How to Keep Your Home and Garden Hygienic
As winter approaches, it’s time to shut the door to the damp and cold weather, and keep the draughts out, but while we crave the warmth and security of this time of hibernation, it’s the time of year that illnesses become more prevalent. The combination of the cold air outdoors and the dry air indoors plays a role of protecting the airborne droplets we sneeze and cough into the air that we breathe, and before you know it the whole family has been struck by the same illness. Here are some pointers to keep your home and garden hygienic to keep the bugs at bay all year round.
In the Home
- Open Windows
You need to keep your home well ventilated over the winter months. You may want to keep them shut as the temperatures drop, but by airing the rooms you’re dissipating any airborne nasties that may be lingering. Just by opening the windows for a few minutes a day you’ll be creating an adequate cross-draught; this will also reduce condensation from developing into a mould, which can inflame asthma and other respiratory disorders.
- Wash Your Hands
Get your householders to wash their hands every time they enter the house. The germs that are picked up from outside of the home need to be washed away to avoid contaminating your home. Use an antibacterial soap. Door handles in the office, school or in any public spaces are notorious for the germs that they harbour. Personal hygiene is vital.
In the Garden
- Clean Your Features
You need to pay attention to the features that you have in your garden. If you have a bird feeder, it’s important to keep their feeding station clean too. This is not only important for your feathered friends’ health and well-being, but for yours too. Infections such as salmonella and candida can grow in the nutrient-rich accumulations of bird droppings and feathers. Similarly, you must attend your garden pond. Stagnant water can cause problems for you and your fish stock. Use oase pond filters to keep the water moving and crystal clear to avoid diarrhoea-inducing E-coli and cyanobacteria that causes rashes and sickness if ingested.
- Clean Up Your Animal Faeces
There are fines for dog owners who fail to pick up their dog’s faeces in a public space, but you should be just as vigilant in your own garden about removing it too. Not only is it incredibly annoying to have to clean dog mess off your shoes should you accidentally walk in it, but there are serious health implications for humans who come into contact with it. Toxocara Canis is a parasite that resides in dogs’ digestive systems and is passed out in the faeces. Rain does not wash away the eggs of this roundworm, and they remain active on the soil. Your children playing in your garden are particularly susceptible to being contaminated. Similarly, cat faeces contain a multitude of parasites including one that causes toxoplasmosis, which is noted to be dangerous for pregnant women and people with a weakened immune system. Always remove animal faeces from your garden as soon as you notice it.
The key to keeping your home and garden hygienic is to keep things clean! A little effort goes a long way to avoiding cross contamination. You need to be aware that bacteria aren’t visible to the human eye, and just because you can’t see them does not mean they are not there!
