Sanitation in the home

If you've worked in a nuclear radiation area, you understand about step-off pads. You understand how to contain contaminants. The concept is very simple: don't put something clean onto something dirty. In the home, that concept often goes unheeded. Consequently, people make themselves sick by turning their homes into "centers of sickness."

You can turn your home into a center of wellness, if you know what to do. Follow these tips, and you'll be well on your way:

1. Shower BEFORE going to bed, not when you get up. Why? Well, if you wash your sheets and then sleep on them without washing your body, your sheets will be as dirty in one night as they would be in a week or longer of sleeping on them after a shower. What do we mean by dirty? You've had all day to build up another layer of skin cells you'll slough off overnight. Plus, you'll be going to bed with whatever allergens, dirt, and chemicals you picked up during the day. Does doing so make any sense to you?
   
2. Don't eat from countertops. Don't set food directly on countertops. Why? Because these surfaces typically have higher bacteria counts than do toilets! What is on these surfaces? Food particles. What do bacteria eat? This is pretty simple when you think about it, isn't it? Observe the same discipline in your office, where finger oils on desktops, keyboards, phones, mice, etc., provide a tasty meal for millions of microbes.
   
3. Rinse your toothbrush thoroughly before hanging it back up. Otherwise, it becomes a bacterial breeding ground. Allow it to dry.
   
4. Wash your hands BEFORE handling your genitals to urinate. Why? Urine is sterile. Your hands are loaded with bacteria, especially if you have been shaking hands with other people.
   
   

5. If anyone in your house has allergies, set aside clothes to wear outside and clothes to wear inside. This way, you do not spread outside allergens all over your home. Drop the shoes at the door.
   
6. If more than one person uses a bathroom, designate towel colors for each person, rather than sharing towels. Always let towels dry before throwing them in a hamper, where they take much longer to dry and breed bacteria in the interim.
    
7. Kill the clutter. Many people fail to make the connection between clutter and contamination. As you increase the surface area available for bacteria growth, guess what? You grow more bacteria. Plus, all that stuff makes cleaning that much more difficult.
    
8. Wash bedding weekly. Use a disinfectant in the wash water, too. Don't use bleach, as it breaks down fibers and makes more surface area for bacteria and dust mites. Use Shaklee Basic G or a similar germicide.
   
9. Wash your hands after handling mail or money.
   
10. Shower after dealing with the IRS. These people are dirty! :)