Your Cleaning Methods Could Be Detrimental to Your Health. Here’s How

Your approach to cleaning your home is often the result of habits you’ve accumulated over many years. Whether there’s a right or wrong way to clean house is a debate that has spanned centuries. For example, what rooms should you focus most on? In what way should you fold shirts?

In recent times though, studies have shown that there are cleaning techniques that can negatively affect your health. It’s hard to get rid of habits that you’ve practiced for years. However, it’s necessary to do so if your habit can endanger your family’s well being. So in addition to preparing for a health emergency and taking time to earn your first aid certification online, abandoning these bad cleaning habits is vital.

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• Soaking Dirty Dishes in the Sink

Soaking is an effective way to loosen hardened baked-on grime. While this makes it easier to remove gunk, it also creates an ideal environment for the growth of harmful bacteria. University of Arizona researchers established that kitchen sinks harbor greater quantities and more harmful bacteria than the garbage can or toilet.

With that context, leaving dishes in the kitchen sink for hours doesn’t sound like a good idea. Instead, dishes must be washed as soon after use as possible. The kitchen sink should be regularly sanitized.

• Old Kitchen Sponge

Leaving dishes in the sink for hours or days is a bad practice but if it’s any consolation, at least the dishes do get washed eventually. It’s hard to say the same for the kitchen sponge. Yes, it’s used for scrubbing the dishes and the assumption is that it becomes clean in the process but how often do you take the time to wash the kitchen sponge itself?

That’s what makes an old cleaning sponge a health hazard. One study in Germany examined kitchen sponges and discovered they contained a high number of disease-causing germs. Best practice is to replace the sponge often or microwave it for about a minute after use.

• Allowing Dust Accumulation

Of the different types of dirt that pile up in the home, dust is the one you are most likely to ignore. A barely visible dust layer on shelves, tables and electronics is far less dramatic than old unsightly dishes or a smelly uncleaned toilet. Yet, dust can be just as hazardous if left unremoved.

In one study, researchers found indoor dust carried more than 40 distinct compounds that can lead to reproductive toxicity, endocrine disruption and cancer. The worst thing about allowing dust to gather is that it’s so easy to clean. Just a single wipe with a damp cloth everyday should do the trick.

• Ignoring Clutter

It’s virtually impossible to have no clutter around you at all times especially in the home. A small amount of clutter is an understandable element of daily living. However, there is such a thing as too much clutter. Excessive clutter can actually affect your mental health. Think about how you feel whenever you are in a space surrounded by plenty of unorderly stuff. If you are like most people, you’ll feel trapped, burdened, anxious and despondent.

The role of disorderly and chaotic spaces in hindering clear thought and productivity has been known for many years. Eastern cultures have the concept of ch’i where the amount of positive energy in a room is partly determined by the level of order and organization. To keep your mind calm and clear, get rid of clutter as soon as it starts to gather.

• Inadvertently Removing the Good

Whenever we hear the term ‘bacteria’ in a conversation, it’s often in negative light. This masks the reality which is that there’s more good bacteria in the world than bad. Cleaning that eliminates good bacteria isn’t beneficial to your health. Also, in certain instances, tiny amounts of bad bacteria are actually good because they bolster immunity.

Ergo, there’s no need to for example excessively scrub your food items or constantly apply hand sanitizer. Ingesting small amounts of dirt with food helps protect our digestive system from pathogens, parasites and toxins.

Don’t wait until you or your loved ones fall ill. Change your cleaning habits today and make your home a safer place.