The shower. Bacteria are everywhere:from the walls to the curtain, through the shower head but especially in the siphon (up to 1 million). So we clean regularly. Toothbrush. Up to 100 million bacteria! And be careful with the toilets in the bathroom:when you flush the bacteria can be propelled very far and contaminate the toothbrush! Rinse it well after use and shake it before putting it away.
The toilet seat. Washed regularly, there are just 8 bacteria per cm2*! It's almost the cleanest place in the house. Clean the bowl and bezel with hot water and detergent and rinse. We disinfect with bleach, without forgetting the brush!
The cutting board. Up to 200 times more bacteria than the toilet seat*. Especially salmonella, listeria, staph. They nestle in furrows and love wooden planks. Rub with a hard-bristle brush in hot water with washing-up liquid. The sink. Up to a million bacteria nestled in the siphons, colonized by pseudomonas which can be a source of infection. Pour bleach into the siphon, leave to act for 1/4 hour and rinse. Sponges. Sponges, often damp, are breeding grounds for bacteria, including E. coli. Clean, rinse and wring well after use, and disinfect from time to time in a bleach-based solution.
Computer keyboard/remotes and telephone. Up to 100,000 bacteria per cm2 and up to 500 different bacteria, including staphylococcus. The solution to eradicate them? The disinfectant wipe. Door handles. Hello E. Coli, if we don't wash our hands! But little risk if you clean from time to time with a disinfectant wipe.
The pillow/mattress. Here, more than thirty species (including Staphylococcus aureus)! And with our sneezes, tears, coughs… we maintain a real zoo. Every three months, you wash your pillow and air out the room.
* ACCORDING TO A STUDY BY DR CHARLES GERBA FOR THE UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA. THANK YOU TO DR GRANDBASTIEN, INFECTIOUS RISK MANAGEMENT DEPARTMENT AT THE CHRU DE LILLE, AND TO FRANCIS REDJEM, HYGIENE TRAINER AT FORMA-COM .
We are in contact with these bacteria every day, but we do not necessarily fall ill. bacteria are not all dangerous and their presence only becomes critical after a certain threshold, i.e. a few million… OK, a few billion. So if you have an immune system at the top, it's okay, but you'll be careful if there are fragile people at home.
