Here’s a forewarning: reading this article may cause you to wash your hands five times in a row and go on a mold cleanup rampage in your house. At Certified Restoration, we normally deal with flood-damaged homes that are submerged with all types of water and the mold cleanup that follows it. We know how to help clean up a house after water damage, but what about day-to-day cleanliness? Here’s a few places in your home that are a lot dirtier than you may have thought – and some ways to keep them clean and free of potential mold cleanup.
#1 – Kitchen Sponge
Who would’ve thought that the thing you use to clean your dishes just might be one of the germiest things in your home? Think about it: food particles you’re scrubbing off dishes get trapped in the crevasses of sponges, creating the perfect environment for bacteria – and mold – to breed. Used sponges are not only constantly moist, but also dark and warm: the ideal situation for mold to starting growing.
Solution: Mold cleanup on sponges can be easy. Before using your sponge every day, soak it in water and put it in the microwave for two minutes. It’s been proven to kill up to 99% of bacteria. If you want to be extra careful, soak it in a bleach solution for 5 minutes every week.
#2 – Bath Mat
Bath mats are constantly wet with shower water, sitting on the floor for indefinite amounts of time. After a shower, the bathroom is full of condensation, slowing the drying time of your bath mat to a slow crawl. Lets not forget that bathroom floors are also one of the most contaminated parts of the bathroom (besides your toilet) so it’s a no brainer why bath mat is a huge mold cleanup problem.
Solution: Wash bath mats once a week as directed (all are different) by themselves. Of course, always remember to disinfect the floor before replacing the mats to prevent recontamination.
#3 – Towels
Re-using a shower towel a few times a week is pretty common. We’re clean after we get out of the shower, so what’s the point of washing a towel that’s only damp from a bit of clean water? That’s not the only thing left on your towel after a shower. Dead skin cells and bacteria are coming off on that towel too. If a damp towel is not air-dried properly, it can also result in mold growth within the first day.
Solution: Air dry towels completely between uses, and switch them out at least one a week.
#4 – Coffee Maker
Coffee makers cycle boiling water through them everyday – that’s enough to kill bacteria, right? Wrong. Most home coffee makers do not get hot enough to kill anything that may be growing in the water tank or any of the piping inside the machine. When’s the last time you’ve cleaned yours?
Solution: Run a 50/50 mix of water and white vinegar through your coffee machine at least once a month to stop the growth of bacteria and mold. Deep clean and sanitize all other parts of the coffee maker at the same time.
#5 – Laundry Basket
Depending on how often you wait in between washes, dirty clothes can be sitting in your hamper for days, or even weeks. All the bacteria from sweaty workout gear, dirty underwear (yuck!), and bedding sits in that laundry basket, infecting the hamper itself and possibly even growing mold.
Solution: Use a specific bag for dirty clothes and another one for clean ones, and wash the dirty clothes bag with your laundry load. Wipe down plastic laundry baskets with disinfectant once a week.
Keeping a home clean and disinfected is an involved and timely routine. If you aren’t constantly monitoring potential problem areas in your home like rooftops, pipes, basements, and carpets, bigger mold cleanup problems may arise. Water line breaks cause flood damage and mold, in which case you would need to call a flood damage restoration and mold cleanup company like Certified Restoration to come properly restore your home.
If you have any questions about properly protecting your home against water damage or mold cleanup problems, give us a call anytime at (619) 234-2500. We’re here to help.
