Your Best Defense Against Household Germs

Posted December 18, 2014

As kids we learn lots of ways to stop the spread of germs: Wash your hands before dinner (and especially after touching raw meat), clean cuts and scrapes before putting on Band-Aids, and cover your mouth when coughing or sneezing. We do these simple actions to avoid infections and disease—and almost without thinking. So it makes sense that few of us have stepped back to ask: What are we really protecting ourselves from? What things can I do at home to stay healthy and germ-free? And what are germs anyway?

“Germ” is the catch-all term for a range of microorganisms believed to be responsible for causing disease. But many of these microscopic creatures are harmless, so the term “pathogen” is more apt to describe the disease-causing variety.

What to Watch Out For

Mold

Most mold—the kind you find on a piece of bread—is harmless, unless you have a mold allergy. If you do get sick after eating moldy food, chances are it was actually other pathogens on the same piece of food that caused you to feel unwell. Think of mold as a warning sign that harmful germs are nearby. Mold is found in trace amounts in the air and in rare occasions makes itself at home in your house. Again, it’s not the mold that makes you sick—so-called “toxic mold” is a misnomer—but rather the toxins produced by mold.

Salmonella

At-home cooks worth their salt can tell you that salmonella is practically synonymous with uncooked chicken. Salmonella naturally lives in the digestive tracts of poultry and can be passed to humans through direct contact with live animals or by eating undercooked meat that has …read more

Source:: Greatist

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