Your Five Germiest Habits and How to Break Them

The connotation behind the word 'habit' is that it's something bad for you. True in most cases and the five habits listed below are bad for you (and your family) in ways you may have not considered. These are our 'germiest' habits, the habits that spread germs and often keeping an illness circulating within a family. These are habits we're all guilty of and fortunately they're painless to break.

Not Closing The Toilet Lid Before Flushing

Flushing the toilet with the lid up is the equivalent of sneezing without covering your mouth. Particles from your business end are spewed out of the toilet with each flush. Those germy particles are air borne and land on every surface in the bathroom, including counter-tops and toothbrushes. This is the easiest habit you will ever break - just close the toilet lid before flushing.

Placing Your Purse On The Kitchen Counter Top

Think of all the places your purse has sat today and you will soon understand why the bottom of your purse is a prime breeding ground for illness causing germs and bacteria. We place our purses on the floor of the car, under our work desk, grocery carts and restaurant floors, then when we arrive home the purse bottom lands on the food prep surface of our kitchen counter top.

Stop this germy habit by purchasing an inexpensive purse hanger (most drug and discount stores carry them) and use them to hang your purse from a chair back or desk side so it won't come into contact with germy surfaces like the floor. Wipe purse off with an anti-bacterial wipe before placing on any surface after you arrive home.

Placing Your Suitcase On Your Bed

The first thing most everyone does when they arrive home from traveling is toss their freshly traveled suitcase on their clean bed. Seriously, where has that suitcase been and what has it come into contact with? The innocent suitcase is one of the main travel vehicles bedbugs use to hitch a ride home with vacationers. If bedbugs, bacteria or germs have hitched a ride in or on your suitcase, stop them from entering your home with this instant habit breaker - Leave suitcase(s) at the door and unpack the clothes into a plastic garbage bag, then head straight for the laundry to wash them. Place suitcase(s) inside plastic garbage bags and tie the top shut until you get a chance to thoroughly clean them before using again.

Not Washing Your Bed Sheets Often

Time and effort make this an easy habit to develop - we don't strip the bed and wash bed sheets as often as we should. This causes the spread of germs and infection between bedmates, and dust mites and their feces to accumulate. Wash bed sheets in hot water at least once per week to break this germy habit.

Sharing A Bath Towel With Your Spouse

We share everything else, why not share a bath towel? You also will be sharing whatever germy skin organisms and infections they may have too. Get your own bath towel (color coded for each family member) and wash after each use in hot water.

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