5 Daily Habits That Can Make You Sick

Did you know that 65% of colds and more than half of food-borne illnesses are contracted in the home. The things we do around the house every day have a big impact on both our long- and short-term health.

Here are five common household activities that may be making you sick.

1. Using a Sponge

The dirtiest room in everybody's home is the kitchen. That is because most people generally deal with different types of meats on their 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 faecal bacteria, as well as many other microbes. It's the single dirtiest thing in your kitchen, along with a dishrag and ironically, the more you attempt to clean your countertops with a sponge, the more germs you're spreading around.

Solution - Dip your sponges into a solution of bleach and water before wiping down surfaces it is the best and cheapest germicide money can buy. 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, this 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. 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. 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

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 consistently every day even while doing nothing. The skin cells accumulate in our pillows and mattresses and dust mites grow and settle. In actual fact a mattress doubles in weight every 10 years because of the accumulation of human hair, bodily secretions, animal hair and dander, fungal mould and spores, bacteria, chemicals, dust, lint, fibres, dust mites, insect parts, and a variety of particulates, including dust mite faeces. After five years, 10% of the weight of a pillow is dust mites.

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, also wash your sheets weekly in hot water.

4. Grilling Meat

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. 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. Some of the excess fat can also be eliminated by first microwaving meat and choosing cuts of meat that are leaner. There's also some evidence that marinating meat may lower the amount of HCAs formed.

5. Sitting in Front of the TV

Sitting in front of the television has become a national pass-time and one of our least healthy behaviours, particularly because we often do it while snacking on food that is high in calories. Accumulating excess body weight and not being active enough puts us at greater risk for heart disease, cancer, arthritis, and a host of other diseases.

Solution - Turn off the TV, put away the bag of crisps and go for a walk.