Clean Up Your Act

We’re all guilty of it – following our sick family members around the house with a can of Lysol and spraying everything they touch; opening all the windows and doors in our house the first day it is over fifty degrees; and scrubbing down our bathrooms and kitchens with bleach and ammonia on a weekly or even daily basis. Since the discovery of germs, people have come up with many different methods of killing them, but somehow, they always manage to come right back.

Many antibacterial products exist on the market that claim to kill ninety nine point nine percent of germs, like Clorox and Lysol sprays and wipes. All the advertisements attempt to show their effectiveness; however, if the products don’t kill one hundred percent of germs, the ones that are left will just keep multiplying, so why even bother?

The dirt that you don’t see is just as much of a problem as the dirt you do see. Just because a surface may appear clean that doesn’t mean it is. Bacteria are everywhere. The cleaner you keep your house, especially in the wintertime, the better. Because people keep all of their windows and doors closed during the colder months, once germs enter the household, they tend to stay there. Many people also tend to crank their heat when it becomes frigid outside, which makes germs spread more easily. The cold actually helps kill them off so it may be a good idea to turn the thermostat down during the day when no one is home.

These common actions are primarily the reasons why the winter season is the flu season, a good indicator of the presence of germs. The more often you stay on top of bacteria and keep your home as sterilized as possible, the less of a chance you and your family have of catching a cold. So which product is most effective?

There are numerous disinfecting products on the market today, including those with and without bleach, those containing natural ingredients and those completely organic. While many people may think the natural products are better for their home and the people in it, it is scientifically proven that products with bleach and ammonia kill germs more effectively than natural cleaners like lemon juice, vinegar, or baking soda. While the smell might be rancid, it is better to use bleach based products as opposed to oxygen based or natural ones.

It is hard to keep up with germs as they are easily passed from one surface to another, making it easy for germs to infect all members of a household. Try as we might, not every cold will be prevented, something usually dealt with as it comes. Of course, there is always that one person you know that walks around with a bottle of Purell Hand Sanitizer at all times, paranoid because guests are breathing germs on their pillows and encouraging a bout of bronchitis.

It seems the more we learn about bacteria and its harmful effects, the more products enter the market to make an effort to eradicate the problem. And every time we think we found something that works, an article or a news report is released disproving its efficiency. Today, there are various Clorox and Lysol products, 409, Easy-Off Bam, Tilex, Scrubbing Bubbles and all the generic brands comparable to these products. There seems to be a different cleaner for every surface in a home and each product is consistently portrayed as better than the next. It becomes hard to make sense of it all and hard to know which product really is best. What ever happened to ten years ago when good ol’ soap and warm water seemed to do the trick anyway?

The fact of the matter is germs will never become extinct. You can chase your sick child around the house with a can of Lysol all you want, but they will most likely get sick next winter anyway. There are many options available to help keep germs at bay in an attempt to keep your home healthy, so use whatever works best for you. Since it seems that germs are not going anywhere any time soon, it may be time to face the fact that fighting them is a losing battle.

– Justina Fargiano