Germs. They are everywhere.
A healthy human body is designed to fight off germs when it encounters them. If you could see inside your body, you’d witness a battle raging everyday, as your immune system seeks to protect you from the harm these invisible little critters seek to inflict.
So why not help your body by giving it a few less battles to fight?
One of the easiest ways to keep those pesky germs at bay is actually as simple as soap and water: it’s hand washing. But it’s not just necessary after using the restroom, for germs lurk on common household items you might not even think of:
Cell Phones and Tablets: According to a 2013 British study, researchers analyzed 30 tablets and phones and compared them to a toilet seat. The tablets had up to 600 units of staphylococcus ( a big word for bacteria that causes severe stomach sickness) the phones resulted in up to 140 units, but the toilet? Less than 20 units.
Solution: clean your screen regularly and keep it out of the bathroom. You can play “Candy Crush” some other time. And wash your hands often.
Carpet: The average human sheds approximately 1.5 million dead skin cells every hour. (That fact alone sounds like the making of a horror movie, doesn’t it?) Bacteria thrives on dead skin cells. Those cells find their way to the carpet, where they mingle with things like pet dander, pollen, and tiny food particles. Approximately 200,000 bacteria live in each sq. inch of your toilet which is almost 700 times more than a toilet seat.
Solution: Carpets require a deep cleaning at least once a year to reach the base of the carpet and get that which a vacuum misses. And wash your hands often.
Keyboard: After swabbing only 33 keyboards in a London office, researchers found that that a computer laptop carries up to 5 times the germs of a toilet seat.
Solution: Clean surfaces and wash your hands often.
Purses and Backbacks: A purse or backpack is…wait for it…three times dirtier than a toilet seat. With regular use, a handbag is up to 10 times dirtier, especially the handles.
Solution: Keep all bags up and off the floor. Wash cloth bags regularly and use disinfectant wipes for plastic, vinyl or leather bags.
Oh and, you guessed it, wash your hands often.
spectrum healthcare ©2016
