Household Health Hazards

While most of us feel safe at home, there are potential health hazards in your abode. This is what you should know and what you can do to ensure your safety at home.

1. Always wash your hands after touching raw foods to avoid food poisoning. For example, many people use salt and pepper shakers during cooking after touching raw meat. It is recommended that you clean your salt and pepper shakers with an EPA approved disinfectant.

2. Laundry machines can spread intestinal viruses from underwear and towels to other clothing. You need to be particularly careful if you are using public machines. This usually happens when the water is not hot enough. It is recommended that you wash underwear and towels separately, and wash towels in water that's a minimum of 115 degrees.

3. The superbug MRSA is often transmitted by sharing items like towels. That's why sharing a wet towel with your significant other is a bad idea.

4. Your kitchen sponge is a magnet for germs. The best way to rid your sponge of germs is to put in the microwave on high for a minute, or to put it in the dishwasher. This will kill virtually all of the germs present.

5. Bedbugs are spreading all over the world, representing a growing health problem. If you are traveling, they may even be found in a swanky hotel, and you might inadvertently bring them into your home in your luggage. If you have traveled recently, you may want to wash everything in your luggage and even scrub your suitcase with a brush and vacuum it, especially if you have any bug bites.

6. Your laptop or computer keyboard is loaded with germs, in fact, far more than public toilet bowls! To keep it clean and minimize germs, it is recommended that you wipe your keyboard down with a disinfecting wipe daily.

7. Shower curtains and liners made of PVC plastic may release harmful chemicals into your bathroom. Use a shower curtain that does not contain PVC.

8. If your humidifier is not cleaned properly, it may spread germs into the air that can cause respiratory infections. If you have the humidifier in your room, clean it a few times a week. Use one part bleach to 19 parts water and let it sit for several minutes before rinsing.

9. Your doorknob can also collect a lot of germs since it gets touched so often. Use sanitizing wipes or sprays on your doorknobs frequently. If you can, put in copper doorknobs, since they carry far fewer germs.

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