns to a center of accumulation of more germs. Pet toys are thus, very dangerous if we talk in terms of germs and diseases and they need to be properly cleaned at very frequent intervals.

8. Money

   Some countries have started printing money on plastic so that they can be washed and reused properly. The reason is very simple. Different people touch the currency notes with different kinds of germs, there are a few who touch it right after itching an infected area, while some use saliva to count them. A research showed that around 3000 microbes are present on a currency note, right from the bacteria causing acne and pimples to some serious contagious diseases. Even though they get weaker in very less time, currency notes are the breeding ground for thousands of germs.

9. Laundry

   With the advent of modern technologies, all the work has become very easier on the part of humans. But there is no denial that machines have still not reached a position to completely replace the conventional mediums with all its benefits. Spinning the clothes in washer and dryer may get you clean clothes but some viruses including the very harmful ones like rotavirus (causes severe stomach troubles) could not be killed in the machine. Thus, it is very important that the clothes are washed by hand after a short span of time and also bleached to get rid of the viruses completely.

10. Purses

    Purses are used almost daily by every lady, but rarely are they cleaned. Once in a while, they may be wiped with a napkin, but that never cleans the thousands of microbes breeding inside. You put your hand inside every time and unknowingly, get into the den of diseases. Also, the purses are kept anywhere without thinking twice what sort of germs may be present in that place. Right now bathroom basins to gardens, we keep the purse anywhere. This is not appropriate. Try hanging it to a hook wherever you find one and wipe the bottoms more frequently.

11. The ATM

    Again, people from anywhere and everywhere touch the public service machines like the ATM. Scientists have found out almost all kinds of bacteria, right from rotten food and dairy products to the germs of animals are present on an ATM machine. Little can be done to prevent this as many people use the machine, but to be on the safe side, you can always carry a hand sanitizer and use it whenever required.

12. Shopping Carts

    Left open in the sun, they are a pooping ground for birds. Carried inside, different individuals add different kind of things inside the shopping cart. Yet again a public service and touched by many, shopping carts contain E. coli, campylobacter and salmonella, all of which cause diarrhea. It is thus preferable to wipe the handle of your shopping cart after taking it from the counter.

13. Soap Dispensers

    There are two reasons why soap dispensers have made it to the 15 germiest things we touch daily. Firstly, the nozzle has been touched so many times by people with different germs on their hands that it becomes collective breeding ground. Secondly, if a soap dispenser is refilled before it’s completely empty, then germs start growing inside the dispenser and if you wash your hands with that, you simply carry all the germs with your ‘sanitized’ hands.

14. Kitchen Towel

    Small towel is used to clean off the counters and wipe the hands and faces. But these towels are a home to salmonella and other viruses which can cause various diseases. It is therefore required to wash the towel very frequently and must be soaked daily in soap water to get rid of these germs and microbes.

15. The Soap Bar

    The soap is often called a cleansing bar, not a disinfectant bar which if not maintained properly can be a breeding ground for the germs. It is a myth widely spread that germs can be killed by soap. It cannot. And if many people share one soap bar at home, then definitely it is very dangerous.

    All these 15 things are a big part of our daily routine and we come across most of these, but never do we wonder where we are putting our hands into. So, the next time you see any of these things, know how to protect yourself from these germs which carry inevitable diseases.

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