5 cleaning myths that get in the way of real cleanliness
Miscellaneous / / July 31, 2021
These misconceptions not only prevent you from fighting dirt properly, but can even harm people and things in the house.
1. Cleaning makes the house sterile
Many people confuse cleaning itself with disinfection. When we treat surfaces with cleaning agents and detergents, we remove dust and various types of dirt from them.
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Mud is an excellent breeding ground for microbes, including pathogenic ones. Especially if it is of biological origin: fat, pieces of food, excretions of the human body. So after cleaning microorganisms are really getting smaller - we just remove them along with the dirt.
But part of this fauna still remains alive and completely unharmed. Therefore, if you want to get rid of bacteria, viral particles, fungus, helminth eggs and other nasty things, it is better to connect disinfection as well. For example, treat surfaces with steam, sterilize things that will not be harmed by boiling, and, of course, use disinfectants, that is, agents with antimicrobial properties.
Fighting germs is especially important when it comes to cleaning the bathroom, as well as objects and surfaces that we often touch: faucet valves, doorknobs, telephone, keyboard computer. And of course, if there is a person at home with infectious disease, treating places and items of common use with a disinfectant solution will help healthy family members not to get infected.
However, smearing the antiseptic on a dirty or dusty surface is ineffective from all points of view. Therefore, you first need to wash everything with soap or detergents - and only then disinfect.
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2. Bleach is a universal remedy
Experts note16 cleaning myths that are only making your home dirtier / Insiderthat chlorine-containing solutions work as disinfectants, but not all of them have a good cleaning ability and deal with dirt.
In addition, such products are not suitable for all surfaces. After them, light spots may remain on stainless steel, wood, painted furniture. Especially if you overdo it with bleach, keep it for a long time or wash it off poorly.
Finally, chlorine-containing solutions are not safe for health: they canT. Benzoni, J. D. Hatcher. Bleach Toxicity / StatPearls / U. S. National Library of Medicine irritate eyes, skin and respiratory tract, difficulty breathing. Particular care should be taken if there are small children in the family who can touch the floor washed with such a product, and then stick their hands in their mouths or rub their eyes with them.
Therefore, it is better to treat plumbing fixtures and tiles in the bathroom with bleach in any form, and use less toxic agents for floors and other surfaces in the house.
3. You can clean anything with vinegar
They are sometimes advised to wipe almost everything in the house, including the floor, plumbing, countertops, and leather furniture.
Vinegar is really great for cleaning windows or removing limescale from taps and sinks. But do not forget that this is an acid that can damage some surfaces, such as wood and granite.
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4. Dishwasher and washing machine wash themselves
And therefore, you do not need to additionally wipe them - they are already clean. Nevertheless, particles of food and fat remain in the dishwasher, and a wide variety of substances, including those of biological origin, remain in the washing machine. Therefore, both there and there they find 1. P. K. Raghupathi, J. Zupančič, A. D. Brejnrod, et al. Microbial diversity and putative opportunistic pathogens in dishwasher biofilm communities / Applied and Environmental Microbiology
2. Dirty laundry? How nasty germs survive in your washer / ABC News a fairly wide range of microorganisms, including salmonella, E. coli and fungi of the genus Candida.
Therefore, it is better to wipe the drum of the washing machineWhat's hiding in your laundry? / Webmd antiseptic after every wash. And once a month, run a cycle without clothes at a high temperature with the addition of a chlorine-containing agent.
Dishwasher wipe the inside thoroughly every time you take out clean dishes and cups, and shake out food debris from the drain filter and wash the mesh. The walls can be periodically treated with an antiseptic, but only without chlorine.
In addition, both the dishwasher and the washing machine must be regularly cleaned from limescale using special compounds.
5. All cleaning agents must be rinsed off immediately.
This is most often the case. Moreover, if you wash off the product poorly, stains and streaks may remain. But some disinfectants, as well as compounds for removing scale, rust and caked fat you need to apply to the surface and leave for at least a few minutes so that they have time to take effect. Therefore, you should carefully read the instructions for each tool and strictly follow it.
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