WebMD Feature By Lisa Zamosky. Reviewed By Michael W. Smith, MD
From the kitchen to the backyard,
WebMD uncovers common household activities that could affect your health.
They say that home is where the
heart is. But what you may not know is that it's also where 65% of colds and
more than half of food-borne illnesses are contracted. The things we do around
the house every day have a big impact on both our long- and short-term health.
Here are six common household activities that may be making you sick.
1. Using a Sponge
The dirtiest room in everybody's
home is the kitchen, says Phillip Tierno, PhD, director of clinical
microbiology and diagnostic immunology at the New York University Langone Medical
Center and author of The Secret Life of Germs. "That's because we
deal with dead animal carcasses on our countertops and in the sink." Raw
meat can carry E. coli and salmonella, among other viruses and bacteria.
Most people clean their countertops
and table after a meal with the one tool found in almost all kitchens: the
sponge. In addition to sopping up liquids and other messes, the kitchen sponge
commonly carries E. coli and fecal bacteria, as well as many other
microbes. "It's the single dirtiest thing in your kitchen, along with a
dishrag," says Tierno.
Ironically, the more you attempt to
clean your countertops with a sponge, the more germs you're spreading around.
"People leave [the sponge] growing and it becomes teeming with [millions
of] bacteria, and that can make you sick and become a reservoir of other
organisms that you cross-contaminate your countertops with, your refrigerator,
and other appliances in the kitchen," Tierno explains.
Solution: Tierno suggests dipping sponges into a solution of bleach
and water before wiping down surfaces. "That is the best and cheapest
germicide money can buy -- less than a penny to make the solution -- so that
you can clean your countertops, cutting boards, dishrags, or sponges after each
meal preparation."
In addition, once you've used your sponge, be sure to let it
air-dry. Dryness kills off organisms. Another way to keep bacteria from
building up in your sponge is to microwave it for one to two minutes each week.
"Put a little water in a dish and put the sponge in that," Tierno
advises. "That will boil and distribute the heat evenly [throughout the
sponge] and kill the bacteria."
2. Vacuuming
Conventional vacuum cleaners are
intended to pick up and retain big pieces of dirt, like the dust bunnies we see
floating about on our floors. But it's the tiny dust particles that pass right
through the porous vacuum bags and up into the air. So, while our floors may
look cleaner after running a vacuum over them, plenty of dust, which can
exacerbate allergies, remains.
Pet allergens and indoor dust, which
contains the highest concentrations of hazardous materials like heavy metals,
lead, pesticides, and other chemicals, are found in higher concentrations in
the smallest particles of the dust, explains David MacIntosh, MD. He is
principal scientist at Environmental Health & Engineering (EH&E), an
environmental consulting and engineering services firm based in Needham, Mass.
"The everyday habit of cleaning
with a conventional vacuum cleaner results in a burst of particles in the air
and then they settle back down over the course of hours," says MacIntosh.
Solution: Look for a vacuum cleaner with a high efficiency
particulate air (HEPA) filter. Unlike those in conventional vacuums, HEPA
filters are able to retain the small particles and prevent them from passing
through and contaminating the air you breathe in your home.
3. Sleeping With Pillows and a
Mattress
The average person sheds about 1.5
million skin cells per hour and perspires one quart every day even while doing
nothing, says Tierno. The skin cells accumulate in our pillows and mattresses
and dust mites grow and settle.
If that's not gross enough for you,
Tierno explains that a mattress doubles in weight every 10 years because of the
accumulation of human hair, bodily secretions, animal hair and dander, fungal
mold and spores, bacteria, chemicals, dust, lint, fibers, dust mites, insect
parts, and a variety of particulates, including dust mite feces. After five
years, 10% of the weight of a pillow is dust mites. This is what you're
inhaling while you sleep.
"What you're sleeping on can
exacerbate your allergies," says Tierno.
Solution: Cover your mattress, box springs, and pillows with
impervious outer covers.
"Allergy-proof coverings seal
the mattress and pillow, preventing anything from getting in or out, which
protects you," Tierno says. He also suggests that you wash your sheets
weekly in hot water. Make sure the temperature range of the water is between
130 to 150 F.
4. Grilling Meat
So much for the summertime staple: Barbecuing meat creates
the cancer-causing compounds polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and
heterocyclic amines (HCAs). When fat drips from the meat onto the hot grill,
catches fire, and produces smoke, PAHs form. That's what's contained in that
delicious-looking charred mark we all look for on our burger. HCAs form when
meat is cooked at a high temperature, which can occur during an indoor cooking
process as well.
Solution: "Limiting your outdoor cooking, using tin foil, or
microwaving the meat first is a sensible precaution," says Michael Thun,
MD. He is emeritus vice president for epidemiology and surveillance research
with the American Cancer Society.
Wrapping meat in foil with holes
poked in it allows fat to drip off, but limits the amount of fat that hits the
flames and comes back onto the meat, Thun tells WebMD. Some of the excess fat
can also be eliminated by first microwaving meat and choosing cuts of meat that
are leaner. There's some evidence that marinating meat may lower the amount of
HCAs formed.
5. Opening Your Windows
When the weather turns nice, many of
us throw open our windows to breathe in the fresh spring air. But that may be
an unhealthy move, considering the combination of seasonal allergies and poor
air quality of many cities throughout the U.S. According to a recent report by
the American Lung Association, 60% of Americans are breathing unhealthy air.
And the pollution inside our homes may be worse than outdoors. The
Environmental Protection Agency lists poor indoor air quality as the fourth
largest environmental threat to our country. Bacteria, molds, mildew, tobacco
smoke, viruses, animal dander, house dust mites, and pollen are among the most
common household pollutants.
Solution: Shut the windows and run the air conditioner. All
air-conditioning systems have a filter that protects the mechanical equipment
and keeps them clean of debris.
"Pollen and mold spores that
have made their way indoors will be run through the air-conditioning system and
taken out of the air as they go through the duct work," MacIntosh says.
But much like with the vacuum
cleaner, these filters can only capture the largest particles. "The
conventional filters just pick up big things, such as hair or cob webs,"
says MacIntosh. "Filters intended to remove the inhalable particles, which
are very small, exist on the market and some are very effective."
They may also be worth the
investment. A recent study published in The New England Journal of Medicine
showed that cleaner air might add as much as five months to a person's life.
Tierno says that air purification
systems are important, particularly in a bedroom where bacteria are teeming.
6. Sitting in Front of the TV
Sitting in front of the television
has become a national pastime and one of our least healthy behaviors,
particularly because we often do it while snacking on food that is high in
calories.
"When you're sitting there in a
trance, you can really pack on some calories," says Thun. "Today,
more than one-third of the U.S. population qualifies as obese and one-third
qualifies as overweight. Thirteen million Americans are morbidly obese."
Excess body weight puts us at
greater risk for heart disease, cancer, arthritis, and a host of other
diseases, Thun says. "That poses a greater health risk than the toxic
cleansers under our sinks."
Solution: Turn off the
TV, put away the bag of chips, and go for a walk.
