Is it possible for your house to be too clean?
Our houses are cleaner than they ever have been before. Our soaps are antibacterial. Our cleaning products promise to kill 99.9 per cent of germs. Many of us keep hand sanitiser in our top drawers. The swarms of bacteria that lurk on your children’s hands and your dog’s tongue and paws don’t stand a chance against these antimicrobial safeguards. Because ever since we were kids, we’ve been taught that microbes are evil, plain and simple.
But how clean is too clean? Could a sterile home actually be putting your family’s health at risk?
That’s the theory behind the long perpetuated “Hygiene Hypothesis”. Developed by British epidemiologist David Strachan in 1989, it suggests that exposure to infections during childhood helps build defences in the future. According to the theory, the lack of exposure to microbes leads to a weak immune system, increasing chances of developing hay fever, asthma, eczema and allergies later on.
Call it the downside of living in the developed world – where antibacterial chemicals are ubiquitous, our houses are artificially antiseptic, and fewer children in the average home mean less exposure to viruses – but Australians may be, from a health standpoint, too clean for their own good.
Have we sanitised our children into itchy, allergy-ridden messes whenever they’re an inch away from pollen? An allergy is, in fact, our immune system going haywire by perceiving a harmless substance as something harmful. When not accustomed to certain microbes – even the “friendly” ones – our bodies may treat them as attackers and overreact because they don’t know how to live with them.
That’s despite 99 per cent of microbes actually being good for us. Many contribute to our health, producing vitamins in our guts, coating our skin to protect us from more harmful microbes, and helping us digest food.
And then there’s another thing to consider: Disinfectant sprays and wipes, despite what those fearmongering, animated TV commercials would have you believe, aren’t actually that effective in eliminating bacteria.
There’s evidence to show that they are able to kill organisms when used on a surface area, but within seconds, new organisms settle down from the air and replace them. As such, wiping down the kitchen counter and bathroom sink every few minutes doesn’t actually do much to change the number of microbes dwelling there.
So, how can we avoid disease from the bad bacteria, without eliminating the good bacteria? Is it possible to find a balance between being obsessively clean and cleverly cautious to protect those under your roof? At the end of the day, it’s not about excessive cleaning, but timely cleaning. As opposed to a weekly deep clean with bleach and pine-scented antiseptics, good hygiene should be a daily consideration, built into everyday habits. This includes washing contaminated chopping boards immediately after cutting raw meat or fish, closing the toilet lid before flushing, laundering towels and linen in 60-degree water and drying them properly, practising “blow and throw” with your tissues, washing tea towels after every use, pyjamas weekly, and not sharing facecloths and other personal care items with anyone else in the house.
Our health has more to do with behaviours such as good hand hygiene than making sure we’re using industrial-strength chemicals. We carry resistant bacteria in the gut, so washing your hands thoroughly after going to the toilet and playing with pets, who have a habit of harbouring harmful organisms, is key in preventing infections. (And simply rinsing isn’t enough. To thoroughly rid your mitts of the nasties, lather up with soap and rub for at least 15 seconds, scrubbing both sides and up your arms – like you see doctors do before surgery – before drying thoroughly.) With cold and flu season just around the corner, consider this your #PSA for the day.
Do you think people today are too concerned with cleanliness? Tell us your opinion in the comments below.
Written by Kathleen Lee-Joe. First appeared on Domain.com.au.
Related links:
10 cleaning tricks you should never try at home
5 household cleaners hiding in your pantry
The ultimate house cleaning schedule