Don’t Touch That! 7 Secretly Dirty Things We Touch Every Day

When we clean, we make sure to clean all the surfaces that we associate with dirt, grime, and food. We even clean floors, walls, and the occasional light fixtures, yet we ignore some of the most unsanitary objects in our living space! We either assume some of these things are clean after a quick wipe down or use them so often that we just don’t think about cleaning them in the first place.

Most of these are right in front of our noses and are luckily relatively easy to fix. Check out these 7 filthy things you touch every day!

Cell Phone – This first one is the one you probably handle the most! Most people use their phone so often that the thought of it being a haven for germs doesn’t cross their minds. Yet there can be more bacteria on a phone than on a toilet seat! So before you bring your phone to your face again, consider wiping it down with something that will sanitize all its surfaces, not just de-smudge the screen.

Pillow – Think about it: night after nigh, you keep your head on this one spot, yet you don’t clean it as often as the clothes you wear daily, which get thrown in the wash! Over time, dead skin cells, natural body oils, pollens, and other forms of dust build up and make your pillow one of the dirtiest spots in your living space. Be sure to wash your pillow regularly and replace it around every six months!

Money – Almost all of us handle cash and change every day. We often even hold bills less than 24 hours, receiving them from one source and handing them back off a few hours later. In that time, the bill comes in contact with multiple people and multiple other bills carrying just as many germs and bacteria. Be sure to wash your hands immediately after handling money! Extra tip: sanitize your credit cards to keep them from harboring bacteria.

Kitchen Sponge – There’s something strange about the object you use to clean the kitchen being so dirty. Yet if you read our last blog, you know that’s where the germs make their last ditch effort to spread! The kitchen sponge comes in contact with so many different kinds of bacteria that it’s a breeding ground for new growth. Be sure to swap out your sponge every few days at the absolute longest!

Showerhead – Here’s another thing that’s supposed to clean that’s a haven for germs and bacteria! While on the outside you may keep your showerhead clean, the dark, warm, and wet inside is the perfect place for germs to grow. Keeping this one at bay is a bit more complicated. You’ll have to disconnect the showerhead in order to scrub what you can reach and soak what you can’t. Use a strong cleaner to kill the germs and reattach and reseal the head using a waterproof caulk to keep it working as it should!

Restaurant Menus – When you go to a restaurant, you’re going with everyone who’s had that menu before you! Even if it looks clean, it’s like money. You know a bunch of people have handled it before you and it hasn’t been washed since. Keep a small packet of wet sanitizing wipes with you to clean the menu before you handle it! Plus, you can make sure your hands are ready to handle food as well.

Faucet Handles – Whenever you go to a sink, it’s because something is dirty. When you go to turn on the faucet, you transfer the germs from your hands to the handles but don’t wash the handles before you shut off the water. This lets the germs just sit and wait for the next person to do the same thing! So how can you keep them clean? Turn them on and off with a paper towel. You’ll keep your hands from contaminating the surface on the way in and from getting contaminated on the way out!

Bacteria and germs are around us every day. No matter how many precautions you take, you will be exposed to germs and bacteria. So whenever you’re coming in contact with a dirty object, be smart! Wash your hands after using it and keep your hands away from your eyes, nose, and mouth. And don’t forget to sanitize on top of cleaning! Head over to US Wiping at http://uswiping.com/ for all your cleaning and sanitizing needs!

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9 Simple Cleaning Tips to Keep Cross Contamination in Check

Whether you’re in the car, at work, or at home, cleaning is an essential part of your living routine. But did you know that conventional cleaning methods might not be getting the job done correctly? Improper cleaning could even lead to cross-contamination, the spreading of dirt and germs from one source to another. Your food contaminants from the kitchen don’t belong in the living room, but you could be unknowingly carrying them there!

So how do you prevent cross-contamination? Here are 9 tips to keep your living spaces as clean as possible!

Quick Clean – Kitchen and bathroom counters are the most important locations to hit with this tip. Setting a toothbrush, a bar of soap, a dirty utensil or dish, or food can contaminate that surface, allowing bacteria to begin growing, ready to be swept up by the next thing or person to touch it. Prevent this by wiping up any residue right away!

Germ Prevention – Keep hand sanitizer and wipes easily accessible in high traffic locations, and put down dirt-trapping rugs in entryways. Keeping dirt and germs out of the space in the first place helps keep them at bay for when it’s time to begin cleaning the right way!

Mighty Microfiber – Regular cotton towels and cleaning products don’t pick up dirt and residue nearly as well as microfiber cleaners. Because of its synthetic engineering, microfiber is meant to pick up any dirt and residue and hold on to it! Cotton towels and rags will only push dirt around and will drop it on other surfaces if used in multiple locations. So swap out those old cotton rags with some long-lasting and effective microfiber towels!

Swap Your Towels – It’s handy to have a kitchen towel on hand to clean up accidental spills and messes. Just be sure to swap it out for a clean one frequently! Especially if it gets wet, it can be a hotbed for mold and bacteria and will spread them to surfaces it touches. Throwing it in the wash and replacing it regularly can help prevent its dirt from getting on other surfaces!

Color Coordinate – Have multiple colors of microfiber towels on hand so you can organize your rooms and surfaces by color! Keep blue towels in the kitchen, red in a bathroom, white in the living room, etc. This way, you can ensure that any germs in one room won’t be able to hitch a ride on your cleaning products to other parts of your living space!

Sanitize Surfaces – It’s not enough just to clean. After you’ve eliminated all the grime on surfaces, make sure you sanitize them with something strong enough for the job! After you’ve applied it, make sure you let it air dry. Sanitizing cleaners need time to do their job, and drying them off prematurely lets bacteria and germs survive on a surface you thought was sanitary!

Touch Points – Hand hotspots such as door handles and switches can carry germs and dirt like no other spot in the living space. Wipe down those surfaces with cleaning and sanitizing agents. Be sure to do these last so you don’t re-contaminate the surfaces when leaving the room!

Keep Yourself Clean – Your own hands could be carrying germs from one space to another without you realizing it! Be sure to thoroughly wash your hands after cleaning each space to avoid cross-contamination. Once you’re done cleaning, wash out and sanitize any sinks you may have used to wash your hands to keep those clean as well!

Try New Things – New cleaners and cleaning methods are being introduced all the time that are designed with your health in mind. Using old cleaning tactics ignores the existence of germs only recently discovered. By using new products and techniques, you can ensure you’re getting the deepest and safest clean!

In order to lead a healthy and productive lifestyle, you want to ensure the spaces you spend your time in are keeping you as healthy as possible, whether it’s your home, car, or workspace! By keeping them clean, you’re doing yourself a big favor. And by using US Wiping products, you’re making sure that what looks clean really is! Check us out today at http://uswiping.com/ for all your cleaning needs – we have so many fantastic cleaning products for you to use, including color-coordinated microfiber towels!