Your trusty friend against that stuck on pasta sauce and your staunchest supporter in the fight for spotless drinking glasses. The kitchen sponge is your go-to tool for keeping a handle on that ever-growing pile of dishes in your sink and maintaining some level of control over your cooking oasis. However, sometimes the things we love can turn against us…It’s time to take a closer look at that sponge and find out just how often you should unwrap a new one. Hint: It’s more often than you think.
Shocking Truth About Restaurant Ice
If you’re anything like the average American consumer, you happily accept ice-laden beverages from restaurants, bars, and fast food establishments with barely a thought given to the floating cubes that cool your drink. Recent evidence shows that this apathetic attitude may come back to bite, as ice cubes could contain just as much bacteria as toilet water. Read on to find out more and learn about ways to protect yourself from invasive germs.
3 Reasons to Grow Your Own Sprouts Indoors (and how to do it)
The concept of sprouting seems to be a topic of rising popularity amid the natural community as people begin to discover the health benefits of these tiny sprouted seeds. However, the idea of growing sprouts can be a little confusing at first, and it may seem easier to just purchase a package of fresh sprouts at your local grocery store. On the contrary, growing your own sprouts at home is an incredibly time-friendly and straightforward process. Plus, you’ll be able to eat your greens in a matter of days and you’ll know exactly where your food is coming from. Here are three reasons you should grow your own indoor sprout garden today and a few tips and tricks to get you started.
5 Places Deadly Bacteria Lurk in Your Kitchen: How to Fix It
The kitchen is often referred to as the heart of the home, which may be one of the reasons why it’s so filthy. Many people spend hours each day in the kitchen preparing delicious meals, unaware of the dangerous bacteria lurking around them. However, once you can pinpoint the areas that are breeding grounds for bacteria, you can make an effort to eliminate the nasty germs once and for all.
Strange Places Germs Lurk in Your Home and How to Eliminate Them Naturally
The Society for General Microbiology reports that certain bacteria can divide every 20 minutes under the right conditions, which is why illness symptoms often show up so quickly after an infection. Rather frighteningly, research into the most contaminated objects in homes uncovered more than 340 different bacteria on 30 separate objects.
If you’ve been worried about catching a cold, the flu or some other ailment at the office, in school or during your morning bus commute, think again – those places may not house the most threatening germs. In fact, they’re likely to be right in your own home.
The household germs that can make you ill are:
- Fecal matter
- Staphylococcus aureus, or staph
- Yeast and mold
- Salmonella
- E. coli (Escherichia coli)
From the kitchen to your bedroom and everywhere in between, these are some of the strangest places germs are likely to be lurking in your home – and, how you can eliminate them naturally, without having to turn to potentially hazardous, chemical-filled cleaning products.
Yes, there are even germs on your vacuum cleaner
The Vacuum Cleaner
Your vacuum cleaner may be used to clean, but it’s actually a big germ fest. A study aided by University of Arizona microbiologist Charles Gerba, known as “Mr. Germ,” showed that 50 percent of vacuum brushes that were tested contained fecal bacteria, including 13 percent with E. coli, and all contained mold. When you vacuum, you may inadvertently be transferring those germs from contaminated surfaces to surfaces that were previously uncontaminated, until now that is.
To help prevent the growth of more bacteria, use a bagless vacuum rather than the disposable bag type, and be sure to clean any vacuum brushes immediately after each use. Traces of bacteria can survive for as long as five days inside the vacuum- after the dirt has been emptied out. You can disinfectant them by spraying them with a cup of vinegar, three-quarters cup water and about 50 drops of tea tree essential oil that have been combined in a spray bottle.
Beds
The National Survey of Lead and Allergens in Housing found that the majority of beds in U.S. homes have dust mites. In fact, less than 16 percent were shown to be dust mite-free. These microscopic creatures live in the sheets and feed off dead skin. Both their corpses and fecal matter contribute to problems like allergies and asthma, but fortunately, there’s an easy way to reduce this problem: stop making your bed. Dust mites require a humidity level that’s at least 50 percent in order to survive. When the bed is made, it traps moisture in – moisture necessary for their survival. Investing in a dehumidifier can help too.
Shower Curtains
A shower curtain with mildew, mold and/or soap scum doesn’t just look unsightly – if it’s made of vinyl, it’s truly a microbe mecca, as research published in Applied and Environmental Microbiology revealed. They were even found to contain infection-causing pathogens like Methylobacterium and Sphingomonas. Professor of molecular biology at the University of Colorado at Boulder, Norman Pace, Ph.D., noted that the force of the water also spreads those germs.
You have a couple of options for cleaning your shower curtains – you can fill up a spray bottle with undiluted hydrogen peroxide and spray them down, paying special attention to any spots with mildew or mold, allow it to sit for about five minutes, and then scrub it down and rinse with water. Keeping the bottle in or near the shower so that you can spray the curtain after every use can help prevent a problem as well.
Another option, if you have a vinyl shower curtain, is to get a fabric shower curtain instead, which is much easier to clean. All you have to do is throw it in the washer, using the hottest water possible. Wash at least once a month, and more often if there’s anyone in your home with a weak immune system or under a lot of stress.
Pet Items
You may have worried about your four-legged friends bringing in fleas or ticks, but have you thought about the bacteria and germs they’re introducing? If they go outside, odds are, there are lots of them. The NSF International Household Germ Study found that pet bowls were one of the hottest spots for germs in a home. Their toys were also shown to carry mold, yeast, and staph.
Help prevent your furry family members from bringing germs, dirt, and gunk in by washing or wiping their paws off before they come inside. Keep their bowls washed daily, using warm, soapy water. You should also clean their hard toys regularly. You can toss rubber or plastic toys into a large container with one part water and one part white vinegar. Let them soak for five minutes or so and then use a cloth to scrub any stubborn spots if necessary. Rinse with warm water and then dry thoroughly. Throw soft toys like stuffed animals into the wash once a month.
Contact Lens Cases
The last place you want to have crawling with germs is your contact lens case – one study from China found that 34 percent of them contained germs like Staphylococcus aureus and Serratia, which can lead to keratitis, an inflammatory eye disease that may damage the cornea and even result in blindness.
Keep that contact lens case clean by dumping out the used solution and thoroughly rinsing it with hot water every single day. Replace it at least every three months and buy a new bottle of contact lens solution about every 60 days, even if it hasn’t been used. After two months, they tend to lose their ability to fight germs.
Laundry
How many times have you started a load of laundry only to forget about it and leave it sitting in the washer? Wet laundry left in a machine, even if it’s only for a short time, can cause germs to flourish. Those clean clothes should always be transferred to the dryer immediately after washing. If they’re allowed to sit for more than a half hour, you should really run them through the washer again.
Electronic Devices
Any shared electronic devices, like remote controls, phones, tablets, keyboards, video game controllers and the like, are germ meccas. They’ve been found to contain staph, yeast, and mold. Are you really letting your toddler bite down on that remote control? It’s like tossing him a kitchen sponge to play with. And your keyboard? It’s said to be five times dirtier than a toilet seat. One microbiologist examined a keyboard and found that it harbored bacteria that was more than 150 times the acceptable limit.
Keep those items disinfected by combining a quarter-cup vinegar, a quarter-cup water and a few drops of tea tree oil in a spray bottle. Be sure the item you’re using is powered off and unplugged. Spray a clean cloth with the solution, making sure that it is not dripping wet – if so, ring it out well first and then run it on the device. If you need to get between tiny places like keyboard keys, use a cotton swab dipped in the mixture.
-Susan Patterson
Why You Need to Drink This Ancient Elixir
You may have seen it in your local health food or specialty store. It’s that interesting tea-like beverage sprouting a mushroom-like topping with various bits of floating debris swirling throughout.
Don’t be turned off by its appearance. Kombucha tea is a millennia-old drink that the Ancient Chinese referred to as the “immortal health elixir.” The popular drink was renowned for its ability to ward off cancers and various health conditions and was also used as a cure for many of the top illnesses of the day.
During the first half of the 20th century, Russians and Germans attributed the practically cancer-free areas of their countries to kombucha, as the areas where the beverage was regularly consumed most boasted the most vibrant health. Research into what made kombucha so special was explored in depth but halted as the first World War brewed and scientists’ attentions were placed elsewhere. Kombucha was introduced to America during the 1990s and has since become a popular drink among health-conscious individuals.
Kombucha is nothing more than a fermented tea. It is a combination of bacteria, yeast, sugar and green or black tea. The bacteria and yeast from a SCOBY, or symbiotic colony of bacteria and yeast. The tea is allowed to ferment for seven to ten days in a glass jar, resulting in a mushroom-like blob floating on the surface.
The taste of raw kombucha is unique, to say the least. It is often described as earthy, somewhat tart with a hint of vinegar overtones. Often juices or sweeteners are added to lessen the pungency.
Though an acquired taste, kombucha is chock full of health benefits. The Ancient Chinese claimed it warded off illnesses of all sorts and multiple Asian cultures continue to drink it regularly today.
Americans are catching on to kombucha’s numerous health benefits, and more stores are lining their shelves with various brands of the fermented tea, and with good reason. Kombucha is an excellent source of many naturally occurring antioxidants and enzymes. An Indian study found that oral consumption of kombucha tea provided potent antioxidant and immune-boosting properties and helped protect DNA from damage.
Because kombucha is fermented, it is excellent for improving the landscape of intestinal flora. Much of our health relies solely on these important microbes that make up our microbiome. Our immune system resides in our intestinal tract, and an imbalance or lack of these microbes can result in decreased immunity and increased instances of illness, inflammation and chronic conditions.
The tea can also be considered an anti-cancer drink as it is very high in glucaric acid. Research has shown that this unique compound provides numerous anti-cancer benefits. Coupled with the detoxifying power of several key enzymes and beneficial bacteria, it is no wonder areas where kombucha is consumed regularly enjoy fewer instances of cancer.
Kombucha is also an excellent source of several B vitamins. These important nutrients play key roles in the body’s numerous metabolic functions and aid in maintaining strong hair, skin, and nails.
When purchasing kombucha, avoid brands that contain high amounts of sugar or added sweeteners, as these counteract the benefits of the tea. Opt instead for added herbs or spices. These enhance the flavor and contribute antioxidant properties.
-Susan Patterson