4 Domestic Bad Habits that Harm You and Your Family.
Everybody has bad habits. Some of them are obnoxious, like snapping your fingers. Some of them are unhygienic—picking your nose and biting your nails, for example. And some of them are downright dangerous. We are constantly reminded we should give up our dangerous habits—stop smoking or drinking, drive more slowly, get up and change your life. Those are obvious examples. But what about domestic habits? Is there something you do inside your home that might put your life and those of your family members at danger? Turns out there is.
1. Food Everywhere
It is not a good idea to store food on your kitchen board. Yet when we think about it, most of us do it all the time. Take a look around your kitchen. Are there any fruits on your countertop or on the table? Crazy amounts of cereal in your cupboard? What about all the spices?
There are two problems with this habit. For once, food left in the open attracts different kinds of pests. Nobody likes to see a kitchen overrun by cockroaches. Pests carry diseases and pose genuine threat to your family.
It is also unhealthy. We were all told not to eat mouldy food when we were kids (frankly, there was no need for such an advice). We can recognize the blue-yellowish spores of the penicillin mould on any food. What you don't know is these apparitions are the last stage of mould development. Before the fungi emerge on the surface of your food, they develop a deep root system and produce vast amounts of mycotoxins. If you leave your food outside, mould will develop much quicker. Your food will be full of toxins long before there are any visual cues.
2. Candles Everywhere
Candles can be romantic, creepy, or life-saving, depending on the situation. They are also life-threatening. Burning candles emit carbon monoxide, which kills 50 people per year in the UK alone. It is the leading cause of climate change although not in the quantities released by burning candles. Still, carbon monoxide is a dangerous gas which has no colour, taste or smell. It often goes unnoticed until too late. Victims experience dizziness, nausea, fatigue, vertigo, headache and disorientation. Prolonged exposure leads to lung and brain damage.
3. Cleaning Dishes with Bleaching Agent
There are things bleach is not meant for. For example, it is never a good idea to drink bleach. Yet many people wash their dishes with a bleach solution. While this will kill all dangerous bacteria for sure, it may also destroy the beneficial organisms inside your stomach.
But bleach by itself isn't the real culprit. In fact, even hospitals use it to wash their dishes all the time—yet they follow tight and extremely specific rules. The real problem is most liquid dishwashing detergents contain ammonia. The combination of ammonia and bleach is deadly—the reaction produces toxic chloramine vapour. If you decide to add "just a drop" of bleach, the reaction produces even more dangerous results—explosive liquid hydrazine. So remember this next time you reach for the bottle of bleacher.
4. Using the Dryer
Dryers are awesome—you do the laundry and there is no need to wait for it to get dry. Most people use them everyday—and there's nothing wrong with that, as long as you clean the excessive amounts of lint they produce. Dryer lint might seem harmless but given the right condition it can ignite and start a flash-fire. The "right conditions" stands for "close to a source of heat". And a suitable source of heat is the dryer itself.
It is important to check if there is accumulated lint around any source of heat, especially if you move in a new flat. Such circumstances can result in a disaster in the blink of an eye if you are not familiar with the premises. It is a good idea to book tenancy cleaning agent (or outside the capital)—professionals know what hidden places to check and at the same time you will save your efforts for more important tasks at hand.
Everybody has bad habits. Some of them are obnoxious, like snapping your fingers. Some of them are unhygienic—picking your nose and biting your nails, for example. And some of them are downright dangerous. We are constantly reminded we should give up our dangerous habits—stop smoking or drinking, drive more slowly, get up and change your life. Those are obvious examples. But what about domestic habits? Is there something you do inside your home that might put your life and those of your family members at danger? Turns out there is.
1. Food Everywhere
It is not a good idea to store food on your kitchen board. Yet when we think about it, most of us do it all the time. Take a look around your kitchen. Are there any fruits on your countertop or on the table? Crazy amounts of cereal in your cupboard? What about all the spices?
There are two problems with this habit. For once, food left in the open attracts different kinds of pests. Nobody likes to see a kitchen overrun by cockroaches. Pests carry diseases and pose genuine threat to your family.
It is also unhealthy. We were all told not to eat mouldy food when we were kids (frankly, there was no need for such an advice). We can recognize the blue-yellowish spores of the penicillin mould on any food. What you don't know is these apparitions are the last stage of mould development. Before the fungi emerge on the surface of your food, they develop a deep root system and produce vast amounts of mycotoxins. If you leave your food outside, mould will develop much quicker. Your food will be full of toxins long before there are any visual cues.
2. Candles Everywhere
Candles can be romantic, creepy, or life-saving, depending on the situation. They are also life-threatening. Burning candles emit carbon monoxide, which kills 50 people per year in the UK alone. It is the leading cause of climate change although not in the quantities released by burning candles. Still, carbon monoxide is a dangerous gas which has no colour, taste or smell. It often goes unnoticed until too late. Victims experience dizziness, nausea, fatigue, vertigo, headache and disorientation. Prolonged exposure leads to lung and brain damage.
3. Cleaning Dishes with Bleaching Agent
There are things bleach is not meant for. For example, it is never a good idea to drink bleach. Yet many people wash their dishes with a bleach solution. While this will kill all dangerous bacteria for sure, it may also destroy the beneficial organisms inside your stomach.
But bleach by itself isn't the real culprit. In fact, even hospitals use it to wash their dishes all the time—yet they follow tight and extremely specific rules. The real problem is most liquid dishwashing detergents contain ammonia. The combination of ammonia and bleach is deadly—the reaction produces toxic chloramine vapour. If you decide to add "just a drop" of bleach, the reaction produces even more dangerous results—explosive liquid hydrazine. So remember this next time you reach for the bottle of bleacher.
4. Using the Dryer
Dryers are awesome—you do the laundry and there is no need to wait for it to get dry. Most people use them everyday—and there's nothing wrong with that, as long as you clean the excessive amounts of lint they produce. Dryer lint might seem harmless but given the right condition it can ignite and start a flash-fire. The "right conditions" stands for "close to a source of heat". And a suitable source of heat is the dryer itself.
It is important to check if there is accumulated lint around any source of heat, especially if you move in a new flat. Such circumstances can result in a disaster in the blink of an eye if you are not familiar with the premises. It is a good idea to book tenancy cleaning agent (or outside the capital)—professionals know what hidden places to check and at the same time you will save your efforts for more important tasks at hand.
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