Towels, toothbrushes, rags, chopsticks and other daily necessities that we use day and night are in contact with our skin, mouth, and body every day… If they are not disinfected in time and replaced regularly during long-term use, they may become potential health killers and bring the risk of disease.
Dishcloths, rags
Replacement frequency: 1~2 weeks
Dishcloths are a paradise for bacteria, and the number of bacteria is staggering. The “White Paper on Chinese Family Kitchen Hygiene Survey” released by the Chinese Association of Preventive Medicine shows that the total number of bacteria on a single dishcloth collected through the activity is as high as 500 billion, and these dishcloths contain 19 conditional pathogens including Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Candida albicans, Salmonella, etc.
In addition to dishcloths, kitchen rags also pose a great health hazard. At the annual meeting of the American Society for Microbiology, researchers introduced a study on the impact of rags on kitchen hygiene.
The researchers studied and analyzed 100 rags that had been used for one month, and 49 of them were full of bacteria. Of these 49 rags, 36% were found to contain fecal coliform bacteria; 36% contained enterococci, which cannot be washed away with hand soap; and 14% contained Staphylococcus aureus.
In order to reduce the harm caused by bacteria to the human body, it is recommended to replace the rag every 1 to 2 weeks. After each use, it is best to thoroughly wash the rag with hot water and dry it in the sun to reduce bacterial growth.
Bamboo chopsticks
Replacement frequency: about 6 months
Every time we use and wash chopsticks, cracks and grooves may appear on them. These “traces of use” can easily become a breeding ground for bacteria, especially if the chopsticks are not wiped dry in time after washing. The residual water stains provide a good environment for the reproduction of microorganisms.
The service life of bamboo and wooden chopsticks is half a year. It is best to disinfect household chopsticks once a week. Boil the cleaned chopsticks in boiling water for 10 to 15 minutes, or disinfect them in a microwave for 2 to 3 minutes.
Cutting Board
Replacement frequency: about 12 months
In a 2012 study, researchers collected samples of cutting boards from 300 kitchens in Shanghai and found that 41% of the households had cutting boards contaminated with E. coli, and 14% of the households had severe contamination.
The study also counted the relationship between the degree of contamination of cutting boards and diarrhea. In general, the more serious the coliform contamination, the more frequent diarrhea occurred.
A cutting board is a must-have item in every family kitchen, but many people only have one cutting board at home. Mixing raw and cooked food will make the bacterial contamination on the cutting board more serious. In addition, a cutting board covered with knife marks will breed bacteria more easily.
It is recommended that cutting boards be replaced once a year. Once mold or too many knife marks appear, they must be thrown away and not used anymore. When using cutting boards, you should also pay attention to cutting raw and cooked food separately, buy a few more cutting boards for backup, and disinfect them regularly.
In addition, when using knives, remember to keep raw and cooked food separate.
towel
Replacement frequency: 3 months
In a survey, the China Home Textile Association conducted colony tests on 167 towels. The results showed that most towels contained bacteria such as Staphylococcus aureus, Candida albicans, and Escherichia coli. The main component of towels, cotton fiber, is a tubular structure with a hollow cavity that can store water. Humidity is the most important condition for bacterial survival.
Peking University People's Hospital also conducted an experiment: they cultured bacteria on new towels, towels that had been used for 3 months, and towels that had been used for more than 6 months. The results showed that, calculated per square centimeter, the number of colonies in new towels was in the order of 100; the number of colonies in towels that had been used for 3 months was in the order of 10,000; and for towels that had been used for 6 months, the culture dish was almost covered with colonies, estimated to be in the order of 1,000,000.
Whether from the data or from the usage experience, it is best to replace the towel with a new one every 3 months.
toothbrush
Replacement frequency: preferably 1 month
When American dentists were doing bacterial culture, they found that regardless of whether the toothbrushes were used by patients or healthy people, as long as they were used for one month, a large number of Candida albicans, hemolytic Streptococcus, Pneumococcus and Staphylococcus aureus would grow on them.
The toothbrushes of patients with dental diseases contain hundreds of millions of bacteria after one week of use. Therefore, they pointed out that unclean toothbrushes are the source of infection for many diseases. Because these bacteria can enter the human body through direct swallowing or damaged oral mucosa and cavities, causing encephalitis, sepsis, septicemia, rheumatic heart disease and nephritis.
After use, the toothbrush should be thoroughly cleaned, dried, kept dry, and placed upward in a cup in a ventilated and dry place to control bacterial growth. The toothbrush can be soaked in vinegar, alkaline water or salt water for more than 4 hours to prevent the growth and reproduction of bacteria in the bristles, which may cause a variety of dental diseases and infectious diseases.
The total working time of each toothbrush should not exceed 6 hours. If you brush your teeth twice a day for 2 minutes each time, the service life of the toothbrush is about 3 months. It is best to replace it once a month, and no longer than 3 months, otherwise it will be covered with bacteria.
Underwear
Replacement frequency: 3~6 months
Studies have shown that if underwear is not washed for a day, about 0.1 grams of feces will remain, which may contain insect eggs, bacteria and viruses, and the number of bacteria can even reach 100,000. If dirty underwear is piled up together, it will undoubtedly become a breeding ground for pathogens.
Therefore, it is best not to wash underwear overnight to avoid giving bacteria the opportunity to reproduce; and do not change underwear every few days, especially in the hot summer and the humid rainy season, you should do a good job of changing and disinfecting underwear.
This “close companion” that we live with day and night has a limited lifespan. Many people hold the mentality of never throwing away a piece of clothing until it is worn out, and they will not give up until it is worn out.
Generally speaking, after 3 months of normal use and washing and drying, the fiber of cotton underwear will age and harden, resulting in reduced comfort, and it is recommended to replace it at this time. For underwear made of other materials such as nylon and modal, it is also not recommended to use it for more than 6 months.
Bra
Replacement frequency: about 6 months
Although bras don't have as many bacteria as underwear, they still have a shelf life.
If you wear it 2-3 days a week, the life span of a normal bra is 3-6 months. If you wear it for more than 2-3 days a week, the bra fabric will lack elasticity and will not be able to support and protect the breasts well.
If you notice your bra starting to lose its shape or the elasticity of the underband or shoulder straps starts to deteriorate, it's time to replace it.
Pillow
Replacement frequency: about 12 months
Generally speaking, we put pillowcases and pillow covers on pillows to prevent them from being stained with sweat, saliva, dandruff and dust mites. However, after long-term use, pillows cannot completely avoid the infection of various bacteria.
For example, it is recommended that pillowcases and pillowcases be cleaned and replaced every half month or month, but pillows should not be used for more than 1 year.
references
[1] Don't ignore the kitchen “bacteria culture dish” rags can cause food poisoning[J]. Food Industry, 2018, 39(09): 72.
[2] Lu Donglei. Investigation and study on the hygiene status of household kitchens in Shanghai[D].Fudan University, 2012.
[3] Towels that have been used for a long time have increased bacteria by 10,000 times. 7 adults use towels incorrectly.[J].Modern Property (Mid-monthly), 2014, 13(10): 33.
[4] Yan Fei. Exposing household bacteria[J].Friends of Science, 2006(08):76-77.
[5] Wu Jian. Several misunderstandings about underwear[J].Jiangsu Health Care, 2020(08):44-45.