7 habits that are making your home dirtier
We all like to keep a clean home, or at least we try. But because we can’t see bacteria it’s difficult to tell how clean certain surfaces really are, or whether we’re actually making things worse.
You read that right, some of our cleaning habits can make your home dirtier. And because we can’t see the bacteria, we’re unaware of the scale of the problem. Keen to know what we’re talking about? We’ve rounded up seven habits which are making your home dirtier to give you an idea.
1. Failing to clean the mop
A lot of us forget to clean our cleaners, whether it’s the washing machine or dishwasher. But when was the last time you cleaned your mop head? Because mops are so affordable and tend to be ‘out of sight, out of mind,’ we forget how many germs they can harbour if we fail to to clean them.
Research from Dyson has shown that 32% of people use a mop head for at least half a year before deciding to replace it. While one in 10 think it’s fine to use the same mop 100 times before swapping it over. What’s even more concerning is that 41% won’t refill the bucket with fresh water until it looks visibly dirty. All this amounts to dirt and bacteria being spread across your floors as you attempt to clean them.
So what should you be doing? Generally, you should be mopping your hard floors every few weeks, although more often may be necessary depending on footfall and pets. You should also only mop after you’ve vacuumed, otherwise the debris would add to the dirt you’re spreading around, and you could potentially scratch your floors too.
As you mop, you should replace the water in the bucket between rooms. You should also wash mop heads between every use; keeping more than one can help with rotation.
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2. Pushing food down the drain
No matter how thorough we are when we scrape our plates, some food always ends up down the kitchen sink. Whether you’re soaking the final bits of cereal in a bowl, or a rogue pea has escaped the scrape, bits and bobs will end up sitting around the plug hole.
You might just don a rubber glove and remove it by hand or grab a piece of kitchen paper if you’re squeamish. The trouble with this is you might press some of the smaller pieces through into the drain, especially if your plug hole is exposed. It’s better to use a strainer to catch any ruminants and then carry it over to the bin for removal before replacing.
Whatever you do, don’t rinse any food remnants straight down the drain. It can collect here and contribute to blockages and smelly drains, which can be difficult to fix. Keep oil out of your drains too; this will solidify once it cools to clog your drains. Dispose of it properly instead. Sink strainers are widely available if you need to purchase one, such as the Tomario Kitchen Sink Strainer.
3. Flushing the toilet with the lid open
Flushing the toilet is something we do without even thinking about it. But you might want to consider your habits here. If you leave the lid open, you’re spreading a lot of airborne bacteria, and seeing that your toothbrush likely sits near a toilet, this is the last thing you want.
Droplets are dispersed into the air when your toilet is flushed with the lid open, and it can reach further than you’d think. According to computer simulations, 40-60% of particles can be dispersed above the toilet seat, reaching heights as high as 106.5cm off the ground. Such particles can potentially spread bacteria from faecal matter which promotes disease, such as E.coli, so it’s better to keep this plume contained.
The solution to this is simple; be sure to close the lid before flushing. Most modern toilets have the flush button behind the lid to encourage this, but for traditional toilets, it may be on the side or the top. So you may want to encourage all household members, particularly children, to close the lid before they flush in the future.
4. Making the bed
I used to love making my bed first thing in the morning, it felt like the right way to start the day. Unfortunately, this too is a bad habit to pick up. We sweat every night, and leave behind dead skin cells, drool and oils from our bodies and skin care products. By making your bed in the morning, you’re effectively trapping in all that heat and moisture, which encourages bacterial growth and attracts dust mites too.
New research from Churchill Home Insurance found that bed sheets harbour more bacteria than the toilet seat. The study found very high levels of Streptococcus and moderate levels of Enterobacter as well as yeast and mould in the average bed sheets. So it’s essential that sheets are routinely cleaned (at least once every two weeks) and aired between uses.
To air your sheets, pull back the covers completely, fluff up your pillows to open up the fibres, and ventilate the room by opening doors and windows. Do this for a few hours every morning. When the time comes to wash the sheets, do so at 60 degrees to kill any bacteria.
5. Leaving laundry in the washing machine
It’s not uncommon to leave laundry sitting in the washing machine once it’s finished. This is easy to do with all the other distractions around the home. A housemate of mine once did this and left it sitting overnight. When we opened the drum the next morning, we were greeted with a horrible musty smell. One which seemed to linger in the drum.
That’s because the combination of moisture, soap residue and a lack of ventilation, all create the perfect environment for bacterial growth. It might not be obvious to the eye, but you will certainly smell the consequences. Mould can develop in the rubber seal as well as in the pipes of your machine, not to mention on the clothes themselves, so you’ll want to keep on top of it by emptying the machine as soon as it’s finished and leaving the door and detergent drawer opened when not in use to better ventilate.
Set an alarm on your phone if you tend to forget about the washing once it’s finished. Use a proprietary washing machine cleaner, such as Dr. Beckmann’s Service-It Deep Clean Washing Machine Cleaner every few months and run a service wash monthly to prevent mould growth.
6. Emptying the vacuum canister over the bin
If you use a bagged vacuum cleaner, you can skip this one. The dust and debris are contained when the time comes to empty it. But, when you empty the canister of a bagless vacuum cleaner, there’s an inevitable dust cloud which goes all over and around your bin; it seems pretty counterproductive when you’ve just spent all that time vacuuming.
There are a couple of solutions for this. First we recommend removing the bin lid to reach further inside the bin as you empty it. Alternatively, if you suffer from allergies, it might be better to take the bin outside and empty it there to avoid residual dust in the home. If you’re looking to upgrade your vacuum, some premium models can automatically empty themselves into dust bags once docked. The joint winner in our cordless vacuum cleaner test, the Samsung Bespoke Jet Pro Extra VS20A95973B/WA can do this.
7. Leaving damp laundry in the laundry basket
Whether you’ve just come in from the rain, or returned from a workout, it’s easy to bung damp items straight into the laundry basket; it’s going to be cleaned anyway, right? The problem with this is while items are sitting in the laundry bin, they’ve got the ideal environment for bacterial growth, especially if damp items are added to the mix.
This will start to smell all too soon, and unless you launder it on a hot wash setting at 60 degrees, which may damage the items (check the care label to confirm), there’s no guarantee you’ll kill the bacteria. Always let items dry fully before adding them to the laundry bin. You gym kit should always be washed as soon as possible to prevent bacterial growth.
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