Dubai: Maintaining a clean and hygienic home environment at all times might seem a little overwhelming, but a few small additions to your house-cleaning regime can make a big difference when it comes to protecting your loved ones from illness-causing germs.
Some bacteria can survive on surfaces for up to 24 hours. If these are on surfaces that you frequently come in contact with, then they can be a real hazard to your health. There is no need to tackle the entire house right away, and it’s impossible to kill every germ in your home, but there are certain areas that require a little more attention when it comes to hygiene. We speak to the experts at Dettol, who bring to light the top germ hotspots you unknowingly might ignore
1. TV Remote
On average, a TV remote contains approximately 50,000 germs. Everyone knows that a remote is an object that changes hands often, but did you realize that every time you pass on the remote, you pass on germs as well? And your children are affected to by this. Think about it, do you ever make your children wash their hands after touching the remote? Simply using disinfecting wipes daily will do the trick here and ensure your TV remote is kept germ free.
2. Doorknobs
This is probably one of the most common used surfaces in your home, every time you leave or enter the house you tend to touch your doorknob. In order to clean up these surfaces, you can use a spray on disinfectant on hard to reach areas, or disinfecting wipes.
3. Laptop Keyboard
Most of us work on laptops today – be it just at work or at home or both. But did you know that your laptop has nearly 2,300,000 unseen germs on it? Laptop carry germs to and from your office and home and are often used by your children for many reasons. The keyboards can easily be cleaned using disinfecting sprays or wipes without harming the device.
4. Telephone handset
Many of us don’t give a second thought when it comes to how often we take out and place our phones on many surfaces, from the dinner table to the workplace, to friend’s houses. However, research shows that cell phones are far dirtier than most people think, and the more germs they collect, the more germs you touch and the more you spread in your surroundings. Make sure you regularly replace the screen protector with a new one or gently wipe down the back and sides of the phone with disinfectant wipes. Don’t worry this won’t damage your phones.
5. Light switches
On average daily basis, people carry thousands of germs, and the same hands often touch light switches in a home. Using disinfecting sprays or wipes as part of your cleaning routine will help protect and give you that extra reassurance that these ‘hotspots’ represent a lower risk to your family’s health.
6. Couch Arm
Remember that sofa you’ve had in your living room for years? Well these too according to a study, contain about 320,000 germs, which have accumulated over time. And mind you, merely dusting or washing the covers might reduce the germs but certainly won’t kill them.
7. The rubbish bin
Is a hotbed for harmful germs so regularly clean and disinfect the bin itself both inside and out and remember to wash your hands after you have emptied the rubbish bag.
8. Toothbrush mayhem
As disturbing as this may seem, your toothbrush is even rifer with germs than your toilet seat! It is in fact the spot with the most germs in your whole house. To avoid proliferation and for personal hygiene, have everybody in your household rinse their toothbrush with clean, safe water after each use. You can also clean the sink – on top of which you often place your toothbrush – with an antibacterial cleaner.
Pro tip: Store toothbrushes, along with other personal items like razors, in a cupboard or drawer, where germs are unlikely to splash onto them.
9. Delivery Packages
Protecting yourself from contagious viruses and staying healthy can be as easy as washing your hands frequently. Using soap and warm water, rub your hands vigorously to protect yourself from things that come into the house.
