Sick? Tired? Cleaning keeps germs away
Improper, insufficient cleaning can result in health problems
Are you sick of cleaning? Just think how sick you'd be without it. Each year, millions of people develop health problems because of improper or insufficient cleaning. Consider these facts:
? About 20 percent of the yearly 7 million cases of food-borne illness originated in the home when hands, utensils and surfaces are contaminated by bacteria.
? About one in six Americans will be affected by an allergy-related illness sometime in his/her life.
? Between 1982 and 2000, the prevalence of asthma in the United States increases by almost 61.2 percent. Among children under age 18, the rate rose a whopping 72.3 percent.
Our comfortable homes, with their wall-to-wall carpeting and weather-tight insulation, are the ideal places for allergens, such as dust mites to lie and multiply.
If you suffer from allergies, no doubt you've been told to keep your home as clean as possible.
While a clean home may be healthier than a neglected one, the very cleaners that we use to sanitize and sparkle can be hazardous to our health. Cleaning exposes us to harsh chemical compounds that are as hard on us as they are on the environment.
Prolonged contact with many everyday cleaners like liquid household bleach can cause eye and skin irritation, respiratory tract irritation, nausea and dizziness.
Because most cleaners are marked as friendly, helpful products designed to make our lives easier, it's easy to forget that safety hazards are present.
Dirt detection capabilities of a white glove are great when checking the coffee table, but in the kitchen and bathroom, unless you have a microscope, there is no way to see if it is clean.
Dirt that you can't see — germs and bacteria — can make you sick by contaminating food, surfaces and utensils.
The kitchen is the most germ-laden room in the home. Billions and billions of microbes from raw meat juice, festering dish cloths and sponges, rotting garbage, spoiled food, dirty dishes and unwashed hands are found on every surface.
From the health standpoint, a freshly wiped counter top may be the dirtiest place in your home.
It's impossible to rid your surroundings of every microbial life form. Your goal shouldn't be to create a sterile environment but to exercise day-to-day cleanliness habits that discourage the growth of germs and bacteria.
Most homemade cleaners, made from vinegar or baking soda, or environmentally friendly cleaners have no disinfectant properties at all, they merely move germs around.
To be sure that a product kills germs like salmonella, look for a disinfectant with an Environmental Protection Agency registration number on the label.
Read the instructions because some disinfectants have a specific time period (dwell time) that the disinfectant must be left on the surface before it will kill germs.
Although bathrooms have the reputation for being germ infested, there are fewer microbes in it that are likely to make you sick than in the kitchen.
This fact is true because most of us use disinfectants to clean our bathrooms.
Here are five tips that will keep microbes in check:
1. Wash your hands frequently.
Your hands and fingers are common transmitters of germs and bacteria. You should wash your hands for at least 20 seconds; pay attention to your fingernails and between your fingers.
After washing your hands, rinse them thoroughly.
2. Dump the dishcloth.
Studies show that the dishcloth are frequently found to have fecal coliform bacteria. Use a sponge, which can be washed daily in your dishwasher with your dishes.
If the sponge develops a pungent odor, discard it. Odor indicates the presence of germs.
3. Use paper towels to wipe up meat juice.
Toss the towel and clean the surface with a disinfectant.
4. After eating, wash your dishes immediately.
Bacteria thrives on unwashed dishes. Wash your hands before putting away your dishes; that way they stay sanitized.
5. Empty your trash every day.
Moist, rotting garbage is a haven for germ growth. When preparing meat, fish or poultry, rinse off the juices from the container it came in and immediately place the container in the garbage. Letting it lie on the counter will spread germs.
If you would like to share a cleaning idea or concept with the reading audience, call Ed at NWES (255-2266) or send them to the Bonner County Daily Bee, 310 Church St., Sandpoint, ID 83864; Attn: What Would Ed Do?
Copy is written by Edmond E. Madan, certified forensic, fire, flood, mold inspection and remediation contractor. Ed is the chief executive officer of Northwest Executive and Environmental Services, LLC.