...and yet miraculously we're still alive......

...and healthy! I can't even remember the last time I got sick.

so true, buttercup, so true :)

Wait, wash towels after every use? Wash out a suitcase?

This post is a little too OCD for my tastes.

Are you kidding me? This is germ-phobia to the max.

Yay OCD!

So we're covered in germs, and your point is?

wow --- I never knew I was so dirty.

this seems particularly over-the-top and germ-phobic. wash towels after every use? c'mon, this is apartmenttherapy...we're in small spaces with little storage space and can't spend every day at the laundromat.

This post made me feel a bit queasy.

Whole lotta germaphobia going on here.

I'm on my way to having Grey Gardens apparently. Yikes!

Wash towels after every use? I can't think of a bigger waste of water. Here in California, it's illegal for hotels to do this without offering guests the option of re-using their towels.

Not only is this post neurotic and pointless, but it's ecologically irresponsible (which is odd, given that most of AT posts are the opposite).

Your own body parts are hazardous to your health. Do you know where your hand was?? :)

This list is seriously OCD.

Sorry but the "hot water to wash towels and kill germs" is also a myth, unless you're washing them in boiling water. From here</A>: "Most water heaters are set to 120 degrees. You’d need a temperature of 160 to kill anything and 212 to actually sanitize your laundry." (160F is about 70 degrees Celsius.) 212 Fahrenheit (100C) is boiling. Even 160F/70C is a heck of a lot of electricity just to maybe kill some germs. (However, 60C/140F is hot enough to kill bedbugs.) Meanwhile, putting towels out to dry in the sun not only A. helps favor that eco-friendliness of using cooler water to wash, but also B. kills quite a few germs and C. favors the eco-friendliness of not using a dryer -- why not suggest that instead?

And apologies for the copyeditor pedantry (yes, I am a professional copyeditor), but "mic" is the word for "microphone", not "microwave". We ain't all native English speakers here, ya knows? :) (Well, I am. But I don't live in a native English-speaking country and have quite a few non-native English-speaking friends who visit this site.)

Yeah, who has time to wash their towels after every use? That would be like every day? How about just not hanging them in a clump so they have a chance to dry?
I don't think this advice is particularly "OCD" (they don't advocate wiping down the door handles EVERY time) but I think maintaining your immune system thru a healthy diet, exercise, and adequate sleep, is more important than making sure every surface is a desert bacteria-wise.

Yes - all are true. We live in a dirty world. But I'd dare say taking the cleanliness thing too far is worse. It's funny how everyone knows about Darwin's theory, but most don't make the connection when they buy antibacterial soap what exactly the end result is going to be.

Don't y'all know we need exposure to germs to keep our immune systems functioning properly? This post is dangerously New Victorian!

wow. It's a wonder I'm still alive.

this is the kind of thinking that gets us antibiotic resistant strains of deadly bacteria. people have lived with germs forever. can we please get over the intense fear of being dirty and the naivety of thinking that we can actually avoid all these things all the time?

...and let's all not forget about our daily lysol shower.

Some of this is good advice though, like cleaning your laptop, door handles and salt and pepper shakers.

I got some chores to do this weekend....

please. I grew up in a persistently dusty, drafty old house, and I get sick less often and have fewer (no) allergies than anyone I know.

I love all of the comments here today.

What a change from the normal AT "OMG! Germz! We're all going to die!" group. I'm jumping on the "We all need a little dirt in our lives to be healthy" bandwagon.

I'm kinda wondering how poster salts their meat that the shaker needs to be cleaned, does it get rubbed over the meat? My salt container never comes near enough the meat to warrant any cleaning... I shake some over it and rub it in using my hands, after I put the shaker away again.

There was a great segment on the local evening news a few years back.

They went to a doctor and asked what they should do to avoid germs. Got a list much like the one above.

The reporter then interviewed a shrink who specialized in phobias, asking how they would treat a patient who did all of the things on the list the first doctor gave them. The answer was that he would recommend therapy and probably consider anti-anxiety medications.

We have skin for a reason and it usually does its job.

wash your towel after "every use"??? Seriously?

Besides not being green, this is just crazy. I'm not going to a laundromat every day for the 3 towels my household uses. Nor am I sacrificing precious cabinet space for the 28 towels we would use in one week.

I throw my vinyl shower curtain in the washer once a month. I started to do this when I was on Chemo. I know people have a problem with paper towels, but I use them to wash my dishes. A sponge is full of bacteria. Protect yourself from MRSA. MRSA=Methicillin resistant staphylococcus aureus bacteria, it can be fatal. It is found on the skin and mucosal tissue of the nose. One third of the population is infected and they do not even know they have it. Your toothbrush is another dirty object. Replace it often. If you end up with an infection, most likely you caused it.

I have to agree with the majority of the posters above. Beeing too clean isn't good either. The only thing I would say is adding things like your door knobs and salt and pepper shakers (along with tv remotes) are good things to add to your cleaning list since those are mostly over looked. But saying we need to wash our towels everyday and using bleach in my humidifier several times a week is a bit over the top. Sure, the smell of my pvc shower curtain is going to harm me but the lovely smell of bleach in the air won't?

Yes, this is a little OCD, but I do wash the phone receiver fairly often. Have you seen the color that comes off on the Lysol sprayed paper towel if you don't do it very often? Gross!

Oh please. And not one mention of all the chemicals we could be poisoning ourselves & our children with in our homes cleaning products, our furnishings, our personal care products?

If you want to get all OCD about something, check out the Environmental Working Group website, and their frighteningly elaborate database -- pretty scary!

http://www.ewg.org/
http://www.cosmeticsdatabase.com/index.php

And how exactly are these options eco-friendly or responsible in any way?? This whole post is disgustingly reminiscent of alarmist media sources that result in people yapping about epidemics and ending up killing their children in a bedroom because Armageddon is coming. Get a grip.

Wash towels after every use? Washing everything in hot water? Cleaning your laptop? Don't sleep after a trip? Cleaning door handles and salt and pepper shakers? Ok, April Fool's day came a little early this year, yeah?

I seriously doubt that bedbugs magically materialize after you've been gone. Also, washing clothing in cold water has never managed to harm my family or myself in 20-something years of doing so. Including when I was a *gasp* filthy child that was just a hotbed for germs and Death. The only things that seem even remotely reasonable on this list are cleaning the kitchen sponge and cleaning out the humidifier (though not several times a week IMO). Seriously, someone needs to take their pills and calm down.

What in Dear God's Name do you people DO with your salt shakers and meat??? I loved reading the comments cause the post made me feel dirty about not having a microwave or dishwasher to clean my sponges.

Using the word "dangerous" to describe sharing towels or not cleaning your salt and pepper shakers is insane.

Not all germs are bad and going to kill you. Some of these suggestions are common sense (like making sure you check things like humidifiers, sponges and shower curtains for mold, which, even if it doesn't kill you, might trigger allergic reactions in some), but others are definitely over-the-top.

And you've missed some more obvious tips, like making sure you have separate cutting boards for meat and veggies, knowing safe ways to dispose of hazardous materials (like some household cleansers, antifreeze, paint thinner, and so on), having a fire extinguisher and working alarms, etc., etc.

And this is what our immune system is for.

When I'm sick, I sneeze on everything and make sure not to wash my hands. I want all the people surrounding me to build up the tolerances to the Rhinovirus among other things (kidding).

But seriously, all this cleaning is just going to make us sicker in the long-run.

Human's lived for thousands of years without antibacterial soap. We'll live another thousand.

yes, train our immune systems not to serve a purpose....bah!

I find it interesting that there is no source for this information. Was it just made up by the author? I also have a hard time taking any 'expert advice' that uses the term 'germs' as it is such a general term. Bacteria, mold, viruses, parasites, and dust are very very different things, what gets rid of one does not necessarily get rid of the others.

Suddenly I feel so un-neurotic.

Unless I'm mistaken, which I very well could be, washing your clothes with soap (even, gasp!, environmentally safe detergent) is what gets rid of the ickies in your laundry. Afterall, surgeons don't wash their hands with scalding hot water before they cut you open.

As my Grandmother always said, "Everyone eats a bushel of dirt before they die." She lived a long happy life.

Pity the poor family with 3 or 4 kids, washing a towel every time it's been touched. That could keep your washer going 16 out of 24 hours every day.

ridiculous. it's thinking like this that has bred super germs and weakened immune systems. I expect this kind of tripe on Oprah, not AT.

This post is absolutely insane! Clothes/sheets do NOT need to be washed in hot water to get rid of germs and clean them. That's what laundry detergent is for. Before it was invented, people did indeed BOIL their laundry to get it clean.

Also, my ex-roommate really did wash her towels every day. I wouldn't be surprised if she did the sheets too. So even though we had a washing machine in the apartment, I was almost never able to use it as every day her stuff was in it. Not to mention the effect on the environment and the electric bill! Aren't you normally fairly clean at the time you're using a towel? Unless it's a gym towel I suppose...

And the salt/pepper shaker post was hilarious. What do you do, rub the shaker itself all over your meat?

i agree with the majority here. americans have been conditioned to keep things super clean so that big corporations make money on us buying cleaning products.

thanks for reminding me to clean my laptop, though! been meaning to do that this week

Is this post a sarcastic joke?

The author of this article will feel their head spin when they learn 97% of the cells in our body aren't even human. Yep, that's right, they're viral and bacterial.

Modern OVER-cleaning and overuse of antibiotics is causing huge genetic changes to the 'bugs' around us and our medicines can't keep up.

Heard of MRSA yet?

I am so relieved I am not the only one who thought this post INSANE!!

Given our overuse of antibiotics and antibacterials, and the subsequent increase in super-bugs and allergies, this post strikes me as distinctly irreponsible, not to mention bad for the environment.

Plus, as others have noted, several of these suggestions don't even work!

Following these types of suggestions with children in the house would probably lead to allergies, asthma, and severely stunted immune systems plus a whole lot of super bugs.

Another point about the salt shaker is that, even if you were rubbing it on the meat, very few organisms can survive in a pure salt environment anyway.

How to Breed Superbacteria, FTW.

oh and seriously, what is the source of this list?

Love the comments.

I will say that what I thought this was going to be about was replacing batteries in the smoke detector, or cutting back tree limbs that could suddenly fall on the house and crush you, or inspecting your home for electrical faults that could start a fire.

I guess I'm relieved that those hazards are not nearly as dangerous as those posed by the dirty laptop keyboard I am typing on right now.

Do all of these things if you don't need your immune system.

I'm pretty clean, as in air purifier, sweep the house daily, hand wash dishes after each use. NOT bleach and sterilize every object we touch.
I'm extremely healthy. I haven't been sick in a couple of years.
oh and guess what! I use my towel for a WEEK before I wash it in cold water!

Does MGM know you've appropriated that image?

And I think this stuff is nonsense.

I think the salt shaker thing was if you've touched raw meat with your hands and then grab the salt shaker. The salt shaker would then have raw meat nasties on it (the outside, which would not have the benefit of a pure salt environment) which you could then pick up when you grabbed it later.

All in all, these tips are way above and beyond. We didn't even do any of those things at my parents' house when my dad was on dialysis/after his kidney transplant. Sure, we disinfected (yes, I know, superbugs, but some people need to be germ free...) the counter routinely, especially after meat. We used seperate hand towels if someone was sick, but still didn't wash them every day, more like every week or two, and in cold water. I have a bit of a germ phobia, too (already did before we needed to worry about my dad) but never worry about any of those things. Still don't even after this post.

My sister has a friend whose family is totally OCD like that, and the friend is ALWAYS SICK. Like the second she leaves her perfectly sterile home, she catches something. So no thanks!

Me, too! One of my college buddies is sick all the time...and his family was crazy about cleaning growing up. I'll take my 'go out and play int he dirt' mentality over his 'wash your hands with antibacterial soap before you drink your juice' method any day of the week.

Though ironically, I'm down with bronchitis at the moment. :-/ LOL

If your body is clean when you use your bath towel, the towel doesn't get horribly dirty. Just make sure it is thoroughly dry between use by leaving it hang long enough to get dry.

Also, frankly, cleaning doorknobs all the time is pointless. They'll get reinfected constantly. It's a Sisyphean task dealing with germs in places people are constantly touching. If someone has a cold and visits you once, maybe it's worth the trouble, but you've probably already been pretty exposed by being in the same room with that person.

Regarding the hot water situation, I've lived in Japan for 20 years and the washing machines only use cold water (all over the country - not just mine), yet the Japanese are not known for infections or health problems. Surely cold water can't be that big a deal for cleaning your clothes.

These are all about cleaning! I would have expected things like standing on tables and chairs to hang curtains or something...

And it's the exposure to germs that gives us a strong immune system! It's all this anti-bacterial this and anti-bacterial that, and constant cleanliness that makes us more susceptible to germs when we actually encounter them.

Comments have a pretty solid coverage on the ridiculousness here, but though I'd highlight this one:

"Never cleaning your door handles: Who touched your door handles today...Yeah, now that you're thinking about it, you'd better get out the Windex and wipe it down."

Who touched my door handles? Umm... I did? Though I suppose the cat could have swatted at one. Seriously, is there some sort of wave of unknown, germy-handed people breaking into houses just to touch the doorknobs sweeping the nation that I'm oblivious to?

If I hear this nonsense one more time (especially about dish sponges, sheesh) on Apt Therapy, I may just never come back. If all these things were true I'd be an invalid or dead.

Abby, thanks for the post and trying to provide some helpful hints. Albeit some may come across as being a bit extreme, your words come from the right place.

For most of those responding, a resounding thank you for sticking to your day jobs, lack there of, or trust funds.

I recently read an article talking about how there is more and more evidence that babies instinctively put things in their mouths for a reason - they need to be exposed to germs and other such things so that their immune systems can develop properly.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/27/health/27brod.html?_r=1&scp=2&sq=babies%20germs%20putting%20things%20in%20mouth&st=cse

I agree with the majority of commentors; I've had enough of germ-o-phobia, especially since it may even be counterproductive.

This post is extreme but what annoys me just as much is people constantly using the word "OCD" to describe behaviors. Being a little neurotic is NOT the same as having obsessive-compulsive disorder, and constantly using this abbreviation as an adjective to describe things that you wouldn't personally do, is insulting to those who actually suffer from this disorder, and it also makes it seem less serious (if just anyone can be "OCD" whenever anyone decides it). I know it's tempting to use this abbreviation, but what are you really doing when you use it, besides A. displaying your own ignorance, and B. saying "look at me, I know what OCD stands for."

Well the majority of comments here are an absolute pleasure to read, and restored my faith in humanity... and LOL @BornSlippy - priceless imagery there!

I respectfully beg to differ that these words come from "the right place" - unless someone has known issues that compromise their immune system (in which case blog posts would NOT be a premium source of advice) these tips are all utterly misguided, neurotic and even dangerous, both w/regards to superbugs and allergies, and the environment.

Just for one, I wash my hands every time I get back indoors (an old tip I picked up working on a cash till, to avoid transferring flubugs etc) and that would sometimes have me washing 5 or 6 hand towels A DAY - presumably in boiling bleach or something!

Crazy.

I know it's only more anecdotal stuff, but my ex was a born germophobe, and had food poisoning constantly, despite being a meticulous cook: I am a born slob who will occasionally re-use a plate I licked clean the night before (yeah, I know, gross!) but I've never had an upset stomach in my life (40 next year) even after eating some rather questionable foods, abroad and out of date etc...

I hate to be harsh, but this is NOT the standard of post we expect from Apartment Therapy at all, reminders about smoke alarms and so on would have been much more fitting and appropriate than this bizarre load of tosh.

I agree on dish sponges: yuck! They smell bad and I don't fancy using something germ infested to clean with. Solution? Having a big drawer full of cloths to wash dishes with that I throw in the laundry machine (on cold, with detergent, because THAT WORKS JUST FINE) before they get funky.

And to the above commenter: no need to use paper towels every time I wash my dishes, wow! There is a compromise between the vile kitchen sponge and wasteful (and downright useless, for this purpose) papertowels. You're not going to get MRSA cleaning up your own cooking!

The OP must be a major germaphobic. Some of it makes sense and some is just OCD.

I do wash our towels after every use - but we have around ten or more towels and a washer/dryer so it doesn't have to be done daily.

I would like to see a real source article on why the OP thinks washing your laundry doesn't sanitize it - you are using detergent anyways. Almost everything that goes in mine goes in on warm and I'm still alive.

I grew up in the country, playing in the dirt and well, lets be honnest, not always washing my hand before diner when I came back from outside. I was sick maybe 3 times in my entire childhood. Meanwhile, my boyfriend's mom sanitizes pretty much everything (she washes her bathroom everyday) and he grew up with all possible allergies and even asthma... I'm just saying...

oh, and he's much better now, but whenever he comes back to his parents house, he starts sneezing...

Wash your towels after every use?!? Seriously? Also, I just had a mini rant about line drying on another post - washing in cooler water is fine if you then line dry. Sunshine - light and warmth - kills bugs fine.

About dish sponges...is it not normal to use a dish sponge for about a month? If I think it might be a little icky, I run it under hot water and squeeze detergent through it a few times.

I used to be kind of a germaphobe regarding food, and I think it made me susceptible to food poisoning (I've had two VERY bad cases in my life). Now I try to be a little less neurotic, and it seems to have helped.

If we're trying to prevent the spread of disease within the home, I would say not sharing hand/face towels is a good idea. And you can't go wrong with regular washing of the hands with normal soap. But beyond that, this post seems a little extreme.

And, really, you can't deny the importance of good sleep, healthy eating, and laughing a lot to your health. That doesn't require any cleaning!

If you rinse your sponges thoroughly and then wring them out thoroughly to air-dry, they don't get stinky...nor do they start falling apart after only 2 weeks.

I agree that it's good to occasionally clean electronics and door handles, but washing towels every time and everything in hot water is too much. The detergent should be enough to break the cell walls of any germs living on your clothes.

Of course, extra precautions have to be taken for someone on chemo or otherwise immunocompromised, but that's not most of us.

If you're worried about spreading germs amongst family members, make sure to NEVER kiss your children or significant other. A handshake would be very dangerous, as well, so be satisfied with a respectful Asian-style bow.

I'm loving the comments to this!
Before this I was worrying that USA residents were all rigorous hand sanitizing mysophobics, if the purell commercials coming from over there were any indication. Immune systems for the win :)
Microbes are our pals!

Wait, you can "kill" PVC toxins now? Have I been too busy eating granola and not washing my towels to hear about a new cleaning spray or something?

This post would make a great Mythbusters episode! These 'tips' are right up there with the germs on a public toilet seat and double dipping myths. Totally busted!

I'm a little late to the party, but someone way back disputed the bed bug situation. The reason you wash everything and don't sleep isn't because they'll "magically appear". The reason is that you may have stayed somewhere that had bed bugs (which are not always visible) and may have eggs on your person or in your belongings. Bed bugs can remain dormant for a year before you even know you have them.

ok, I am in the minority here, but I will not use a towel that has been used before- even by me. ICK. I wash them after each use. In hot,hot water with bleach. Then I dry them in a hot hot dryer. Because I am to busy to hang things on my non existant clothes line.
And sponges are just gross.

First off, thanks for the post.

I have to admit, though, the title is a bit dramatic. "Dangerous" home habits? Icky? Yes. Dangerous? No.

As for some of the comments...Jesus Christ! Some of you put on your bitchy pants today or what?

lorijo, It must be hard to be you.

The only thing on this list I'd actually worry about is bedbugs. Bedbugs don't f*ck around.

@Modtramp, I would have put my bitchy pants on, but I was too busy boiling them in bleach, while I sprayed my butt with Lysol - sorry!

At least the image has now changed to something suitably OTT and hysterical, to match the tone of the main post - presumably second-hand copyrighted imagery turns out to be dangerous, as well...

I'm always amazed at our wide array of different behaviors. And the fact that everyone assumes the way they do things is perfectly normal. I have never washed a kitchen sponge. I have a separate one for the floors, but not the counters. And I only microwave them if they start to smell funny, which is rarely. I can't imagine throwing one away before it started to fall apart. I've always assumed that the constant soap and hot water kept my sponges clean enough.

The world at large does not have cooties. It doesn't matter if something seems "gross" to your subconscious. What matters is whether or not it's going to make you sick. And really, not much will.

why use chemicals or bleach when good old white vinegar will do the trick.

This is maybe a little paranoid. Shower towels (assuming you're using different ones above and below the neck) should be fine for a couple of uses, and I'd swear that other AT articles, more focused on being green, have discouraged using towels only once.

The humidifier I own has a weekly cleaning regimen that includes bleach in the tank, a run through the dishwasher for detachable components, and a vinegar soak for the element; that should be sufficient if it's a hot steam model.

The "sponge in the dishwasher" trick does not disinfect it; only a run through the microwave does. This article does not stress that the sponge has to be wet, but it does, or you will burn the sponge. 30 seconds on high is the minimum.

I confess, yesterday I counted how many times I used a towel, on an average day, and it turns out I'd be washing eleven towels a day, including lavatory handwashing/drying as a use of course, as well as drying my hands after washing up & housework, one shower and two face wash/toothbrushing episodes.

I'd like to know if the OP considers washing and drying 11 towels a day on a high heat, possibly with some bleach added, to be even remotely responsible with regards to the enviroment, and also if they would be willing to subsidise my fuel bills?

yeti3a -- I agree the OP is a little crazy, but some things aren't so silly. I hang up a normal towel on the towel rack for hand drying and change it every day - everyone shares and no one seems to mind. There is a hand towel hanging from the stove I also change each day. All towels that are used after a shower go directly to hamper - we are just used to getting a towel out as we go for the shower.

To count it up, there is somewhere between 2-4 normal size towels and one hand towel at the end of the day. I don't find that obsessive. Every three days I toss them all in the wash - that's not too bad in my mind. But I don't wash anything on hot.

The way this post has been presented is obsessive. It's important to practice good hygiene, be tidy, be careful and sensible, but it really isn't necessary to fear the invisible like the Devil everywhere!!! I agree with the 'a little dirt is good' folks: good, earthy things are necessary to build a good immune system.

If you want to stay well, there are seasonal herbs you can use to bathe in and cure skin infections, and also eat some regularly to help your system. We used Neem and Haldi in India, plus some other seeds, fruits and vegetables. Strict separation and OCD behavior are for those who have a sick person or animal at home.

The big answer isn't to wash more, but to stop putting out more 'nasty stuff.' If we catch the "british" habit of throwing open our windows at every opportunity, and build homes with more light and air flow, we'd probably do more for our health than washing everything at every opportunity. LOVE the sun and fresh air, but not to cook myself:)

I come from India and, having lived in the South in the US, in the Midwest, in New York and SoCal, I feel that a good proportion of Americans tend to be obsessed with perceptible 'dirt' and 'smell' in a very different way than, say, a 'dirty' 'hot' country like India; I'm not referring to clearly visible things. And the difference is something that made me physically ill more than once. I guess people's traditions of purity and contamination differ greatly.

I suppose, after we've contaminated the earth with a lot of not-so-good man/woman-made chemicals the things out there outside our own little bubbles of protection (cars, houses, wetsuits, ....) aren't so good for us. So, if you use the toxic house-cleaning things to 'clean' your home, you'll probably poison yourself more insidiously than you thought possible. When you pour all that toxic stuff down the sink, you kill a lot of riverine and marine creatures; I'm sure they want to 'wash out' humans very, very often, too:)

At the risk of adding to a verrry long post above, I just want to say I wasn't extolling the virtues of East, West or anything versus anything else. Just deploring the way we can do great harm to the greater whole by being shortsighted about the small part in our daily lives.

My several cents...

I like the idea of "killing toxins."

Post criticism aside, I have a real question: does running the sponge through the dishwasher actually sanitize it to a significant extent? It obviously can't be rinsed thoroughly without being squeezed dry (and it is of course soaking wet when the dishwasher cycle is done) -- so unless temperature alone does the trick, I've always wondered whether it's just getting sponge germs on all the dishes during the rinse cycle?

another thing about this post - all the use of bleach is no good! bleach is carcinogenic, if we're so worried about our health we should cut down on its use.