When we clean, we often trust our eyes to tell us when we’re done. The problem with that is that our eyes aren’t strong enough to see all the germs that might be left behind. Germs are sneaky, they like to hide everywhere but especially hard to reach places and they stick to all types of surfaces. The bathroom sink and kitchen counter tops are germ filled hot spots that harbor nasty bacteria and viruses. These germs are spread in more places than you can imagine with children being the main culprit, they are mobile germ spreading machines!
Recently, the Clorox Company and global public health organization NSF International conducted a study in homes of parents with young children. Samples from five commonly touched surfaces were analyzed and the results were thought provoking at the very least. Bacteria and viruses were found on all five of the surfaces tested! The results showed there were many misconceptions regarding germs and where they are the most prominent. In fact, the surfaces that parents thought to be the least germy showed to have the most germs of those tested.
The bathroom sink harbors the most germs! The water and soap might wash down the drain, but germs are stubborn and stick around. More than half of the parents surveyed ranked kitchen countertops and kitchen drawer knobs as some of the germiest surfaces. The study results showed that as much as four times as many households had bathroom sinks that were by far more germ covered than kitchen locations. The bathroom faucet handle also showed more germs and viruses.
Make sure to tackle and disinfect germ hot spots with Clorox products to help keep your family as healthy as you can. You can also follow the below recommendations to further safeguard your family from germs. Remember to visit Clorox.com/GermsStick for more on preventing the spread of germs. The site also features some fun activities for your family.
Tips for Staying Healthy
- Get Vaccinated: Getting a yearly flu vaccine is the first and most important step in flu prevention. The CDC recommends that everyone six months and older get a flu vaccine each year to protect against the flu.
- Stay Home When Sick: If possible, keep kids home from school when they are sick to help prevent teachers and classmates from catching their illness.
- Sing & Scrub: Make sure kids wash their hands the right way. They should wash hands frequently with warm water and soap for at least 20 seconds (the time it takes to sing the “Happy Birthday” song twice).
- Do the Elbow Cough: Teach kids to cough and sneeze into elbows instead of your hands to help prevent the spread of germs by touch.
The Germy Lowdown
What tips can you share to help keep away the germs?
