Some germs hide ….visibly. It is time to make them go away from your life.
Is there any symbol which is close to the idea of purity than the snowflake going down from the sky and melting tenderly on your hand? Well, Science magazine feels like ruining this pleasure for us too, saying in an article that most raindrops or water crystals of frozen water which fall o our planet contain bacteria called Pseudomonas syringae.
If bacteria attack even snow men, what are our chances to escape from them? In reality the chances are quite high, as long as we know the spaces in which germs live and if we eliminate them before harming us. Here is the newest list of places (and persons) which are more contagious than they seem.
The vacuum cleaner
The threat
The researchers from the Arizona University recently discovered that all the vacuum brushes contain mould spores, and in half of them there are excrement bacteria (including E-coli). Vacuuming can transfer the germs from the contaminated surfaces on the uncontaminated ones (for example, from the kitchen to the dining room).
The solution
Spray the brush with a disinfecting solution after each use, because the bacteria can live in the vacuum for up to five days after you have cleaned the sack. And if we are talking about this, it looks like sacks made for one use favor the development of bacteria, so invest in a vacuum cleaner without a sack.
The gloves used at the gym
The threat
A research conducted in 2004, in Japan, showed that staphylococcus gets attached to polyester, fabric used for most types of gloves. Including the MRSA (the golden staphylococcus), that wonders through the cloakrooms of all the sportsmen. If you put your hand on the weightlifting and then you touch your eyes, your nose, or your mouth, the bacteria will easily get into the body.
The solution
Give up the gloves. And don’t do this just to get rid of germs. If you lift weights with your bare hands, you will have a better adherence and you will work your arms better. And if at the gym you go to there aren’t any disinfecting napkins or alcohol-based cleaning solution, ask the ones responsible to take care of this aspect.
Shopping carriage
The threat
Two thirds of the handles of the shopping carriages tested in 2007 by the specialists of the Arizona University proved to be contaminated with excrement bacteria. And there were many than they are usually found in a public toilette.
The solution
Clean the handle of the carriage with a disinfecting napkin before touching it. Don’t taste from the product samples which are being offered to you between the shelves – at least not without a toothpick. And put in bags the food which is not packed (bread, fruit, and vegetables) before putting them in the vehicle full of excrement bacteria. Meaning in your carriage.
Sports equipment
The threat
A research published in 2006 in the Clinical Journal of Sports Medicine states that at 63% of the equipments in the fitness gyms there are rhinoviruses (those that produce the cold). The authors of the study discovered that the strength machines are more contaminated than those of aerobics (73%, compared to 51%). More, they discovered that the number of viruses doesn’t decrease if you disinfect the machines twice a day.
The solution
Don’t pit your hand on your face during your workout. (Most colds are transmitted through the contact of the hand with the nose). And don’t forget to always have disinfecting wipes at you, your best friends when it comes to germs.
The restaurant menu
The threat
Have you ever seen anyone washing the menus? We didn’t think you did. A recent study published in the Journal of Medical Virology shows that the viruses of cold and flu can survive 18 hours on hard surfaces. If it is a popular place, you can get germs from hundreds of people.
The solution
Don’t touch the plate or the covers with the menu and wash your hands after you order. But how do you get out of the bathroom, without touching the door knob? Wipe your hands with a paper towel, than use it to open the door. And if you do this with style, no one will know how afraid you are of germs.
The flight attendant
The threat
The stewardesses are exposed to a lot of people who sneeze and cough, as well as to the surfaces they get into contact with. Besides, they use the same bathroom as the passengers. Dr Charles Gerba, author of a famous guide about cold and flu, tested some toilets from the commercial airplanes and discovered that all the surfaces inside, starting with sinks and finishing with doorknobs were contaminated with E-coli. Taking this thing into account, there is no wonder that you are a hundred times more predisposed to colds when you travel by plane.
The solution
Drink green tea. According to a research conducted in 2007 at the University of Florida, the persons who took a supplement with green tea essence for twice a day for a period of three months had three times less cold symptoms.
The bed
The threat
Most homes are extremely welcoming hosts for acarians, microscopic animals that live on the bed sheets and feed with dead skin cells. The excrements and the dead bodies of the acarians can produce allergies and can get you asthma.
The solution
Don’t make your bed. The researchers from the Kingston University from London discovered that acarians need a humidity level of 50% to survive. They can’t live in the dryness of a sheet in which someone has slept, but they will feel very good on a freshly made bed. Besides that, you can get a dehumidifier which would eliminate the dampness from the bedroom.
The lemon slice in the cocktail
The threat
A research published in Journal of Environmental Health shows that 70% of the fruit pieces put in the glasses from a bar contain germs. The authors of the research ordered 76 cocktails with lemon slices from 21 different restaurants and discovered on them 25 different microorganisms, including E coli and other excrement bacteria.
The solution
Tell the waiter not to pit fruits in your drink. Why take your chances?
The contact lens box
The threat
A research conducted in China discovered that 34% of the boxes for the contacts which were analyzed were full of germs like Serratia and golden staphylococcus. These microorganisms may produce inflammations of the cornea, called keratites, which, in time, can lead to blindness.
The solution
Wash daily the lens box with hot water, than change the solution. And change the box every three months. (It is preferable to buy a bottle of cleaning solution every month, even if you haven’t finished the one you have. Another Chinese study showed that the antibacterial effect of it considerably diminishes after two months.)
The shower curtain
The threat
The foam that seeps on it is more than unaesthetic. An applied microbiology study showed that vinyl curtains are truly germs’ heavens. They favor the appearance of some pathogen factors such as Sphingomonas and Methyl bacterium. “Besides, the water jet helps germs detach from the curtain and to fly through the air”, says the author of the study, Dr Norman Pace, molecular biology professor at the University of Colorado.
The solution
Buy a curtain of a textile fabric. Bacteria will gather on it too, but it is much easier to be cleaned than the vinyl version. You just put it in the washing machine and you set the highest temperature that the fabric can handle. Dr. Pace washes it once a month, but he advices those with a weak immunity system (to be read sick or stressed) to do this more often.
