Common Household Items That Are Dirtier than a Portable Restroom

For a lot of people, there’s the perception that a restroom is going to be the dirtiest place in a home, because that’s where people use the toilet and/or possibly bathe and shower. In other words, this is where all the dirt goes.

When you transfer that line of thought to portable restrooms, people think the problem gets even worse. But you might be surprised to learn that quite often, this is not the case.

Many homes have common household items that carry more bacteria than a portable restroom. Here’s what they are and what you can do about them.

Kitchen Cloth/Sponge

Many of us will use a kitchen cloth or sponge to actually clean other items.

So, when you stop to think about it, it shouldn’t be a surprise that these items we use to lift dirt and germs off other things would end up being repositories for bacteria.

That just means they’re doing their job. But then how do you clean the cleaning instrument? One of the best ways to do this is with heat.

Putting a kitchen cloth in boiling water, for example, is guaranteed to kill the germs. Another alternative that works for both kitchen cloths and sponges is to wash them in a dishwasher if you have one available.

A microwave is also great for sterilizing both cloths and sponges, and if you prefer a chemical solution, bleach will also work.

Phones & Computer Keyboards

It’s a bit nauseating to think of it when you have the facts in hand, but the average cellular phone is likely to be 18 times dirtier than a portable restroom.

Computer keyboards aren’t much better since they can be five times dirtier than a toilet seat. But why is this the case?

The biggest reason is simply that germs and bacteria reproduce, and many people do not bother to clean their phones and keyboards.

Think about it; you go outside, shake hands with people, touch flowers, make contact with doorknobs and then transfer all those possible contaminants to your phone or keyboard when you start using them.

A lint free cloth with diluted alcohol can clean your phone, while isopropyl on a cloth and/or cotton swab can take care of germs on a keyboard.

Laundry

This shouldn’t really come as a surprise to anyone. Clothing, after all, is designed to protect us from contaminants, by providing a barrier to dirt and other forms of contamination.

So when you pile all your clothes in a big heap of laundry, that bacteria is going to breed. Your underwear, for example, carries E. coli that can spread to other laundry, and even the washing machine itself.

Of course, you clean your clothes in the laundry machine, but if you want to make sure your clothes are free of contagion, make sure you use hot water, at