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8 Ways Your Home Could Be Making You Sick

Your home is your domain. In your house, you’re Lord of the manor. You are the King of your castle, aren’t you? Far be it for us to point out that your crib may be less spectacular than King’s Landing, but there are things in your home lurking around every corner, that may be making you sick. 

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From bacteria and mold to dust mites, your home’s harmful inhabitants could be the reason you can’t kick that cough. You may even be the catalyst to some of the problems that are taking you out of the game, considering The U.S. Department of Labor’s finding that only 22 percent of men report doing any kind of daily housework. 

But don’t worry, your house isn’t out to get you. If you keep catching every cold, flu and virus that swings around the workplace, your house might actually be screaming out to you to look closely at the perils you’re oblivious to every day. It’s time to get as serious about your home as your diet and workout routine. Here are the top eight ways your house, and what’s in it, could be making you sick and how to avoid them. 

P.S. You will want to look out for these during hotel stays, too.

1. Remote Control

Say it isn’t so! Not your TV — not your trusted chill-time companion. Unfortunately, your television’s remote control is a great place for bacteria to multiply since it is typically left unchecked and uncleaned. A recent study by the American Society of Microbiology found that remote controls were among the dirtiest surfaces in hotel rooms that are usually cleaned daily.

When was the last time you cleaned your remote control? Don’t answer that. Instead, get yourself an antibacterial wipe and wipe that clicker down ASAP! You’ll be avoiding exposure to E. coli, fecal matter and staphylococcus, to name a few of the potential dangers, and you can get back to guilt-free Netflix bingeing in no time. 

2. Dishwasher

You may not spend a ton of time loading and unloading this bulky apparatus in your kitchen, but it can be a serious culprit to making you sick, whether you’re being dutiful with your chores or just reaching for a supposedly clean plate to load up with some nachos. Research published in the journal of Applied and Environmental Microbiology suggests that dishwashers are a magnet for fungus and bacteria.

It may be called a washer, but that doesn’t mean you don’t have to clean it. Consider pouring some dishwasher cleaner into your empty washer, run a full cycle and you’re good to go. If you don’t want to buy a cleaner, some people put a cup of white vinegar into an empty machine for a full cycle and find it sparkling clean thereafter. 

3. Carpet

You may not think your carpet is a danger to your health and wellness, but it turns out that it can be scarier than a Backstreet Boys reunion tour. A 2015 study at the Institute of Medicine, Tribhuvan University, Nepal, discovered that workers in a carpet factory exhibited impaired pulmonary function from exposure to formaldehyde (a known carcinogen) and other dangerous chemicals found in the carpets.

If you have wall-to-wall carpet, you could be experiencing similar symptoms. It turns out that your partner’s nagging to get you to install hardwood floors may be a good idea after all.  

4. Dust 

If the last time you dusted was when your mother told you to do it in your childhood home, this one is for you. Dusting may not be the most glamorous of household chores, but it’s necessary. Why? Other than the obvious issue of breathing it in, dust also carries dust mites. These unseen, pesky critters can impair your breathing. In addition to that, research published by the International Scholarly Research Notices concluded that dust mites weaken the immune system over time.

How do you beat them? Dust your home! Swiffer products are inexpensive and easy to use, and we won’t judge you if you break out the occasional Harry Potter pose in the process. Air purifiers can also help improve air conditions and reduce dust from the air in your home.

5. Showerhead 

This one may come as a surprise but that moment of Zen you get every morning in the shower may be a lot less good for you than you previously thought. Research published by the University of Colorado at Boulder, discovered several alarming things hiding in your shower head. Among the most shocking were significant levels of Mycobacterium avium, which is a pathogen that is linked to tuberculosis and pulmonary disease.

Many household cleaners can help clean your shower head, but your best bet is to remove the head from the pipe it’s connected to and wash it with a toothbrush to assure best results. 

6. Bed & Bedding

Your bed is the place where you go for rest, refuge and relaxation when you’re feeling run down and under the weather, but it could be what’s causing those problems in the first place. While most people focus on their muscles and joints when it comes to bed health, many don't realize how the cleanliness of their bed can affect their health, too. Studies have shown that the average pillowcase alone can hold up to 12 million units of harmful bacteria after four weeks without a wash.

To avoid sleeping in a pile of germs, try washing pillowcases and sheets at least once a week, wash your mattress regularly throughout the year, and consider taking a shower before hopping into bed. 

7. Vacuum Cleaner 

The betrayal never ends! Here is another tool that you have for the sole purpose of cleaning your home and removing elements that may make you sick, but it, too, can shockingly make you wreak havoc on your health. Perhaps we shouldn’t be so surprised, though. We use vacuum cleaners to whisk away a lot of the stuff we wish we didn’t have in our home so it only stands to reason that it would be harboring a lot of that material without proper maintenance.

Research published in Applied and Environmental Biology found that the contents of the bag in your Hoover may contain antibiotic-resistant bacteria that can live for up to two months. Our advice is to toss the bag promptly when it is full and give the vacuum a good rub down with an antibacterial wipe.  

8. Kitchen Utensils

This one may seem obvious — knives have been weapons for as long as they’ve existed — but there’s something less obviously harmful hiding in your utensil drawer. According to researchers at the University of Georgia, bacteria can latch onto knives, forks, graters and other utensils and subsequently transmit stuff like E. coli to the next thing they’re used on. Cross-contamination is a real thing and it starts with your food.

Always make sure to clean all the food you’re using in your cooking. From there, make sure to clean your utensils before any use. Even if you’re cutting tomato for a salad and then want to chop some lettuce to complete the dish, you should wash the knife after you’re done with the tomato, before moving onto the lettuce.  

Your house may be full of things that could be detrimental to your health, but if you follow these tips, you’ll escape these hazards and truly be King of your castle once again. You can thank us later.

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via https://www.DMTBeautySpot.com

Michael De Medeiros, Khareem Sudlow