House Cleaning Steps Put Germs To Rest
Keeping germs from building up in your home is not as tough a task as it might seem, according to house cleaning expert Julie Edelman. She notes that by taking some simple – and low-cost - steps, you can make your home more germ-free. She also believes that vinegar is a great household cleaning product because of its ability to kill bacteria, mold and mildew.
Regardless of whether you bring someone in for your house cleaning or do the chore yourself,
there are certain steps that you can take to keep germs from spreading in your home.
On a recent episode of “The Doctors,” cleaning expert, Julie Edelman, who is also the author of “The Accident Housewife,” provided several low-cost, but key steps to take in keeping your house clean and germ-free.
1. Dish sponges – Dish sponges “are condominiums for bacteria,” according to Edelman. She recommends rinsing them in dish-washing detergent and then squeezing them strongly to get them dry. She suggests using a hair clip to get your dish sponge to dry more completely.
2. Nursery – Dust collects on stuffed animals and can lead to allergens being in your child's room. Using air-tight containers keep the stuffed animals in your child's room, within easy access for you when that special elephant or teddy is needed, but with the dust kept to a minimum.
3. Tub toys – Just because bathtub toys are in the water doesn't mean they are clean. If they do not dry properly, they can be a source of mold. Edelman recommends using vinegar or vodka to clean bath toys every so often. She also recommends hanging the toys in a mesh bag at the end of bath time so that they dry properly.
4. Bedroom pillows – Don't go three or four years with the same bedroom pillows, Edelman says. That is a recipe for dust and other airborne bacteria to make their way onto your pillows.
Edelman also is not keen on running out and buying the latest house cleaning product because of a television ad. She notes that 90 percent of all bacteria and 80 percent of all mold and mildew can be killed with white vinegar. She said she keeps spray bottles with a 3:1 water-vinegar ratio in both her shower and under her sink for continual spritzing.
The house cleaning expert is not against all store cleaning gadgets. She notes that disinfecting wipes are great to use in the kitchen and bathrooms on a regular basis.
She notes that having a clean home is not a monumental task. Edelman notes that by spraying the shower walls when already in the shower you are accomplishing two tasks at once. By doing a cleaning chore while doing something else – doing a load of laundry or using disinfecting wipes on a counter top or door handle while on the telephone with a friend - can make an impact and not leave you feeling overwhelmed by having to tackle so many tasks all at once.
Edelman believes too many people put undue pressures on themselves – fretting over dishes not being done one day. As long as the dishes don't continue to pile up, one day's dishes in the sink are not going to be a problem. With moms and dads juggling carpools, careers and household cleaning, there often is not enough time in the day. Sometimes things just won't get cleaned, Edelman notes. And as long as you can smile and accept that, that is OK.
