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The dirtiest places in your home — what’s your best guess?
When you think of germy places, what comes to mind? Public bathrooms? Restaurant menus? Maybe even your toilet?
Well, yes to all the above, but there are some big issues a little closer to home. Literally.
This post talks about seven dirty germ magnets in your house that you need to clean ASAP and the cleaning hacks you need to knock them out!
The bottom of your purse
Think about it: We set our purses down in restaurants, gyms, offices, banks, cars, floors, retail countertops, and goodness knows where else. Then, we come home and we plop it on our kitchen table, countertop, desk or couch and YUCK!
Wipe that bad boy down with a Lysol wipe. Hit your wallet while you’re at it.
Cutting board
University of Arizona researchers found that an average cutting board had 200 times more fecal bacteria than an average toilet seat. Coolcoolcool.
It has something to do with the fecal matter that originates in the animal’s organs, and then your knife cuts it a little bit into the board? Idk. Make sure you’re fully sanitizing, cause that’s nasty.
RELATED READ: 26 Things You Should Toss ASAP to Create More Space 
Makeup brushes
Again, where my skincare addict reddit fans at?!?
Bacteria just THRIVES on makeup brushes, and we do a pretty terrible job of keeping it at bay. And then we take that bacteria, swirl it around in our makeup palette, then put it ON OUR FACES.
Then, whatever oils, acne and dirt we have on our face gets transferred back to the brush for the next go-round. Pass.
TIP: You can use a gentle baby shampoo, like Johnson and Johnson’s Baby Shampoo, or an official makeup brush cleaner to get the job done. This silicone mat makes it super easy to clean your brushes! You can even suction cup this one to the counter so it doesn’t wiggle.
Cell phone
If you keep up with the reddit skincare addict thread (*raises hand*) then you already know this, but obviously your phone is a cesspool of bacteria.
Holding a gunky phone up to your face to talk can even cause acne and irritation! I know you take your phone in the bathroom with you — be honest! — and that’s reason in itself to wipe it down daily.
And if you actually think about everything you touch with your hands and then phone without thinking — doorknobs, keyboards, handshakes, garbage, faucets, etc. — it’ll really gross you out.
Speaking of keyboards…
Keyboards and mouse
From office bathroom handles to a bag of Doritos (shh, I won’t tell), your keyboard is the landing pad for a slew of mess. And like your cell phone, it’s something you touch every day, and then touch your face … gross.
How handy is this UV sanitizing wand?!?
And then of course there are the simpler alcohol pads, which are safer on technology than Lysol wipes:
Bathroom mats
Mmm, a warm, humid environment that stays pretty moist — it’s bacteria paradise! Bath mats collect everything from the dust on your shoes to the spray that escapes the toilet when you flush, and my guess is that you don’t wash them as often as you wash your towels.
TIP: Add ¼ cup of distilled white vinegar right in with your detergent and wash the bath mats on a cold, gentle cycle. And don’t overstuff your machine, it won’t do you any favors!
Bath mats are one of those things you should replace every so often without guilt. Cause… nasty.
This inexpensive memory foam one from Amazon is less than $15 and has RAVE reviews.
Steering wheel
Your steering wheel in your car is like a roadmap of everywhere you’ve been and everything you’ve touched. Whether it’s from pumping gas to heading back from the grocery store, we often enter our cars and grab the wheel before we even think about it.
TIP: Easily wipe down your steering wheel with a Lysol wipe or alcohol-soaked paper towel.
Do yourself a big favor and keep the germs away with these cleaning tips! What sneaky items did I miss on my list?
Any other hidden items in our lives that we need to handle ASAP?
Drop it in the comments below!
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This post was all about the dirtiest places in your house.