You Won't Believe What the Most Contaminated Object in Your Home Is

Researchers from the University of Arizona found that the most contaminated item in the home is actually the object we use to clean our dishes, the 'Scotch-Brite'. Their research indicated that these cleaning pads can contain bacteria in amounts 200,000 times higher than a toilet seat.

The researchers explain these surprising findings by noting that while the texture of the toilet seat is smooth and is often cleaned with bleach or other antibacterial solutions, it remains mostly clean. However, cleaning pads that contain food residues and are only washed with water and soap - harbor enormous amounts of bacteria. The fact that they are moist most of the time allows bacteria to multiply.

The cleaning pads contain many bacteria, including intestinal bacteria such as Salmonella, Shigella, and E. coli. One study that examined a wide variety of cleaning pads found that 10% of them contained Salmonella bacteria, even when the cleaning pad was relatively clean and had no visible food residues.

How can we keep cleaning pads bacteria-free? The U.S. Department of Health tested several methods for disinfecting the pads and found that the most effective way to destroy the bacteria is by heating the cleaning pad in the microwave for one minute, followed by a full dishwasher cycle. These actions successfully eliminated 99.9% of the tested bacteria.

Another option is to disinfect the cleaning pad by soaking it in a container with boiling water reaching 60 degrees Celsius. In any case, following the study's conclusions, researchers recommend replacing cleaning pads frequently.