There’s a common belief that the toilet is the dirtiest place in the house. Microbiology says otherwise: a toilet seat typically carries fewer bacteria than an ordinary kitchen chopping board. In other words, the strong products we save for the bathroom might be better used more often in the kitchen.
What’s worth paying attention to
- Dishwashers and washing machines — hard to take apart and clean yourself, but exactly where a damp, bacteria-friendly environment builds up.
- Cupboard interiors, door handles, bins — rarely wiped down, even though they’re touched every day.
- Shower curtains — choose washable ones and replace them from time to time.
- Kitchen sponges — best replaced about once a week.
- Chopping boards and phones — worth wiping after every use, especially if more than one person uses them.
What to do about it
Wiping all of this down daily just isn’t realistic, so it makes sense to focus on a few items from the list above and keep those consistently clean, while a periodic general cleaning takes care of everything else that usually gets overlooked.
