So disgusting! These 8 things are very dirty and you may use them every day without knowing it!

Towels, toothbrushes, rags, chopsticks and other daily necessities that we use day and night are in contact with our skin, mouth, and body every day... If they are not disinfected in time and replaced regularly during long-term use, they may become potential health killers and bring the risk of disease.

For the health of your whole family, let’s take a look at how many things you are reluctant to throw away that should have been replaced long ago!

01

Dishcloths, rags

Replacement frequency: 1~2 weeks

Dishcloths are a paradise for bacteria, and the number of bacteria is staggering. The "White Paper on Chinese Family Kitchen Hygiene Survey" released by the Chinese Association of Preventive Medicine shows that the total number of bacteria on a single dishcloth collected through the activity is as high as 500 billion, and these dishcloths contain 19 conditional pathogens including Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Candida albicans, Salmonella, etc.

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In addition to dishcloths, kitchen rags also pose a great health hazard. At the annual meeting of the American Society for Microbiology, researchers introduced a study on the impact of rags on kitchen hygiene. The researchers conducted a study and analysis on 100 rags that had been used for one month, of which 49 rags were full of bacteria. Of these 49 rags, 36% were found to contain fecal coliform bacteria; 36% contained enterococci, which cannot be washed off with hand soap; and 14% contained Staphylococcus aureus. [1]

In order to reduce the harm caused by bacteria to the human body, it is recommended to replace the rag every 1 to 2 weeks. After each use, it is best to thoroughly wash the rag with hot water and dry it in the sun to reduce bacterial growth.

02

Bamboo chopsticks

Replacement frequency: about 6 months

Every time we use and wash chopsticks, cracks and grooves may appear on them. These "traces of use" can easily become a breeding ground for bacteria, especially if the chopsticks are not dried in time after washing. The residual water stains provide a good environment for the reproduction of microorganisms.

The service life of bamboo and wooden chopsticks is half a year. It is best to disinfect household chopsticks once a week. Boil the cleaned chopsticks in boiling water for 10 to 15 minutes, or disinfect them in a microwave for 2 to 3 minutes.

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03

Cutting Board

Replacement frequency: about 12 months

In a 2012 study, researchers collected samples of cutting boards from 300 households in Shanghai and found that 41% of the households’ cutting boards were contaminated with E. coli, with 14% of the households having a high degree of contamination. [2]

The study also counted the relationship between the degree of contamination of cutting boards and diarrhea. In general, the more serious the coliform contamination, the more frequent diarrhea occurred.

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A cutting board is a must-have item in every family kitchen, but many people only have one cutting board at home. Mixing raw and cooked food will make the bacterial contamination on the cutting board more serious. In addition, a cutting board covered with knife marks will breed bacteria more easily.

It is recommended that cutting boards be replaced once a year. Once mold or too many knife marks appear, they must be thrown away and not used anymore. When using cutting boards, you should also pay attention to cutting raw and cooked food separately, buy a few more cutting boards for backup, and disinfect them regularly.
In addition, when using knives, remember to keep raw and cooked food separate.

04

towel

Replacement frequency: 3 months

In a survey, the China Home Textile Association conducted colony tests on 167 towels. The results showed that most towels contained bacteria such as Staphylococcus aureus, Candida albicans, and Escherichia coli. The main component of towels, cotton fiber, is a tubular structure with a hollow cavity that can store water. Humidity is the most important condition for bacterial survival.

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Peking University People's Hospital also conducted an experiment: they cultured bacteria on new towels, towels that had been used for three months, and towels that had been used for more than six months. The results showed that, calculated on a square centimeter basis, the number of colonies on new towels was in the order of 100; on towels that had been used for three months, the number of colonies was in the order of 10,000; and on towels that had been used for six months, the culture dish was almost completely covered with colonies, estimated to be in the order of 1,000,000. [3]

Whether from the data or from the usage experience, it is best to replace the towel with a new one every 3 months.

05

toothbrush

Replacement frequency: preferably 1 month

When American dentists were doing bacterial culture, they found that toothbrushes used by both patients and healthy people would be colonized with large numbers of Candida albicans, hemolytic Streptococcus, Klebsiella pneumoniae, and Staphylococcus aureus after being used for only one month. [4]

The toothbrushes of patients with dental diseases contain hundreds of millions of bacteria after one week of use. Therefore, they pointed out that unclean toothbrushes are the source of infection for many diseases. Because these bacteria can enter the human body through direct swallowing or damaged oral mucosa and cavities, causing encephalitis, sepsis, septicemia, rheumatic heart disease and nephritis.

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After use, the toothbrush should be thoroughly cleaned, dried, kept dry, and placed upward in a cup in a ventilated and dry place to control bacterial growth. The toothbrush can be soaked in vinegar, alkaline water or salt water for more than 4 hours to prevent the growth of bacteria in the bristles, which may cause a variety of dental diseases and infectious diseases.

The total working time of each toothbrush should not exceed 6 hours. If you brush your teeth twice a day for 2 minutes each time, the service life of the toothbrush is about 3 months. It is best to replace it once a month, and no longer than 3 months, otherwise it will be covered with bacteria.

06

Underwear

Replacement frequency: 3~6 months

Studies have shown that if underwear is not washed for a day, it will contain about 0.1 grams of feces, which may contain insect eggs, bacteria and viruses, and the number of bacteria can even reach 100,000. If dirty underwear is piled up together, it will undoubtedly become a breeding ground for pathogens. [5]
Therefore, it is best not to wash underwear overnight to avoid giving bacteria the opportunity to reproduce; and do not change underwear every few days, especially in the hot summer and the humid rainy season, you should do a good job of changing and disinfecting underwear.

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This "close companion" that we live with day and night has a limited lifespan. Many people hold the mentality of never throwing away a piece of clothing until it is worn out.

Generally speaking, after 3 months of normal use and washing and drying, the fiber of cotton underwear will age and harden, resulting in reduced comfort, and it is recommended to replace it at this time. For underwear made of other materials such as nylon and modal, it is also not recommended to use it for more than 6 months.

07

Bra

Replacement frequency: about 6 months

Although bras don't have as many bacteria as underwear, they still have a shelf life.

If you wear it 2-3 days a week, the life span of a normal bra is 3-6 months. If you wear it for more than 2-3 days a week, the bra fabric will lack elasticity and will not be able to support and protect the breasts well.

If you notice your bra starting to lose its shape or the elasticity of the underband or shoulder straps starts to deteriorate, it's time to replace it.

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08

Pillow

Replacement frequency: about 12 months

Generally speaking, we will put pillowcases and pillow covers on pillows to prevent them from being stained with sweat, saliva, dandruff and dust mites. However, after using them for a long time, pillows still cannot completely avoid the infection of various bacteria.

For example, it is recommended that pillowcases and pillowcases be cleaned and replaced every half month or month, but pillows should not be used for more than 1 year.

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References:

[1] Don’t ignore the “bacteria culture dish” in the kitchen anymore: rags can cause food poisoning [J]. Food Industry, 2018, 39(09):72.

[2] Lu Donglei. Investigation on the hygiene status of household kitchens in Shanghai[D]. Fudan University, 2012.

[3] If towels are overused, bacteria will increase 10,000 times. 7 adults use towels incorrectly [J]. Modern Property (Mid-monthly), 2014, 13(10): 33.

[4] Yan Fei. Exposing household bacteria[J]. Friends of Science, 2006(08):76-77.

[5] Wu Jian. Several misunderstandings about underwear[J]. Jiangsu Health Care, 2020(08):44-45.

Author: Li Yuqiong, popular science creator

Reviewer: Tang Qin, Director of the Science Popularization Department of the Chinese Medical Association