6 Surprisingly Dirty Places in Your Home
By Mary Anne Dunkin
WebMD Feature
If you dropped a piece of fruit in your kitchen sink while rinsing it, would you think twice about
popping it in your mouth? What if you dropped it in the toilet?
Germs like cold viruses and bacteria can live in some unexpected spots. Here are six surprisingly
dirty places in your home -- like your kitchen sink -- and what you can do to protect yourself.
Dirty Places: The Kitchen Sink
Although the mere thought of retrieving anything from your toilet bowl may be enough to make
you sick, your toilet may be cleaner than your kitchen sink, says Eileen Abruzzo, director of
infection control at Long Island College Hospital of Brooklyn, New York. Food particles from
plates left to soak or rinsed from dishes on their way to the dishwasher can serve as a breeding
ground for illness-causing bacteria, including E. coli and salmonella. They can get on your hands
or spread to foods.
Although most people take steps to disinfect their toilet bowls, few give their kitchen sink the
same consideration, Abruzzo tells WebMD. “They rinse their sinks with water and assume they
are clean -- but they’re not.”
Quick fix to banish bacteria:
To sanitize your sink and prevent the spread of bacteria, Abruzzo recommends washing it with a
solution of bleach and water once a day and then letting the solution run down the drain.
Remember to remove the drain plug and clean it, too, she says. Then wash your hands.
Dirty Places: Your Toothbrush
You put it in your mouth twice a day, but do you ever think of all the germs lurking on it? “You
rinse it off after using it and put it away damp,” says Abruzzo. “Bacteria like the moist area and
grow on it.”
If the germs from your own mouth weren’t enough to contaminate your toothbrush, the germs
from your toilet certainly are. Research in the 1970s by Charles P. Gerba, PhD, of the University
of Arizona Department of Soil, Water and Environmental Science, found that flushing the toilet
sends a spray of bacteria- and virus-contaminated water droplets into air. These germs, he found,
can float around in the bathroom for at least two hours after each flush before landing on surfaces
-- including your toothbrush.
Quick fix to banish bacteria:
Abruzzo recommends placing your toothbrush where it can air out and dry between uses -- but
not too close to the toilet. Also, replace your toothbrush often, particularly after you’ve been sick,
and close your toilet lid before flushing.
Dirty Places: Your Salt and Pepper Shaker
Could one of the dirtiest places in your home be right on the table where you eat?
Unfortunately, yes, according to a 2008 study by researchers at the University of Virginia. In the
study, researchers asked 30 adults who were beginning to show signs of a cold, to name 10
places they’d touched in their homes over the previous 18 hours. The researchers then tested
those areas for cold viruses. The tests found viruses on 41% of the surfaces tested, and every
one of the salt and pepper shakers tested were positive for cold viruses.
Quick fix to banish bacteria:
When you wipe the kitchen table after eating, wipe off the salt and pepper shaker too. But your
best protection against spreading or picking up germs when you reach for seasonings is to wash
your hands -- before and after.
Dirty Places: Your TV Remote Control
It’s dropped on the floor, stuffed between the sofa cushions, coughed on and sneezed at.
Everyone in the house handles it.
“Anything people touch a lot has germs on it,” Abruzzo tells WebMD. A University of Virginia
study of cold viruses on household surfaces showed the remote control’s surface is among the
germiest. Researchers found that half of the remote controls tested were positive for cold viruses.
Quick fix to banish bacteria:
Abruzzo wipes her remote with a bleach or alcohol wipe -- “that is, if I can ever find it or get it out
my husband’s hands,” she says. Aside from that, regular hand-washing is the best way to protect
yourself against these germs.
Dirty Places: Your Computer Keyboard
If you eat at your computer, sneeze on your keyboard, or sit down to surf the Internet without first
washing your hands, your computer keyboard could be a health hazard. In a recent study by a
British consumer group, researchers swabbed keyboards for germs and found a host of
potentially harmful bacteria, including E. coli and staph. Four of 33 sampled keyboards had
enough germs to be considered health hazards. One had levels of germs five times higher than
that found on a toilet seat.
Quick fix to banish bacteria:
Wash your hands before and after using your computer. If you must eat at your desk, don't drop
crumbs into your keyboard. To clean your keyboard, gently shake out the crumbs or vacuum it.
Abruzzo recommends wiping the keys with alcohol or bleach wipes, but “nothing too wet,” she
says. “And don’t forget to wipe the mouse.”
Dirty Places: Your Bathtub
The place where you clean yourself is not so clean itself. A recent study found staphylococcus
bacteria in 26% of the tubs tested. A separate study had even worse findings for whirlpool tubs.
When Texas A&M University microbiologist Rita Moyes, PhD tested 43 water samples from
whirlpools, she found that all 43 had mild to dangerous bacterial growth. Almost all showed
bacteria from fecal matter; 81% had fungi, and 34% contained staph bacteria.
According to Moyes, the main reason whirlpool tubs are so dirty has to do with the lining of the
pipes. Water tends to get trapped in the pipes, providing a breeding ground for bacteria. When
you turn on the jets, the germy water spouts out into the tub where you're soaking.
Quick fix to banish bacteria:
Experts recommend cleaning and disinfecting your tub with bleach or bathroom cleaner after
bathing, then dry with a clean towel. For whirlpool tubs, the best way to prevent bacteria from
accumulating is to clean out the pipes.
Protecting Yourself from Germs
Lots of germs are harmless, many are even good for your health. But you can help protect
yourself from those that aren’t by keeping your hands clean. Your hands transfer bacteria and
viruses to your eyes, nose, and mouth. They can also transfer germs to others.
The CDC recommends regular hand washing with soap and water, washing your hands for 20
seconds -- the time it takes you to sing Happy Birthday twice. “It doesn’t matter how warm the
water is, what’s important is that you use friction,” says Abruzzo.
Hand sanitizer gels can be used to kill germs, but they should not replace hand washing. Hand
sanitizers can build up on the hands, so you should wash your hands the regular way after every
fourth use, Abruzzo advises.
ANSWER THESE QUESTIONS ON THE PROCESSING PAGE OF YOUR INB.
1. After reading this article, what is true about all places where high levels of
bacteria are found?
2. List several places in our school building that are likely to have large
amounts of bacteria and could be used to run tests on.
3. List products you know of that can eliminate bacteria. Group your products
by the area/surface they are designed to clean. (For example: hands, home
surfaces, sinks, teeth, etc.)