Posted: 8:12 PM Oct 25, 2007
Last Updated: 8:13 PM Oct 25, 2007
Reporter: Bill Murray
Email Address: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

The first is your kitchen sink kitchen sinks are dirtier than most bathrooms. There are typically more than 500,000 bacteria per square inch in the drain alone. Plus your sponge, basin and faucet handles are crawling with bacteria as well.

You can reduce the risk by sanitizing sponges by running them through the dishwasher's drying cycle, which will kill 99.9 percent of bacteria on them. As for the sink, clean it twice a week with a solution of one tablespoon of chlorine bleach and one quart of water.

Another one is a load of wet laundry any time you transfer underwear from the washer to the dryer, you're getting E Coli on your hands. Just one soiled undergarment can spread bacteria to the whole load and machine. You can reduce the risk by running your washer at 150 degrees.

Next are ATM buttons. If you're not careful, you might pick up more than quick cash from your local ATM. These buttons have more gunk on them than most public-bathroom doorknobs. ATMs aren't frequently cleaned, and are regularly touched, which is a perfect combination for a lot of germs. You can reduce the risk by carrying an alcohol-based hand sanitizer with you and rub it on hands after visits. Also be sure to do it after you handle paper money, which actually carries quite a few germs, too.

Then thereís the hotel room remote control. What's the first thing you do when you settle in at a hotel? You grab the remote control and switch on the television, which you and the hundreds of other guests who've stayed there have done. How dirty is it? A recent study tested various surfaces for the cold virus after a group of sick people had stayed overnight and found the virus on the remote, door handles, light switches, pens and faucet handles. You can reduce the risk by cleaning the remote control, phone, clock radio, door handles and light switches with germicidal wipes.

Another big germfest is the neighborhood playground. Itís best to go on a warm sunny day. Apparently, the sun's ultraviolet light is an effective disinfectant.

This list was compiled by Health Magazine. 80 percent of infections are spread through hand contact, so wash those hands with warm, soapy water.

If you're a regular reader of "Health" magazine, you already know what I'm about to say. But it wouldn't hurt to hear it again. And with Thanksgiving upon us, a little review of kitchen cleanliness (make that all-over-the-house cleanliness) is not such a bad idea. Advance warning ó this topic is somewhat unsettling.

"Germs lurk where you least expect them," according to the recent issue of Health magazine. As illustration, I just transferred a load of wet laundry from the washer to the dryer. The cycle finished about an hour ago, but I delayed in making the transfer. I know better. I know those clothes should move the minute the washer stops churning and spinning. That's especially important if I'm washing a load of underwear. (A family's underwear should be washed apart from other laundered items, by the way.) There's "about a gram of feces in every dirty piece of underwear." The potential for tiny pathogens to spread throughout your load of laundry is substantial.

Other reminders include watching your water temperature. Opt for warm/hot. Your wash water should be 150 degrees ó check it using a candy thermometer. And wash those white undies with bleach ó use the real thing, not the color-safe version, it has notably less protective "punch."

Other places where germs linger longer include the bottom of your purse, your telephone and the computer keyboard at home or at the office. That would be the same computer keyboard you've been pecking away at for more than two years, the one you have hardly ever wiped down.

One especially big problem is the television's remote control. That's particularly true in hotel rooms ó some planning-ahead-people carry a zip lock bag with them when they travel and pop in the remote before they even think about changing a channel.

Here's a big one. Don't forget the bacteria-friendly flush handles on toilets. The toilets in your home or in a public rest room can become their own virtual hotel for nasty disease-causing germs. Let disinfectant and germicidal wipes become your new best friend; carry them everywhere.

I started this column by saying I was going to prepare you for a germ-free kitchen in which to do your Thanksgiving preparations. This is a challenge. The truth is (direct quotes from Health magazine again) "your kitchen sink is dirtier than most bathrooms."

There are "more than 500,000 bacteria per square inch in the drain alone." The kitchen sponge and those little green scrubbers are particularly notorious. Sanitize those items regularly by running them through the dishwasher. And wash your sink area down at least once a week with one tablespoon of bleach to one quart of water ó pour any remaining solution (after you've done a complete scrub down) into the drain. You'll feel better afterward ó guaranteed.

I work for Oregon State University Extension Service and we have a whole package of materials on germs and kitchen/household cleanliness. Check out http://extension.oregonstate.edu/catalog.

I'm quoting Health magazine's Frances-Largeman Roth when I say "the fight is in your hands." Wash them regularly by the way. And you've heard this from me before: 15-20 seconds, warm water, soap, lots of friction.

Sharon Johnson is an associate professor in health and human services at Oregon State University and on the faculty of the OSU Extension. E-mail her at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or call 776-7371, Ext. 210.