Fall family cleanup: How to fight germ magnets and win

Bad bugs are everywhere. Here’s the dirt on some of the sneakiest places nasty germs commonly lurk and what you and your family can reasonably do to guard against them.

Bug magnet: Bathroom towels
Fecal bacteria from your child’s hands and body after a bath or shower or going to the bathroom, as well as mold, can grow on towels. In addition, rotavirus, hepatitis A, and bacteria that cause staph skin infections won’t grow but can remain for days on towels. These germs are tough. “Given the right conditions, they can survive your laundry’s wash and dry cycle,” says Reynolds.

Your defense: Wash your towels in hot water and disinfect them with diluted bleach during the wash cycle; follow the manufacturer’s instructions so your towels don’t discolor. Then dry them in the hottest cycle of your dryer until there’s no hint of dampness. Replace any towels that smell mildewy. That’s a sign they’re incubating mold and bacteria, Reynolds says. (See home cleaning tips without chemicals.)

Bug magnet: Pet fur and paws
An affectionate lick from your family dog on healthy skin isn’t likely to make your child sick. Dogs have cleaner mouths than many other animals and their lack of exposure to agricultural situations where other animals might acquire E. coli means they are generally harmless, Dr. Nowalk says. But pets can track germs from feces into the house on their fur and paws.

Your defense: Make sure your child washes his hands properly after contact with pets, especially before eating. Disinfect your home’s entryway, especially if you have an indoor/outdoor pet. “That’s where most pet germs in the home get deposited,” says Reynolds, adding that germs come in on shoes as well. (Read more general safety tips for children and pets.)

Bug magnet: The playground
It’s more germ-infested than a public rest¬room, according to a recent University of Arizona study published in the International Journal of Environmental Health Research. Why? “Restrooms tend to get disinfected and cleaned often,” says Kelly Reynolds, the university’s public health professor. Playground equipment doesn’t, which means harmful germs—mostly from mucus that gets on equipment after kids wipe their noses with their hands—accumulate. Because dirt can protect these bad bugs from drying out and dying, they can survive on equipment for up to three days.

Your defense: There’s no way you can keep up with all the germs that get spread when kids play. But eventually, you can teach your child to not touch his mouth, nose, or eyes when he’s outside so the germs he picks up can’t gain entry. While hand washing is best, if there are no facilities, bring alcohol-based hand sanitizer gel and have your child use it when you both leave. For the greatest germ kill, make sure your child rubs his hands together with gel for a full 20 seconds—to the tune of “Happy Birthday” twice. It takes that long to dislodge stubborn germs. (Learn more about washing hands and hand sanitizers.)

Bug magnet: Your pediatrician’s waiting room
Don’t be fooled by the antiseptic smell. With all the runny-nosed, coughing, sneezing little patients who visit the doctor, especially during cold and flu season, you can bet your pediatrician’s waiting room is a virtual petri dish.

Your defense: Wash your baby’s hands with soap and water or hand sanitizer before visiting the doctor so she’ll be less likely to pass something along to other kids. Even if she’s well, she could be harboring an infection but not yet showing symptoms. Use the well-child waiting room if she’s just coming in for a checkup. There’s bound to be less germ load there than in the waiting room for ill kids.

If your child is ill, bring along toys to keep him occupied in the waiting room instead of playing with the toys provided. “Your own toys will be infected with germs from your house, but at least they won’t be infected with someone else’s germs, which could expose your child to a different illness,” says Andrew Nowalk, M.D., Ph.D., an assistant professor of pediatric infectious diseases at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. (See how to boost your baby’s immunity.)

Comments

[Lori]

It says to use hand sanitizer on your baby's hands, however, this isn't a good idea for babies that put their hands in their mouth as it has alcohol in it.

[Jack C. NYC]

Remove your shoes before entering your home.