Did you know that your kitchen sponge can contain more bacteria than your entire bathroom? Yikes, that’s even scarier than any movie you’ll watch during the spooky season! Even clean-home lovers can overlook the spaces in our homes that are the dirtiest. Locations like fabric bath mats, refrigerator door handles, and bathroom light switches are sneaky places that often get missed in the day-to-day cleaning. Today we’re sharing 6 of the dirtiest places in your home and how to keep them clean.
Bathroom Sink
Due to moisture from hot showers, it’s not surprising that the bathroom is a hotbed for germs. The bathroom sink is one area that is usually neglected in the weekly bathroom cleaning routine. Sure, you wipe down the counters, but what about the pool of water under your soap dispenser or the moisture around your toothbrush holder? Outside of the weekly disinfectant cleaning, we love the addition of the Dorai Sink Caddy to keep our bathroom sink free of unnecessary build-up and keep our toothbrush elevated from the counter.
Kitchen Sponge
If you know us, you know we are big fans of handwashing kitchen essentials. Kitchen sponges and scrubbers play a huge role in handwashing your favorite dishes. Unfortunately, kitchen sponges can be filled with more germs than items in your bathroom. There are multiple easy solutions to keep your kitchen sponge clean. Some of our favorite non-toxic cleaning hacks include:
- Place your wet sponge in a shallow microwave-safe container. Microwave your sponge for 5 minutes to help kill any germs currently living on your sponge.
- Place your sponge in a boiling pot of water and let it sit for 5 minutes.
- To clean your sponge naturally, soak it in full-strength vinegar for 5 minutes. Rinse the sponge thoroughly and let dry.
To maintain a clean kitchen, your sponges should be cleaned weekly and replaced monthly. Also, after using your sponge, make sure to air dry your dishes to limit bacteria!
Refrigerator Door Handle
The refrigerator door handle and other high-touch surfaces like the oven door are areas that are easy to forget when it comes to cleaning. We love entertaining family and friends in the kitchen, but that means multiple hands are often leaving germs when helping with food prep. Add it to your weekly cleaning routine to wipe down your refrigerator handle. Grab your favorite disinfectant wipe or non-toxic disinfectant spray and clean these areas frequently. While you’re at it, don’t forget to wipe down the inside of your refrigerator.
Light Switches
Every time you walk in and out of a room, you switch on the light. But have you ever cleaned your light switches? Especially during flu season, a quick wipe down of all your home light switches and covers is essential. Grab a microfiber cloth paired with your cleaner of choice and wipe down the area weekly or daily if anyone is sick in your home. If you want to clean the small crevices, use a Q-tip.
Fabric Bath Mats
Mold is a fungus that thrives in damp environments in the home, especially in areas such as bathtubs, shower curtains, and bath mats. No one likes stepping onto a soggy bath mat or walking into a bathroom that reeks of mildew. Preventing mold in damp areas with limited airflow is extremely difficult even with continual upkeep and cleaning. Our favorite cleaning tip for keeping bath mats clean is ditching the fabric bath mat and upgrading to the Dorai Bath Stone. Unlike traditional bath mats that absorb moisture and generate bacteria, the Bath Stone mat is designed to instantly remove water, actually helping prevent mold.
Home Office
Computer keyboards and phones are often used by multiple members of the household and rarely cleaned. We’re all guilty of eating at our desks or browsing while enjoying a bite, a recipe for getting sick during flu season! One of our favorite additions to our home has been the Homesoap which cleans electronics like phones, laptops, and remotes by using UV-C Light. When you’re done working for the day, put your high touch items in the Homesoap and it cleans in 10 minutes! If you’re not ready to make the jump to a Homesoap, use your go-to disinfecting cleaner daily while enjoying a 10-minute screen break (the amount of time it takes for most disinfectants to kill up to 99% of viruses and bacterias).
