Bacteria on the Floor: Just How Dirty is your Home?

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Green Works for SponsoredTweets. All opinions are 100% mine.

What’s inside: Learn about the bacteria on the floor in your home, plus how to make your home safer for kids and pets.

If you were asked to name the top ten dirtiest places in your home, what would be on your list?

The toilet bowl? The trash can? The kitchen floor?

I’ll give you a hint: two of the three things I named above are on the list.

Ready for the answer? Here you go…

While the toilet bowl solidly earns it place at number one, the kitchen floor actually makes the list at number ten. Surprisingly, the garbage bin is further down, out of the top ten.

Yes, the floor in front of the kitchen sink contains more bacteria per square inch than the garbage can! In fact, there’s twice as much bacteria on the kitchen floor: 830 bacteria/square inch vs. 411 bacteria/square inch. (Source)

Why there is so much bacteria on the floor

A University of Arizona study found that bacteria from our shoes transfer to our floors up to 90% of the time. The study also shows that those bacteria can cause many different types of infections. (Source)

Think back to all the places your shoes step throughout a typical day. From sidewalks to parking garages to public bathrooms, it’s easy to imagine where all that bacteria gets picked up!

How to make your home safer for kids and pets

It’s pretty much an accepted fact that kids touch the floor all day long. From crawling, to sitting, to playing, to rolling around — hanging out on the floor is what kids do.

Despite the best of intentions, kids eat stuff off the floors too. Sometimes I’ll see my toddler stick a random crumb in her mouth before I’ve even had a chance to identify it! (Hey, it happens!)

There is research that proves exposure to some germs may strengthen kids immune systems, and that many bacteria are actually beneficial. However, I still want to do the best I can to lower the risk of picking up the bad bacteria.

There are two simple steps I take to help keep my family safer:

1. Choose cleaners without harsh chemical residue

When getting rid of infection-causing bacteria, it’s important not to leave nasty chemicals in their place! I recently switched to Green Works® products because they are 95% to 99% naturally derived.

All the active cleaning ingredients in Green Works® products are sourced from Mother Nature:

• filtered water
• plant-based cleaning agents
• essential oils
• corn-based ethanol
• wood-based fibers.

You might notice that the above list of active ingredients does not mention disinfectants. It’s a misconception that soaps and cleaners need to contain antibacterial agents and disinfectants in order to effectively clean. In fact, according to the CDC, antibacterial soaps are no more effective that regular soaps for killing disease-causing bacteria. (Source)

I also love that Green Works® cleaners are affordable and easy to find. (Click here to find out more and to save with Target). There are a wide range of household products in the line; my favorites are the multipurpose cleaner and the compostable cleaning wipes.

2. Kick off your shoes!

Once you’ve gotten your floors squeaky clean, keep them that way by leaving your shoes at the door. This will prevent most of the bacteria picked up from other places from spreading to your floors…and your family.

We have a basket we picked up (also from Target) that is roomy enough to hold our shoes and chic enough that I don’t mind it being in our main room. This makes it convenient for everyone to take off their shoes and find them again later.

I know that I can’t prevent my kids from touching the floor…or rolling all over it. However, I can make sure the floor is clean (and green!) so they’re less likely to pick up yucky germs.

Find out how you can save with Cartwheel on new Green Works® products, available at Target.

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