Chores that Can Make You Sick

10 Household Activities That Can Make You Sick

By Neil Smith

Published on June 26, 2008

Ever wonder why you feel under the weather so often? Maybe you haven’t even done anything outdoors in a while, yet you still feel sick and allergy-ridden? It may surprise you to know that it could be factors inside your house, not out, that are causing you to sniffle and cough all day long. Luckily, you can eliminate most of this risk by making a few changes in your daily habits.

1) Not checking the expiration date on food

Eating expired food is a very common way to get sick in any number of ways. If you think you can chance and eat the expired can of salsa in the fridge, you may want to think again. Food poisoning is a common outcome of eating certain kinds of expired foods. Other illnesses include nausea, diarrhea, and vomiting. If it’s past the date, don't risk it - just buy a new one.

2) Not vacuuming/shampooing your carpet

Carpets are an amazing trap for dirt, dust, and other allergens that, when left untreated, can cause your sinuses to flare! A simple vacuuming removes over 80 percent of the dirt trapped in a carpet. To go the extra mile, health professionals recommend getting the carpet shampooed once every six months or so to keep it as sanitary as possible. Don't want to spend the big bucks for a carpet cleaner? No problem! Most towns have shops where you can cheaply rent one for a few days a time.

3) Not cleaning your air conditioner

The inside of an air conditioner is a common breeding ground for many different kinds of mold. Because of the air conditioner’s moist ducts and generally warm environment, mold has a very easy time growing and sprouting inside the unit. As soon as you turn it on, mold and mold spores (both powerful allergens) can fly out of the ducts and circulate all throughout the house. To avoid allowing your entire house to be overrun by mold, simply make en effort to clean your air conditioners once a week during high-use seasons.

4) Leaving dirty dishes out for too long

Leaving dirty dishes in the sink for a few days is something we have all been guilty of, but even this lazy habit can introduce germs to the sink and surrounding countertops. The next time you throw a snack down on that countertop, you might be getting ready to eat a mouthful of harmful bacteria. Taking the time to wash the dishes as soon as you are done eating will help to ensure a more sanitary kitchen.

5) Not washing your dog

Sometimes giving a dog a bath can be a very long and difficult process, especially in the case that your dog hates water. If you allow your dog to roam around the yard and then come inside, you are just asking for ticks, germs, dirt, fleas, and lots of other parasites and allergens all to be tracked in by your best buddy! Although bathing your dog may seem like an arduous task, inside dogs need a good, thorough bath at least once a month while all dogs that spend part of their time outdoors require at least one every two weeks.

6) Letting heaps of dirty clothes sit around for days or weeks

Not only does it make your room smell like a gym locker, leaving dirty clothes out for days on end contributes to the overall bacteria in the air. This can lead to the common cold, allergic reactions, and more. As long as you wash your clothes often and don’t let piles of dirty clothes accumulate, this should not be a problem for you. Just make sure any roommates and siblings you’re living with follow suit!

7) Using cold water to wash your dishes

Contrary to popular belief, hot water is essential to washing your dishes properly. Hot water actually kills the bacteria on the dishes, while cold water simply removes the visible grime but leaves the harmful germs behind. Every time you wash your dishes, use soap and hot water to make sure that the next person who eats with them will remain healthy.

8) Not dusting hardwood floors

If you live in a home with hardwood floors and don’t regularly dust, take a peek under the sofa, bed, dresser, or TV stand. What you will likely find are large gatherings of dust that have been there since the furniture was moved in! Large accumulations of dust are among the most common causes of allergies and allergy-related colds found in homes. A simple dust job once every other week will keep the floors shiny and clean, and keep your sinuses healthy and clear.

9) Not changing the frog’s / turtle’s / fish’s water

Any time you have an aquatic environment set up in your home, you are breeding new bacteria that live in the warm, tropical environment you have created. Frogs and turtles are known to spread salmonella bacteria, which leads to salmonella poisoning in humans. Fish tanks are home to many germs and bacteria that will eventually contribute to the bacteria level in the air of the room. Depending on how big the tank is and how good your filters are, you may want to do twice-monthly water changes on the tanks of whatever aquatic animals you have just to be on the safe side.

10) Not changing your bed sheets often enough

Believe it or not, experts recommend changing your bed sheets once a week. Most of us let it go much longer than that, which is actually a big contributor to acne and allergy-related colds. Bed mites will also begin to gather in old, unchanged bed sheets. The best way to protect yourself is to get into the habit of changing your bed sheets as often as possible.

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Keyword Tags: wellness

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Comments

1

I have to disagree with the fish tank advice. You nevr want to remove all the water as you should have an environment of beneficial bacteria built up. You should only ever do partial water changes.
As far as carpet shampooing goes, every 6 months is just not realistic. Who does that?
That was interesting about the sheets and acne. I will point that out to my teens!
As for the dishes, anyone that washes their dishes in cold water needs their head examined!

gizmo
11 months ago

2

This is a load. I'm 6 for 10 on this list. I have dishes in my sink that have been there for months. I have vacuumed once in the year I've lived in my apartment (someone threw nachos against the wall in a drunken stupor, which forced my hand.) I've never touched the A/C. I last changed my sheets 4 months ago. I have clothes strewn all over my room. I never check expiration dates.

I can't remember the last time I got sick.

It's been a least a couple years.

All this hyper-sanitizing our society does has made our immune systems weak. It's just something new for us to fear and induce us to buy more junk. Remember, we are adapted to live in the wild, where bacteria and viruses linger on every plant, animal and rock. You need to renew your immunities constantly, or the one time you get a bug your body hasn't seen in years, you'll get nailed.

Kevin
11 months ago

3

Um Kevin? Dishes in your sink for months? Get off your computer and clean your damn house, that's gross. A week maybe, but months?? What's wrong with you? There's a HUGE difference between hyper-sanitizing and just being a dirty pig.

Have some pride in yourself for God's sake!

Helen
11 months ago

4

I have to agree with Helen..I'm not the neatest guy I know, but Jesus man, no change of sheets in 4 months..that's just lazy dude.
I have to wonder how that goes over with the women..not so good huh?

Rob
11 months ago

5

As for the dishes, anyone that washes their dishes in cold water needs their head examined!

gizmo, about 6 hours ago

So you're saying, of all the poor or hot water deficient civilization should see a shrink?

me
11 months ago

6

Don't like to clean your sheets? Try shaking them out in the sunlight some day. You'll see a large cloud of... what?... dust?... dead skin? .. mites? Anyway, I was disgusted, and now wash regularly. I'll even vacuum the sheets between washes.

Having said that, I agree about the over-sanitization thing, however, once you start to notice and care about these things, it's hard to become oblivious again!

Bubbles
11 months ago

7

If you have a dog with an oily coat, like a Lab, you should not bathe them more than 2-3 times a year. The oil in their coat helps protect their skin and too much bathing could be harmful to them.

Bob
11 months ago

8

If it’s past the date, don't risk it - just buy a new one. Appalling advice, whoever came up with that should be ashamed of themselves unless they are sponsored by a large food company , in which case they should be jailed. If you don't have a nose or eyes, get someone else to sniff and examine the product to check that it is OK. Nothing becomes inedible at one minute past the sell by date, use your common sense and stop wasting food.

Neil
11 months ago

9

I am a victim of not cleaning the carpet enough. ugh, i can just imagine the creatures living there.

sarah
11 months ago

10

This is crap, many allergies are caused by overactive, harsh cleaning products and this article just reinforces the 'fear of dirt' culture that contributes to over-use of chemicals & antibiotics in our society to the detriment of everyone. What could be causing the rise of autism and other strange conditions and diseases? Perhaps saturating our entire living environment with cleaners and chemicals isn't the best way to find out.

shleprock
11 months ago

11

Vacuum your sheets? Have you seen what your vacuum looks like down there? You mine as well rub your sheets on the floor and put them back on the bed!

shleprock
11 months ago

12

Kevin's sheets reminds me of the episode in Laverne and Shirley where Lenny and Squiggy, in preparation for their evening's dates, came down to Laverne and Shirley's apartment to borrow some sheets because theirs cracked........'nuf said.

Teri
11 months ago

13

All of the replies to this article seem a bit feisty. I think all of the points were generally well intended. I don't think that everyone who writes an article intends every word to be nitpicked to death. Nor do I believe the author intended that all people adhere to all observations made. If a couple of people feel they can relate, to even a couple of these recommendations, then good has been done here.

I have a son who suffers from dire breathing problems -- which have decreased considerably since more attention has been paid to a couple of these areas in my home, per his doctor's recommendation.

I would recommend purchasing natural, less harsh, cleaning products and just doing a sensible amount of cleaning when your good common sense tells you to.

Peace.

charlie
11 months ago

14

Thank you all for the chuckles! What fun! I'm not the best housekeeper, doing the "single mom" thing for a while, and we live rusticly (if that's a word) - we no running water - I do manage to heat my water on the stove ;) My daughter does tend to get frequent colds/coughs, so what can it hurt to try to change the sheets more often, vacuum a little more, maybe wash the dishes in a more timely manner - I'll make an effort :)
Thanks again for the laughs!

witha Y
11 months ago

15

i think most of bacteria that causes sickness is just a simple fact that no on actually cleans. others that don't clean and don't get sick your body is immune to the filthy conditions which you live in!

anna
11 months ago

16

witha Y... you don't have running water but you have a computer with internet access?

something is wrong. your priorities are severely out of whack...

jenn
9 months ago

17

I am really glad I came across this webpage. I have been wondering why my son and I are getting sick every now and then. There is a pile of dirty clothes in my bedroom and my sheets are changed maybe every month. After reading these, I am gonna have more clean habits, thank god for the internet...

Jim
8 months ago

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