7 common household objects that can harm your health ... even if you are unaware of it!
When we do the household cleaning we usually focus on the spaces and objects in the house that we use more often, such as the table, the kitchen plates, sofas or bathroom fixtures.
We do this without thinking that there are other objects and accessories at high risk of bacterial proliferation that many of us clean with too much superficiality.
Proper maintenance of the vacuum cleaner or regular replacement of the showerhead is as important as cleaning the floors! Here are seven objects or situations that can damage our health without you even realizing it.
Hidden mold
Mold develops easily in homes where there is humidity and very little exchange of air, and its excessive accumulation can cause various ailments. Various research links mold to the onset of coughs and respiratory ailments in healthy subjects, while in asthmatic subjects it can exacerbate the effects of the disease itself; even allergic reactions are not rare.
2. Can openers
Since a can opener comes into contact with food and after being used, it is often not cleaned thoroughly, the can opener can host fungal and moldy growths which are very harmful to our health. Before putting it back in the drawer, it should be washed with warm water and soap, to remove food residues, or put in the dishwasher.
Refrigerator compartments
Even if cold temperatures slow bacterial proliferation, refrigerator compartments are still a repository of germs. In the door trays, those in which we commonly place eggs, you can easily accumulate a lot of dirt. All the refrigerator compartments must be removed regularly and washed in hot water with soap. If they are too big, you can use the bathtub or the shower!
Showerheads
During a study by the University of Colorado, the experts analyzed 50 showerheads from various cities, finding the presence of a particular bacterium 100 times higher than its presence in running water. Every time we open the shower, we can spray our body with bacteria that have proliferated in the showerhead due to humidity. Frightening? Not at all ... Just clean the showerhead thoroughly while cleaning the bathroom, and maybe change it every six months.
Vacuum cleaners
As we all know, a vacuum cleaner is used to capture dust from the environment and to retain it using a filter bag. As it is easy to imagine, if this filter bag works badly or is full, it will not be able to retain all the dust particles. Result? The vacuum cleaner will become only a means to flush out the dust from the corners and then redeposit it back into the home environment, with enormous damage to the respiratory system of the occupants.
Bath mats
goblinbox_(queen_of_ad_hoc_bento)/Flickr
The bath mat can be a very risky hygiene accessory for two reasons. Firstly, because it is in a constantly humid environment, and then because we usually step on it with bare feet when we get out of the shower. The solution is to always hang it to dry after each use and clean it very often with wash cycles at high temperatures.
Blenders
Like a can opener, even a food blender is often not cleaned properly after its use, leaving micro-organisms to proliferate among its component parts. After use, a blender should always be disassembled! The upper part must be put in the dishwasher, the lower part must be washed with a damp cloth and detergent.
Sources: cdc.gov/mold | nsf.org | colorado.edu
