The results of the international, regional and local Hygiene Home Truths Study 2010, were revealed today during the fifth annual Hygiene Council meeting held at the Four Seasons Hotel in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The study, supported and organized by Dettol, showed that bathroom seals, the insides of fridges, general purpose kitchen towels and kettle handles are some of the most highly contaminated hygiene hotspots in homes worldwide and especially in Saudi Arabia – and are caused by ineffective cleaning.
The Hygiene Council study, which was carried out in nine countries across the globe including Saudi Arabia, illustrated that it is not necessarily how frequently cleaning takes place that matters, but rather targeting the right areas with the right cleaning methods.
According to the study, bathroom seals are the dirtiest site in homes worldwide, with over two thirds (70%) failing bacterial tests, and over half (56%) failing mould tests, despite more than a third (37%) appearing clean. This is a concern, as evidence from existing studies shows a relationship between the presence of household mould or damp and an increase in the incidence of health problems such as fungal infections, respiratory illness, asthma and allergies.[i], [ii], [iii], [iv]
The inside of fridges came a close second to bathroom seals in the contaminated hygiene hotspots stakes, with nearly half (46%) of households worldwide failing bacterial contamination tests and more than two fifths (44%) of households showing mould build up. Fridge temperatures were found to be unsatisfactory in many instances, allowing bacteria to grow to high numbers. Fridges were also found to be one of the least regularly items in the home, especially in terms of using disinfectant products such as Dettol.
In Saudi Arabian homes, the dirtiest items were bathroom seals and fridge interiors with nine out of ten (90%) of both areas found to be unsatisfactory or heavily contaminated – well above the global average. This finding was particularly surprising given the fact that the same number of people - nine out of ten householders (90%) - said that they cleaned their fridge at least once a week, with eight out of ten (80%) claiming to clean their bath or shower daily.
Furthermore, the results of the consumer survey on home hygiene in Saudi Arabia showed that four out of every five respondents said that they encountered mould in their households; with the majority of mould found in bathrooms, kitchens and around sinks.
Professor John Oxford, chairman of the Hygiene Council and Professor of Virology at Barts and the London School of Medicine & Dentistry, London, a guest speaker at today's event, said, "Bathroom seals are the dirtiest sites in Saudi Arabian homes, as they are worldwide. Even though surfaces can often appear clean to the naked eye, it is important that people understand that mould spores in areas such as bathroom seals can have a detrimental effect on their health. This means that precautions need to be taken to reduce mould spores just as with as other bacteria that people might be more aware of."
General purpose kitchen towels were found to be unsatisfactory or unacceptably dirty in more than a third (36%) of cases worldwide. Although more than four in ten (42%) respondents said they changed the kitchen towel daily, almost three in ten (29%) washed it below 60°C, too low a temperature to kill bacteria, especially when disinfectants such as Dettol are not added. Astonishingly, 1% of respondents said they never changed the kitchen towel.
"The study results show that certain areas in our homes are being neglected when it comes to hygiene," said Professor Tariq Madani, Professor of Medicine and Infectious Diseases, Faculty of Medicine, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Advisor to His Excellency the Minister of Health, Ministry of Health, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and guest speaker at the Hygiene Council meeting. "What is apparent is that people do clean, but not necessarily effectively enough by targeting specific areas with a method that works. For example, cleaning with a dirty cloth, wrong product or not thoroughly washing hands will simply spread bacteria and mould around the home, rather than killing harmful organisms. Practicing good hygiene through targeted cleaning is something we can all do to break the chain of infection."
Globally, kettle handles were dirtier than computer keyboards (with 22% vs. 19% failing bacterial tests). In Saudi Arabia these items were the third and fourth dirtiest items in the home, with more than three times international average (75%) found to be unsatisfactory or heavily contaminated.
Worldwide, the cleanest surface tested was the push chair with only 6% failing bacterial tests. The hypothesis behind this figure is that parents, especially mothers, are usually very careful about keeping items that are in their child's surroundings very clean and regularly disinfected.
Effective cleaning of surfaces in homes is particularly important because it was also shown that the flu virus can remain infectious for up to 24 hours on stainless steel and plastic surfaces, and for up to 48 hours on wooden surfaces.
[i] Stevens J D. Fungi in the Domestic Environment and Community Settings- Association with Health Problems. The International Scientific Forum on Home Hygiene (IFH). 2004.
[ii] Strachen DP and Sanders CH. Damp housing and childhood asthma; respiratory effects of indoor air temperature and relative humidity. J Epidl Commun Health 1989;43:7-14.
[iii] Verhoeff et al. Damp housing and childhood respiratory symptoms: the roles of sensitization to dust mites and molds. Am J Epidemiol 1995;141:103-110.
[iv] Fischer et al. Risk factors indoors and prevalence of childhood respiratory health in four countries in Western and Central Europe. Indoor Air 1988;8:244-254.
