Over the past year and a half, we have all become a little obsessed with hygiene. Workplaces have increased their hygiene standards, as well as public facilities, not to mention the personal hygiene that we have improved, such as washing hands. But when it comes to our homes, have we been increasing the standard of hygiene as much? Bacteria and viruses spread in the home, which is why in most cases, if one person gets sick in the household, then everyone else will at some point.
When it comes to the home, there are some areas that can get neglected when we are doing our standard cleaning, but they can be real hotspots for harboring bacteria, dirt, and germs. Here are the areas that you should pay special attention to; when was the last time that you cleaned them?
Refrigerator
The refrigerator is the thing in the kitchen that is meant to keep our food cool and fresh, helping it to last longer. However, is it going to last longer when it is full of dirt and germs? There are foods in there that are raw, as well as cooked, so they need to be separated. Not only that, but wiping down the shelving, as well as the handles, is needed on a regular basis.
Light switches
When you do your normal cleaning routine, do you clean the light switches in the home? These are the things that everyone in the house will use, and if they’re not cleaned regularly, will mean that germs and dirt will spread around the house really easily. The bathroom light switch is one of the rooms in the house that is likely to harbor the most germs, due to the nature of the location. Even after washing your hands in the bathroom, if you turn off the light switch and touch a dirty light switch, it defeats the point of trying to wash your hands.
Hot tub
If you have a hot tub in your backyard, then you will know that they need a lot of maintenance. Because of the increased temperature of the water, they can really be a breeding ground for a lot of germs, but how often do you clean your hot tub? There are chemicals like chlorine that you can put in the water to help, but draining the tub from time to time to disinfect the surfaces and unclog any drains and filters, will help to keep your hot tub as a hygienic place to be.
Laundry
Any wet laundry that is left in a washing machine, even if it isn’t for long, can allow germs to thrive. It is best practice to move the wet and cleaned clothes to a dryer or to a drying line straight away after the cycle. The clothes may need to be washed again otherwise, as well as needing to wash the inside of the machine itself too. If you work somewhere like a hospital environment, then washing your work uniform on a hot wash can be best to kill any bacteria.
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