Friendly, banal, practical, so familiar, but fraught with a hidden threat.
The CHAIF group has a song called “My apartment is like a jungle.” It compares the most common things to predators. A wardrobe, for example, is a creepy unknown monster in which the family budget drowns. The tape recorder is a boa constrictor that hypnotizes the owner with music. This is more of a humor. But there are things in the house that pose a very real threat.
1. Kettle and water filter
With the first, everything is simple: if you do not clean it regularly, scale will form on the walls and bottom. Not only does it spoil the taste of the water, a dirty kettle takes longer to boil. And the salts that are deposited inside the kettle are unhealthy – they harm the kidneys.
The story is similar with water filters: if the absorbent elements are not changed in time, the filters simply cease to cope with their work. It turns out that you are drinking regular raw tap water. It is hardly dangerous, but certainly not useful.
2. Native walls
More precisely, not the walls themselves, but their “clothes”. Wallpaper and paint must be chosen very carefully. Poor coating contains toxic substances such as benzene or formaldehyde. The toxins gradually evaporate and spoil your well-being: they can cause allergies and affect the health of the kidneys, liver and nervous system.
The safest wallpapers are paper ones. They do not contain anything harmful. Or other wallpapers made from natural materials, such as bamboo. And the most poisonous are vinyl.
3. Pillow
It’s not even that it can be non-anatomical. The question is in the parasites that live inside. Ticks, for example. It is impossible to notice them with the naked eye. And they prefer natural materials: down, feather. Ticks can provoke the development of a variety of troubles: dermatitis, allergies, urticaria, even swelling of the respiratory tract. And also acne.
Experts warn: pillows need to be changed every 3-4 months if you are allergic, and at least once every two years if everything is in order with your health. If you feel sorry to part with your favorite feather or down pillow, you can give it to the bulkhead.
4. Sofa
Even furniture can be dangerous if it is made of chipboard. It’s all about glue and mastic, which are used to make materials for furniture. They contain phenols, formaldehydes, phthalates, which are again not useful for health. It turns out that your favorite sofa constantly exudes poison into the air, which can cause allergies, respiratory diseases, runny nose, and eye irritation. In addition, formaldehyde provokes diseases of the kidneys, heart, and brain. There is also a high-quality chipboard, which is made using a safer technology. But it is more expensive, keep in mind.
5. Body scrubber
A great way to remove dead skin cells, but it’s also a great breeding ground for bacteria. After all, the humid and warm environment of the bathroom only contributes to this. It is important to change your body sponge as often as you change your toothbrush, if not more often. If you neglect this rule, you can easily pick up some kind of skin trouble, and then wonder how it happened. By the way, in sponges made of natural materials, bacteria multiply much less readily.
6. Television
And any other gadgets that we tend to stick to before bed. Watching TV at night is harmful. Artificial light and an excess of information stimulate our brains, and therefore we fall asleep worse and do not get enough sleep. In addition, the production of melatonin, the hormone responsible for sleep, suffers because of the light. After all, it is not for nothing that doctors advise to sleep in complete darkness. So leave the gadgets outside the bedroom and put the TV in the living room.
7. Cutting board
Yes, bacteria multiply on it. And in vain do you think that plastic boards are “more useful” than wooden ones. In fact, plastic is a much better breeding ground for bacteria. In plastic, as it turned out, micropores quickly form, in which food residues get stuck. Which, of course, start to rot. Therefore, it is better to use wooden ones. But also change them every three to four months. And don’t forget the golden rule: different boards for meat, fish and vegetables.
8. Bath mat
With him is almost the same problem as with a washcloth. In the humid and warm atmosphere of the bathroom, bacteria on the rug multiply like mushrooms after rain. By the way, there are mushrooms – literally – on it too. Mold, spores of fungal diseases – everything remains on it. They can cause not only skin diseases, but even asthma. Therefore, it is important to wash and dry your rug as often as you do your towels.
9. Kitchen towels
4 million for every square centimeter. This is the concentration of bacteria on kitchen towels. And on yours too. It is necessary to wipe the table with a towel, on which a drop of blood remains after cutting meat or poultry, and the bacteria begin to frolic happily. Some of them cause intestinal upset, and some cause skin rashes. And acne too. Experts advise washing towels in very hot water and changing them every two months.
10. Rubber toys for the bathroom
Mold grows inside them. Yes, on the outside it’s the same cute yellow rubber duck, and on the inside – a disgusting collection of microorganisms. Irritation of the mucous membranes of the eyes, nose, even stomach problems – the bacteria from the rubber duck can do anything.
By the way, there is another similar breeding ground for microorganisms in the house. These are blenders and food processors. In their rubber seals, bacteria and mold love to settle. They are usually not visible from the outside, and it is quite difficult to rinse them.