Why should you get rid of your kitchen sponges? What's a safer alternative to using kitchen sponges? Although you can wash sponges in the dishwasher or nuke them in the microwave to kill bacteria, the healthiest idea is simply to get rid of them. A sponge is like the back row in study hall-it attracts all the bad elements. In fact, bacteria grows on sponges, so every time you use one, you have the potential of passing bacteria from sponge to dish to food to mouth to one nasty day in the restroom. Instead of using kitchen sponges, buy 10 cheap dish towels and get two buckets. Put clean towels in a clean bucket. When you need one, use it from that bucket; then toss the used one in the second bucket that contains diluted bleach. That kills anything that tries to grow. Then wash all of them once a week.
Household Safety
Many accidents and injuries happen in the home. However, there are many steps you can take to prevent these injuries and keep you and your family safer at home. A household safety checklist for each room in your home is a good idea. These lists can be found on many websites or in your local library. They offer advice on how to childproof your home, how to install and use smoke detectors, and advice on bathroom and kitchen safety.
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Dr. Mehmet Oz, MD , Cardiology (Cardiovascular Disease), answeredHouseplants improve air quality because they produce oxygen and remove pollutants from the air. One NASA study showed that philodendrons, spider plants, and golden pothos were the most effective. If you don't like plants, or even if you do, at least get a HEPA air filter. -
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Dr. Michael Roizen, MD , Internal Medicine, answeredHere are some ways to reduce toxins in your bathroom:
To protect your skin, filter your water with a carbon filter to remove the chlorine and other bad stuff. Do it especially for water that is in contact with your skin for more than a few seconds, like the baby's bathwater, and your bath and hair-rinsing water. Short showers are OK, since there's less exposure to toxins.
Use deodorant instead of antiperspirant, since sweat is normal and blocking the pores is not. Especially avoid deodorants and antiperspirants that contain:- aluminum, which is found in high levels in the brain plaques linked to Alzheimer's disease.
- phthalates, which are plastics used to help the fragrance stay on our skin and block endocrine function, especially in the male fetus.
- parabens, which are used as preservatives in these products and could be linked to breast cancer.
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Dr. Michael Roizen, MD , Internal Medicine, answeredNew car smell is more delightful than fresh pie, but it's also ripe with chemicals. Perhaps to the disappointment of your sniffer, it's best to air out new cars. Don't store any old chemicals, like paint, that contain toluene, a potent reproductive toxin. Buy what you need, then get rid of it when you've finished your project.
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Dr. Michael Roizen, MD , Internal Medicine, answeredHere are some ways to keep your kitchen free of toxins:
- Don't microwave plastic; you'll get small amounts of it in your food when you heat it. Cover food with ceramic, glass, a paper towel, or waxed paper instead.
- Throw away your sponges and replace with ten dishcloths that you clean with bleach weekly.
- Don't store foods in open cans for a long period, because the food will be exposed to chemicals such as epoxy resin and aluminum (it will also begin to taste metallic). In fact, reduce the number of canned foods that you consume. Bisphenol A, which mimics estrogen, is leached from the can liners into the foods.
- For conga lines of insects, don't resort to toxic cans of bug killer, which is ineffective and unnecessary. Instead, clean the home, remove the clutter, and use boric-acid-based bait stations.
- Keep all cleaners up high (oven cleaner can burn the esophagus if children get hold of it). Don't have any cleaner anyplace near where someone could drink it or spill it if it isn't okay to drink.
- Filter your drinking water.
- Use dishwasher soap without phosphates or chlorine or nonylphenol ethoxy-late (NPE), which is called a gender-bender and feminizes fish in the waters where we humans dump our waste. Also make sure they are biodegradable and non-toxic so kids will survive if they decide to take a swig.
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Dr. Mehmet Oz, MD , Cardiology (Cardiovascular Disease), answeredToilets contain a bacterial line just below the water level called a bio-film. The bacterial bio-film is very difficult to remove even with household cleaners. Once airborne these micro-droplets land on everything within the flush zone: drinking cups, toys, children's toothbrushes, etc. Some of these pathogens live for a week on surfaces. Every toilet flush creates an unseen mist detected at head height and can travel up to 15 feet away from the toilet bowl—known as the "Aerosol Effect." Always put the toilet seat down before you flush the toilet because it will prevent some of the fecal particles from floating up and landing on every other bathroom surface, and keep your toothbrush covered.
To boot, all bathroom surfaces should be cleaned regularly. These include the door handle, faucets, toilet, sink, floor and shower/bathtub. Clean inside the toilet at least twice a week with a disinfectant or disinfectant toilet-bowl cleaner. Clean the toilet and sink with separate cloths to avoid transferring germs. -
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Dr. Michael Roizen, MD , Internal Medicine, answeredSee All 2 AnswersYou're never going to eliminate all the bacteria from your kitchen surfaces, so don't get obsessive over this. Antibacterial countertops are useless. Clean off your counters with water after preparing food. If your food is contaminated with bacteria, as all chicken and hamburger is, then kill those germs with Lysol, Clorox, or rubbing alcohol. Ditto for your refrigerator and freezer.
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Dr. Mehmet Oz, MD , Cardiology (Cardiovascular Disease), answered
Insulate, insulate, insulate. And then insulate some more. I mean your home, not your midsection. Insulating reduces heat loss in your walls and attic. Consider installing R-49 fiberglass insulation in the attic. This will save money and oil. Use R-15 fiberglass insulation in walls or R-21 if you have deeper than 2x6 walls.
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Dr. Mehmet Oz, MD , Cardiology (Cardiovascular Disease), answered
Don't throw out the hangers you bring home from the cleaners. When you bring your shirts in to be cleaned, bring back your old hangers. Your cleaner will save eight cents a hanger (which they will appreciate, even if they don't subtract it from your bill), and you'll prevent the hangers from winding up in the landfill. Creative cleaners should put a nickel deposit on the hangers. Or they can switch to the new recycled paper hangers.