I've heard before that your kitchen holds more germs than your bathroom which was a big shock to me.
There was an article in the Star Advertiser (reprinted from the Chicago Tribune) a couple of days ago listing different places where germs are found in abundance. It stated that shopping carts carry 115 times more germs than a toilet seat. Your kitchen dish sponge carries about 775,460, 560 bacteria per square inch. I've been putting our sponges in the dishwasher, but they advise against it because it just spreads the bacteria to your dishes. Really? Apparently the better thing to do is to put it in the microwave and zap it for 30 seconds.
Your kitchen faucet carries 228,854 germs per square inch. To be honest I hadn't thought about the faucet.
I clean all around it and spray bleach cleaner into the sink, but I haven't made a conscious effort to actually clean the faucet. It makes sense since that's what we handle the most.
Then there's the keyboard, the remote, the phone.... arrrrghhhhhh....
Then again, if we're too clean, are we weakening our bodies by not allowing it to build immunities?
Damned if you do, damned if you don't.
There was an article in the Star Advertiser (reprinted from the Chicago Tribune) a couple of days ago listing different places where germs are found in abundance. It stated that shopping carts carry 115 times more germs than a toilet seat. Your kitchen dish sponge carries about 775,460, 560 bacteria per square inch. I've been putting our sponges in the dishwasher, but they advise against it because it just spreads the bacteria to your dishes. Really? Apparently the better thing to do is to put it in the microwave and zap it for 30 seconds.
I clean all around it and spray bleach cleaner into the sink, but I haven't made a conscious effort to actually clean the faucet. It makes sense since that's what we handle the most.
Then there's the keyboard, the remote, the phone.... arrrrghhhhhh....
Then again, if we're too clean, are we weakening our bodies by not allowing it to build immunities?
Damned if you do, damned if you don't.
Where in all this germ-worry do we get to simply enjoy life? It does get frustrating so best not to read.
ReplyDeleteThat's interesting about the sponges. Into the microwave they go from now on! Thanks for the information, Kay. :-)
ReplyDeleteI think I'll go microwave my kitchen sponge right now!
ReplyDeleteThis kind of info makes it a wonder to me that we are not all deathly ill. I like to think that at least a few germs are good for us....and then I hear one of these kinds of reports about the germs in hotel rooms. Ugh!
ReplyDeleteI think yu summed it all up with the last sentence!
ReplyDeleteMy mother always told us when we were kids that we had to eat a bushel of dirt before we die. After reading this, I believe it!!!
ReplyDeleteIcky. I do believe that some germ exposure is necessary so we develop an immunity. The body's defenses have evolved for a reason, and they do say too much anti-bacterial just generates stronger germs. I do microwave my sponge though.
ReplyDeleteWell most germs enter through the nose, so just wash your hands and you'll be alright
ReplyDeleteDust keeps until we get to it!
ReplyDeleteI'd heard that the dirtiest spot is the little round blade on the electric can opener! And how many times a year do we clean it?
I just saw a sponge holder with two levels, labeled "clean" and "evil". One is to set the sponge for doing the evil, dirty dishes, and the clean one is for everything else....hmmmm. I think there are bigger things in the world that will get us before germs.....cars, planes, evil people's actions, etc.
Maybe when your Mom cooks with sake, all problems are resolved!
I'd say enjoy Paradise! DrumMajor
some info it's better not to know...lol!
ReplyDeleteMicrowaving the sponge sounds like a good idea. I know I picked up some kind of germ on Tuesday, and I thought it might have been in the doctor's waiting room. I was so sick yesterday, even Dick could tell by looking at me. I've always hated doctors' offices and hospitals because of the germs, but I never thought my kitchen was worse than my bathroom. Ugh.
ReplyDeleteK
Kay, I just thought you might enjoy something I wrote 4 years ago....
ReplyDeletehttp://kaimhanta.blogspot.in/2009/01/latest-dirt-on-dirt.html
I have taken 5 different antibiotics since August of last year, and my doctor now thinks I have become drug resistant to them. This could mean death if I ever catch pneumonia. A few drug resistant germs could kill me.
ReplyDeleteI wash my sponge and put it out on the deck in the sun.
ReplyDeleteI am more concerned these days about produce in grocery stores that is set out uncovered. Many people love to fondle fruit and vegetables, and I would rather not share their germs with them. It's a rude thing to do but quite common.
The most important thing: If you have been out somewhere, immediately wash your hands when you get home.
I think a little germ is beneficial but not a lot. It helps to keep spritzing my fingers with alcohol. I know it may not be good for my skin, but I feel better after touching questionable places in public. Another is the handles on my own purse. My mother used to wipe down my purse the minute I stepped in the house when I came home from school. She even wiped all the canned goods and washed all the fruits after bringing it home from the supermarket. (Guess where I got my OCD from?) Lately I've been labelling "best use by" dates on canned and boxed foods since I'm stockpiling more food but I don't wipe down everything like she did and I don't think it matters that much germwise.
ReplyDeleteL...w
I leave germs alone and they leave me alone. We rub along comfortably.
ReplyDeleteI wash dishes by hand, and zap the sponge cloth in the Microwave. We use the hand sanitizer at the grocery store. I drive David nuts as I carry them in my pocket book and make him clean his hands before he touches the steering wheel. We still wash the milk cartons. Dianne
ReplyDeleteYes, I have read about microwaving the sponge...but I usually am about to throw mine away by then. I try to keep the kitchen as clean as possible. Regarding germs, we are going to get them everywhere we go, so might as well make your kitchen as clean as possible. I have heard that remote controls in hotels and handles on shopping carts are the worst!
ReplyDeleteWe use brushes instead of sponges, and put the brushes in the dishwasher after use.
ReplyDeleteI clean thoroly a couple of times a year. I take all those little parts on the sink apart and clean the black stuff off them too. Yuck.
ReplyDeleteWill probably try the microwave trick. Thanks. I do think a few germs are good. It helps up build up an immunity to disease.
ReplyDeleteI sometimes think that the media reckon that their main job is to scare us. If we took notice of everything we read we'd be nervous wrecks, never knowing what to touch, eat or drink. Having reached the ripe old age of 64 without catching any serious illnesses from my kitchen, bathroom or car steering wheel I think I'll go on considering that clean is clean enough. In fact, thinking about it, my most serious stomach problems have come from eating something that is considered to be healthy and good for you - wheat. I'll stick to my grandmother's adage - you've got to eat a peck of germs before you die - though it really doesn't seem to mean very much!
ReplyDeleteHi Kay! Not being the neatest "pup in the litter," my brother used to tell me that my son would have a good immune system from his daily exposure to our household's clutter. He may have been right! I'm agreeing with Arkansas Patti.
ReplyDeleteHi Cousin! Thanks for letting me know who you are. Too funny! Looking forward to seeing you next week.
DeleteI know where the worst germs are, on my grandkids! Day care, junior kindergarten. We always get sick when they visit and we aren't in tip top shape!
ReplyDeleteEwwwww!!!!!! Like you say, damned if we do and damned if we don't :)
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