Surprise! 3 Things in Your House That Are Dirtier Than Your Toilet

While nobody in their right mind would splash around in toilet water – it’s a haven for germs and bacteria – there are a few things in your home that are actually dirtier than your commode is… and you probably touch them every day.

Surprise! These 3 Things Are Dirtier Than Your Toilet Is

While toilets do make the “Top 10 Filthy Things in Your Home” list (we just made that up), these three things are as dirty or dirtier, even if you’re cleaning them fairly regularly:

• Carpet, mattresses and furniture
• The kitchen sink and sponge
• Doorknobs and light switches

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Carpet, Mattresses and Furniture

Carpet and furniture are free-for-all playgrounds for bacteria and germs, and a microbiology study showed that the average indoor carpet is about 4,000 times dirtier than a toilet seat – it can hold about 200,000 bacteria per square inch.

These regular household fixtures can even trap allergens – and you’re at particular risk if you wear your shoes in the house, which bring them in from outdoors and grind them deep into the carpet.

Your carpet, mattress and sofa can also harbor:

• Staphylococcus aureus
• Campylobacter
• Norovirus
• Fungi and mold
• Micrococcus
• Enterococci

The solution: Vacuum several times a week and have your carpets professionally cleaned at least every six months. (We can help you with regular maid service!)

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The Kitchen Sink

Your sink – and worse, your kitchen sponge – are huge hangouts for bacteria and germs. The bacteria comes off your plates, glasses and hands and deposits itself throughout the sink – but that pales in comparison to what’s on your sponge. Just one cubic centimeter of your kitchen sponge can be home to more than 5 x 10¹⁰ bacteria. That’s about seven times the number of people living on earth today. The worst part? Everything you’ve heard about microwaving your sponge or running it through the dishwasher is false – that can just encourage more bacteria to grow.

The solution: Don’t leave dirty dishes in the sink – put your leftovers directly into the trash can or compost bin. Wash out the sink after each use, and then sanitize the sink and faucet with a bleach wipe. Finally, replace your sponge every week.

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Doorknobs and Light Switches

According to Michigan State University, only 5 percent of people wash their hands thoroughly enough to kill germs after using the bathroom, so your doorknobs and light switches are festering with bacteria that could cause serious illness. If you have guests, you’re sharing their germs – and that’s not a very comforting thought, is it?

The solution: Wipe down doorknobs and light switches with antibacterial wipes every time you think of it. You can’t do it too often.

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Do You Need Help With Household Cleaning?

We can help you with routine chores and seriously in-depth cleaning jobs. Call us at 910-725-3226 (Southern Pines, NC), 706-256-8771 (Columbus, GA) or 843-491-5526 (Myrtle Beach, SC). We serve all the communities around each of these major cities, as well, and we’d love to give you a free house-cleaning estimate so you can focus on more important things.

Mack Maids’ cleaning services include:

• Housekeeping and laundry services
• Regular maid service
• Cooking services
• Extreme cleaning
• Window washing