Health Spirit Body

Menu
  • Home
  • Health
  • Weight Loss
  • Nutrition
Home
Health
Study: This Is The Most Germ-Laden Item In Your Household
Health

Study: This Is The Most Germ-Laden Item In Your Household

Don Patrick August 1, 2017

What do you think is the most germ-laden item in your household?

The toilet seat is a popular guess, though most would be surprised to learn that despite the faecal happenings in the bathroom, it’s far less bacteria-ridden than this unsuspecting bacterial haven found in your kitchen.

Brace yourself, this answer may surprise you (and gross you out, too)!

With 54 billion bacterial cells per centimetre, the KITCHEN SPONGE is the most germ-laden object in your home. *That is equivalent to the number of bacteria estimated to be in human faeces.
Study: This Is The Most Germ-Laden Item In Your Household

The research, published in Scientific Reports, looked at the microbial diversity of building environments. Unsurprisingly, they found that a kitchen sponge is a good place for bacteria – after all, it breeds the perfect environment as it commonly comes into contact with food and retains stagnant water.

“Despite common misconception, it was demonstrated that kitchen environments host more microbes than toilets,” the researchers wrote in the study. “This was mainly due to the contribution of kitchen sponges which were proven to represent the biggest reservoirs of active bacteria in the whole house”

Not only are sponges full of bacteria, they also spread bacteria all around the kitchen when we clean them. While this might seem utterly disgusting, it’s important to realize that bacteria are everywhere. We have just as many bacterial cells in our body as we have human cells, for example. The focus needs to be on how many dangerous bacteria the sponges’ harbour.

For this reason, the team produced the first comprehensive analysis of the bacterial microbiome of sponges. They discovered that the most abundant type of bacteria belongs to the Moraxellaceae family, averaging 36 percent across the sample. Moraxellaceae represents the typical human skin bacteria, so we bring them to the sponge, where they multiply and can become potentially dangerous. Most of the bacteria they found were not dangerous, although some were.

“What surprised us was that five of the ten [types] which we most commonly found belong to the so-called risk group 2(RG2),” said lead researcher, microbiologist Markus Egert in a statement, “which means they are potential pathogens.”

The main three were Acinetobacter johnsonii, Moraxella osloensis, and Chryseobacterium hominis.

The study also investigated ways to avoid an overabundance of this bacteria.

“Sanitation by boiling or microwave treatment has been shown to significantly reduce the bacterial load of kitchen sponges and can, therefore, be regarded as a reasonable hygiene measure. However, our data showed that regularly sanitized sponges (as indicated by their users) did not contain fewer bacteria than uncleaned ones.”

The cleaning procedures actually changed the microbiome – and unfortunately, not for the better. Moraxellaceae and Chryseobacterium hominis appeared to increase in number, as they are more resistant than competing bacteria. This suggests that prolonged sanitation of kitchen sponges might have counterproductive effects. The researchers suggest that the best way to reduce risk is to replace the sponges regularly.

We are rushing out to buy new sponges right this second! If you’re doing the same, please share with friends and family to spread the word.

If you know someone who might like this, please click “Share!”

Share
Tweet
Email
Prev Article
Next Article

Related Articles

ways to prevent diabetes
Here are the Ways To Prevent Diabetes Blood sugar levels …

9 Ways To Prevent Diabetes Before It Happens

wild lettuce morphine
We’ve all experienced pain. Sometimes it’s minor and fleeting, as …

With Similar Effects To Morphine, This Natural Painkiller Grows In Your Backyard

abortion pill side effects
This new blog post in our series on the abortion …

Abortion Pill Side Effects 2022

danger of diet drinks
Diet drinks may not be healthier, new research suggests. Artificial …

Diet Drinks Are NOT Healthier: Artificial Sweeteners Cause Diabetes

Popular Posts

    Related Posts

    • smartphone dangers
      Three Serious Reasons To Stop Using Your …
      August 15, 2021 0
    • smart people are lazier
      Science Says That Being Lazy May Be …
      October 18, 2021 0
    • nerve conduction study
      What Happens During A Nerve Conduction Study …
      June 12, 2022 0
    • astronaut shut down trump twice kim jong un tweet 2
      Astronaut Gives Trump A Piece of His …
      January 5, 2018 0
    • super malaria
      Drug Resistant “Super Malaria’ Spreads Across Southeast …
      September 23, 2017 0

    Health Spirit Body

    Health Information For A Better You
    Copyright © 2023 Health Spirit Body
    About | DMCA | Privacy Policy | Terms Of Use | Contact
    We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept All”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. However, you may visit "Cookie Settings" to provide a controlled consent.
    Cookie SettingsAccept All
    Manage consent

    Privacy Overview

    This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
    Necessary
    Always Enabled
    Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
    CookieDurationDescription
    cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
    cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional11 monthsThe cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
    cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
    cookielawinfo-checkbox-others11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
    cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
    viewed_cookie_policy11 monthsThe cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
    Functional
    Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
    Performance
    Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
    Analytics
    Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
    Advertisement
    Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
    Others
    Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet.
    SAVE & ACCEPT