Lately we have had several sicknesses in our home. My husband and I are pretty sure that we both had influenza, although neither of us were well enough to go to a Dr. to get tested – or maybe because we didn’t want to get dressed…! This was after a No-Fun cold that swept through our home like a miniature tornado – and followed with our youngest getting strep throat and our oldest dealing with the giant, drippy, green boogies. It seemingly never ends! 
During the Twitter Party that I attended with Clorox and The Motherhood a few weeks ago I learned a lot about how much germs really do stick around! I always have Clorox wipes in my house, strategically placed throughout for general cleaning with ease. I regularly clean the toilets, countertops, and floors – which is where I commonly associated the most germs hang out. But according to the study they did, I may have been wrong. 
To help parents uncover the germiest hot spots from the living room to the bathroom, The Clorox Company and global public health organization NSF International conducted a study in homes of parents with young children. Researchers found that the surfaces harboring the most bacteria aren’t always the first that come to mind, and that germs hang out in unexpected places. In fact, bacteria and viruses were found on common surfaces that kids and parents come in contact with every day!
- While soap washes down the drain, germs don’t. Contrary to what surveyed parents believed, the bathroom sink was the surface that harbored the most germs.
- When asked which surface they felt they needed to clean most often, more than half of parents surveyed said the kitchen countertop. Yet study results found that four times as many households had bathroom sinks that were germier than kitchen countertops.
So Clorox sent us some more Clorox Wipes (Which I adore already) and then some stickers to remind us of the germiest areas in our homes. It was very obvious to me when I placed this sticker near the sink about how this could be the germiest area in my home! I did clean it after this photo… The kids also thought they were filled with germs, too! 
Check out this video from Clorox that is a great example of how Germs STICK! It gave me a totally new perspective on how I need to be getting the most obvious areas harboring the sick germs!
Tips for Staying Healthy
According to the CDC, viruses such as Influenza and Enterovirus spread through close contact with an infected person or by touching contaminated surfaces then touching your mouth, nose or eyes.
To prevent the spread of germs in your home, the CDC recommends disinfecting frequently touched surfaces, especially when someone is sick. Parents can use an EPA-registered disinfectant, like Clorox® Disinfecting Wipes, to kill 99.9 percent of germs* that can live on hard non-porous surfaces for up to 48 hours.
Along with disinfecting germ hot spots, parents can help keep their families healthier by taking the same prevention steps recommended every year, including :
- Get Vaccinated: Getting a yearly flu vaccine is the first and most important step in flu prevention. The CDC recommends that everyone six months and older get a flu vaccine each year to protect against the flu.
- Stay Home When Sick: If possible, keep kids home from school when they are sick to help prevent teachers and classmates from catching their illness.
- Sing & Scrub: Make sure kids wash their hands the right way. They should wash hands frequently with warm water and soap for at least 20 seconds (the time it takes to sing the “Happy Birthday” song twice).
- Do the Elbow Cough: Teach kids to cough and sneeze into elbows instead of your hands to help prevent the spread of germs by touch.
This past week I’ve been focusing specifically on our families hygiene practices and cleanliness of our home. I took time aside with each boy showing them (Again) about singing while washing their hands, and have made very sure they sing Happy Birthday loud enough for me to hear from the other room. Andrew had terribly runny nose yesterday and therefore he stayed home from school. They are all small little steps that can be done to prevent spreading illness from one to the next: but all totally worth doing. I have also been working today on cleaning all of our commonly touched surfaces so as not to spread any more cold germs!
Good reminder on how we all need to take precautions
I work on my kids all the time with the elbow cough and tell them to ask their friends in school to do the same. They catch things too quickly
We’ve been sick for the last week or so and I’ve been using these wipes like crazy so we stop spreading our germs to each other!