10 Germiest Things in Your House

[JCY]

This item came across my MSN home page yest., so I clicked on it for a read. I thought it might be worth sharing. Maybe you'll give a 2nd thought to cleaning some of these items more frequently.

• Kitchen sponge. (I use a wash cloth style dish rag which I change daily.)
• Video game controller. (I suspect the TV remote is just as dirty.)
• Coffee maker reservoir.
• Tooth brush holder. (I run both the holders & tooth brushes through the dishwasher periodically.)
• Cutting board. (I use different cutting boards for meat & veggies. Both get scrubbed with a brush, soap, & hot water after use.)
• Cell phone.
• Stove knobs. (I clean mine frequently.)
• Purse handles. (Not sure how to adequately do this without ruining them. I once ruined mine with those disinfectant wipes.)
• Kitchen sink. (I'm really particular about this after every meat prep., like for chicken soup or ground turkey patties. I scrub the counters & every part of the sink, including removing the rubber gasket from the garbage disposer.)
• Pet bowls.

As a retired nurse, I'm pretty aware of germs & am careful about wiping down surfaces, faucet handles, etc., especially if someone is sick. With this coronavirus spreading, we all need to be more aware & taking precautions. I don't think we need to panic, just use common sense & good judgment.

[auntstuff]

Cat litter and barn shoes. All else pales

[KPH]

Good reminders, Joy.

[Simply Quilting]

I use vinegar to clean the Coffee maker reservoir. At least once per month, I run vinegar through the coffee maker then follow that with water a couple of times.

[auntiemern]

I use vinegar to clean the Coffee maker reservoir. At least once per month, I run vinegar through the coffee maker then follow that with water a couple of times.

Exactly what I do. Don't use sponges, except the ones I make that you can launder. I use bleach cleaner in my kitchen sink every day. Only use glass cutting boards that go in the dishwasher. I do suspect the remote has germs..but I do wipe it down with clorox wipes. I don't have pets, so no worries there.

[jjkaiser]

Good advice Joy! I would also add wiping down doorknobs, esp bathrooms, and salt and pepper shakers. Does anyone have an idea about stuff kept in fridge but used frequently like ketchup, mayo, salad dressing? I want to be vigilant but not ridiculous!

[SuzanneOrleansOntario]

Good tips and a great start.
I don't use sponges -- new dishcloth, dish towels and hand towels changed everyday. I also go around the house with disinfectant wipes on all the hand rails, light switches, door handles especially bathrooms after little visitors visit or either one of us is sick.

[201 Treadler]

• Kitchen sponge. (I use a wash cloth style dish rag which I change daily.)
• Video game controller. (I suspect the TV remote is just as dirty.)
• Coffee maker reservoir.
• Tooth brush holder. (I run both the holders & tooth brushes through the dishwasher periodically.)
• Cutting board. (I use different cutting boards for meat & veggies. Both get scrubbed with a brush, soap, & hot water after use.)
• Cell phone.
• Stove knobs. (I clean mine frequently.)
• Purse handles. (Not sure how to adequately do this without ruining them. I once ruined mine with those disinfectant wipes.)
• Kitchen sink. (I'm really particular about this after every meat prep., like for chicken soup or ground turkey patties. I scrub the counters & every part of the sink, including removing the rubber gasket from the garbage disposer.)
• Pet bowls.

thanks for reminders
we have no sponge,
coffee maker and tooth brush holder is getting worried😉
cutting boards goes in dishwasher
no knobs hobs steamed
steam clean purse or put in washer on low heat
kitchen sink bleached and steamed
pet bowls are rinsed and washed

watching 'bones' reminded us to change tooth brush position if loo in same room, apparently flushing can cause particles to get airborne😲 its not something considered. swiftly moving on.

[redcaboose1717]

Joy,
I do many of the same things you do. Everyone that visits my home thinks I'm weird but as a retired RN myself I understand where you're coming from. I have this thing about spraying the door knobs of the entire house (interior & exterior) doorknobs. I clean my bathroom everyday like it's spring cleaning time for other people. (I should have bough stock in Lysol Spray Rubbing Alcohol, Peroxide, Corn Starch, Baking Soda and Vinegar. I don't use a lot purchased cleaning supplies. Never have. For years my sisters thought I'd lost it cleaning the house with vinegar in a spray bottle. I clean my sinks and counters (all surfaces in the kitchen) with Vinegar, and I have a bottle of Baking Soda and vinegar to clean the stove top, the microwave, the sink, the fridge, etc.
I think it's hilarious that my sisters started asking me about my natural cleaning supplies. I actually save a lot of $$ doing this.
Joy when you mentioned how you clean your tooth brushes, I started out years ago, putting the toothbrushes in a pan of water & vinegar and letting the water come to a boil.

I also put Baking Soda in our shoes 1-2 times a week and let them set overnight.
************************************************** ***************
LASTLY...….the toothbrush thing. Years ago, my mom got on this kick of making us put the our tooth brushes in a toothbrush holder in the linen closet that was in the main bathroom in the house I grew up in. I don't remember where my mom learn about the toilet and all the germs being spewed all over when the toilet flushes....but just thinking about that when I visit someone else's home make me sick thinking about it LOL! I have a toothbrush holder that sits in my medicine chest and I don't know how many people end up asking me when they visit my home 2-3 times where our toothbrushes "are" LOL! I think that's funny....even though it makes me gag when I go to people's homes and see their toothbrushes in the holder above the sink out in the open....I never say anything to anyone!!!
I love it when I read how others are similar in how they clean their homes....I think we all have weird things we do.....and it's fun learning what or how other women clean or cook. I've sure learned a lot over the years from other women that's for sure!

[redcaboose1717]

You're right Joy.....a lot of people don't think about all the germy things in their homes! I am a germaphobe for sure.....I don't use commercial cleaning supplies at all. I use vinegar, baking soda, cornstarch (love using Cornstarch and water for cleaning windows) Rubbing Alcohol, etc.
When you mentioned about putting your toothbrushes in the dishwasher, I started out putting them in a pot of water to boil on the stove, but now put them in the dishwasher once a week. My mom never put the toothbrushes in those holders all the bathrooms seem to have in homes built in the 1960's,70's & 80's mom always had a toothbrush holder that she put in the linen closet on the bottom shelf. When I lived at home with my parents the linen closet was in the bathroom.

I do a lot of crazy things.....I put a little baking soda in our shoes a couple of times per week overnight too. I go around every day put some alcohol on a cloth and wipe down the doorknobs and the light fixtures, etc. People don't realize how many germs they carry home every day.
I think one of the worst habits I had to ask both husbands to stop doing was wearing a pair of jeans more than one day. My mom (and I do this too) had us changing clothes completely when we took showers and we usually took 2 showers every day....and I sometimes will take 3 showers depending on what I'm doing and I change all my clothes too. I think my hubby Terry was shocked at the amount of clothing I actually had when we came home after living in Germany for the first 21 months of our marriage. (I didn't take all my clothing of course but I still had a lot of clothes compared to what Terry had LOL! My mom was awesome when dressing her daughters as we grew into our teens. We had tons of clothing and everything matched. We had shoes and purses to match too. (I was known as a spoiled rich kid....but my parents weren't rich LOL!)
Does anyone remember those panties with the days of the week on them?

Anyway....Thanks for the memories (and of course my admitting to having a germ phobia!!!

[redcaboose1717]

Well, I've written a comment 3 times now, and the session timed out before I sent it....Grrrrr…….
Anyway, Thanks Joy....I do a lot of the same things you mentioned as well !
I think the toothbrush thing is one my pet peeves......I have never put the toothbrushes in those holders in the bathroom....they are in the medicine chest in a toothbrush holder with the
cabinet door shut.

OIPSink.jpg

[TMP]

Thank you Joy for posting that list. When I grew up we were not allowed to eat off of others plates or drink from the same container. I cringe when I see my grands sharing drinks or food. The one thing I do is keep extra tooth brushes and if I am sick I throw the old one away.

One of my pet peeves are the hand blow dryers in public rest rooms . It blows all the germs around . Who on earth could think saving a paper towel is worth that ?

[Carlie Wolf]

In one of the threads someone mentioned cornstarch as one of the things they use as a cleanser. I can't find it now but I thought it was here. I make a lot of my own things mainly because it's cheaper but cornstarch is not one of the things I've heard of. I will use it to make my own starch on occasion and also for gravies. What else are people using it for as a sanitizer or cleanser??? Anyone know?

[Paisley]

In one of the threads someone mentioned cornstarch as one of the things they use as a cleanser. I can't find it now but I thought it was here. I make a lot of my own things mainly because it's cheaper but cornstarch is not one of the things I've heard of. I will use it to make my own starch on occasion and also for gravies. What else are people using it for as a sanitizer or cleanser??? Anyone know?

I use cornstarch to clean my porcelain sinks. I mix 1 cup cornstarch with 1/2 cup water and I use it (dry) when we get an oil-based stain, before I put the clothing in the washing machine.

[grammaterry]

Seems like most of these things are common sense. I had a lady that stayed in our motel when we first opened it that told me she wouldn;t stay in a place that put the coffee pot in the bathroom of the hotel. I had never considered this but it was a true thought. I had stayed in many places where that was common. Of course, I had a coffee table in the rooms we rented so it wasn't an issue for us but I hadn't thought about it before she mentioned it.
Dishrags (clothes) go into the hamper after every use at our house. I keep a clorox diluted spray bottle to wipe down the counters . Door knobs, toilet paper holder, sink handles too.
I keep my purse in my car so it never comes into the house. I hate it when guests put their purse on my tables or furniture. I'd rather they put their shoes there.
I wish I had more energy to take the curtains down once a month but that chore has gone away with my aging. I'd rather sew than iron curtains.