So reveals the findings of the Hygiene in the Home Swab Study, carried out by the UK Hygiene Council and supported by Dettol, which unveil the dangerous state of hygiene in UK homes. With the World Health Organisation reporting the first global flu pandemic for 41 years, the study findings are especially worrying as they suggest that modern British households are in danger of germ contamination.
The study exposes the kitchen cloth and tap as the household areas most likely to be contaminated with unsatisfactory levels of bacteria - both rated worse than the toilet door handle and flush. Critically, it found that short falls in Britons’ disinfection practice and ignorance is failing hygiene practice, including:
- The kitchen cloth was heavily contaminated in 80% of homes
- Almost a third were contaminated with E.coli
- A third of kitchen taps were shown to have unsatisfactory levels of bacteria, despite 35% of respondents claiming to clean them on a daily basis
- Kitchen taps were home to twice as high rates of E.coli (14%) than toilet flushes (6%)
- Staphylococcus aureus was found on 8% of taps and over a fifth (21%) had high levels of pseudomonas, making the cloth smell quite pungent
- The toilet flush handle failed the hygiene test in just 15% of homes
The study examined swabs from a sample of homes across the UK and provides an insight into the inadequate cleaning behaviours and practice. Only half of UK homes were rated ‘satisfactory’
John Oxford, Chairman of the Hygiene Council and Professor of Virology at Barts and the London School of Medicine and Dentistry said, “Our study highlights significant gaps in the public’s hygiene knowledge, which urgently need to be addressed, particularly during the current flu pandemic. The importance of targeted disinfection of key hygiene hotspots in the home is paramount. Practicing good hygiene is something we can all do to break the chain of infection and protect ourselves and our families.”
The findings also highlight a real gap between homeowners’ hygiene knowledge versus hygiene reality, causing bad hygiene in the home habits; only 4% of UK adults think the kitchen tap poses the greatest risk of transmitting germs; instead over half believe it to be the rubbish bin and one in three believe the toilet seat, both of which have significantly less bacteria.
Poor hygiene practice in the kitchen proved to be the main source of germs. Only 15% of homeowners disinfect their cloth whilst half choose to clean them in the washing machine, often at too low a temperature to kill all the microbes. Cleaning the kitchen taps with a contaminated dishcloth creates a chain of infection and the spread of infectious disease around the kitchen and potentially the home.
Hygiene hotspots were ranked in order of worst contamination levels:
1) Kitchen sponge or cloth – 0% spotless/ 100% contaminated
2) Kitchen tap – 10% spotless/ 90% contaminated
3) Highchair – 25% spotless/ 75% contaminated
4) Toilet flush, handle or chain – 30% spotless/ 70% contaminated
5) Remote control – 35% spotless/ 65% contaminated
6) Chopping board – 45% spotless/ 55% contaminated
7) Telephone – 65% spotless/ 35% contaminated
8) Toilet door handle - 75% spotless/ 25% contaminated
Dr Lisa Ackerley, UK Hygiene Council said “It’s important to be practical and pay attention to areas that represent the greatest risk of infection and targeted disinfection of hotspots is key. Handwashing at key times, appropriate surface disinfection of hand and food contact sites with an antibacterial cleaner and proper laundry sanitation are where efforts should be focused. Good hygiene advice has even more relevance now in light of the reported swine flu pandemic.” - To see a ful vodcast from Dr Lisa Ackerley, please visit http://www.youtube.com/
But it’s not all bad. The study also revealed that the toilet door handle was spotless in 75% of homes, making it the cleanest item swabbed. These ‘spotless’
The motivation for people to clean the home has previously been challenged by “the hygiene hypothesis”; a theory that too much cleaning is bad for your immune system and contributes to an increase in allergic diseases. While the Hygiene Council recognises that some exposure to microbes is an important step in the process of ‘natural immunization’
Experts recommend hand washing and surface disinfection to prevent the spread of infection and viruses.
