HIDDEN DANGERS IN YOUR HOME YOU SHOULDN’T IGNORE

Home is our special place where we relax with family, so we’re careful about home safety, like keeping electrical appliances and cords where they can’t get wet, and making sure pot handles can’t be bumped to spill hot food. But are we aware of the hidden dangers in our home environment?

KITCHEN HAZARDS
Because we prepare food in our kitchen area, we constantly seem to be cleaning it, but bacteria lurk in the strangest places.

Plastic chopping boards are less easy to clean than wood or bamboo because food particles can stick in the grooves made by knives. It’s also a good idea to have a separate board for chopping meat and chicken so you don’t contaminate raw veggies if you haven’t got rid of all the meat particles.

You wouldn’t think your fridge contained a germ army (unless you forgot something at the back which has gone mouldy). But where you position your food is important, because blood dripping from a meat packet onto food on a lower shelf could make you ill.

A German study found that innocent-looking kitchen sponges contain more bacteria than a toilet! They can be cleaned by popping them in the microwave for 2 minutes, but make sure they’re damp enough or they might catch alight! Change your sponge regularly or use a brush that doesn’t trap bacteria.

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BATHROOM BACTERIA
We expect bacteria in the toilet but we hopefully flush them all away, except if we leave the lid up – tiny particles of faecal matter (the scientific term for ‘poo’) can find their way onto toothbrushes! A study of shared bathrooms in a student residence at a university in the USA found 60% of toothbrushes contained faecal matter.

TECH THAT’S DIRTIER THAN A TOILET
Hopefully, we’ve learnt a lot from Covid-19 sanitation practices, but it’s surprising that ‘Don’t share your cellphone’ hasn’t been one of the things we’ve been warned about. It’s so easy to show someone a funny video... you touch it, then they touch it, then you put it near your face to talk...

Not just cellphones (which carry 10 times the bacteria found in the toilet), but also TV remotes, iPads and computer keyboards are crawling with harmful bacteria, so make a point of wiping all tech items with sanitising wipes regularly.

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ACCIDENTAL CHILD POISONINGS – ORDINARY HOUSEHOLD ITEMS
Every adult knows that medicines must be locked away safely, but children can swallow a variety of substances, sometimes with tragic consequences. Despite campaigns to warn people not to store paraffin in used cool drink bottles, many children are treated for paraffin poisoning after taking a mouthful by accident.

Disc-shaped batteries used in remotes are another swallowing hazard as children are attracted to their shiny appearance. They can cause corrosive damage to the stomach and lining of the gastrointestinal tract. Batteries should be disposed of at recycling depots, as they can burn skin if they leak.

Packaging for household cleaning materials is often attractive and brightly coloured, so bleach, dishwashing liquid and drain cleaner should all be stored out of reach and preferably out of sight of young children, as they can make a plan to climb up to reach high shelves too! Fabric softener is particularly dangerous as it looks like a creamy milkshake and smells pleasant too, but is deadly if swallowed.

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QUICK SAFETY TIPS FOR A SAFER HOME

Think like a child to protect them. Keep anything they might put in their mouths out of reach.
Be more aware of unusual sources of infection.
Get rid of clutter. Your home will be easier to clean, and more relaxing.

Poisons information 24-hour helpline 0861-555-777.