tag:theconversation.com,2011:/nz/topics/cleaning-22507/articlesCleaning – The Conversation2024-03-13T19:15:03Ztag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2251772024-03-13T19:15:03Z2024-03-13T19:15:03ZVinegar and baking soda: a cleaning hack or just a bunch of fizz?<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/581208/original/file-20240312-20-t421p3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=270%2C48%2C3915%2C2868&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/caucasian-man-green-sponge-his-hand-2020591898">Daniele De Vivo/Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Vinegar and baking soda are staples in the kitchen. Many of us have combined them in childhood scientific experiments: think fizzy volcanoes and geysers. </p>
<p>But people also frequently mix vinegar and baking soda to produce a reportedly effective household cleaner. Unfortunately, the chemistry behind the bubbly reaction doesn’t support the cleaning hype. The fizzy action is essentially <a href="https://theconversation.com/six-surprising-things-about-placebos-everyone-should-know-220829">a visual “placebo</a>”, formed by the combination of an acid and a base. </p>
<p>So, how does it work, and is it worth using these chemicals for cleaning? To understand all this, it helps to know a little more about chemistry. </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/a-new-tiktok-trend-has-people-drinking-toxic-borax-an-expert-explains-the-risks-and-how-to-read-product-labels-210278">A new TikTok trend has people drinking toxic borax. An expert explains the risks – and how to read product labels</a>
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<h2>What’s an acid?</h2>
<p>Foods with a sour taste typically contain acids. These include citric acid in lemon juice, malic acid in apples, lactic acid in yoghurt and <a href="https://theconversation.com/kitchen-science-everything-you-eat-is-made-of-chemicals-56583">phosphoric acids in soft drinks</a>. Most vinegars contain around 4–10% acetic acid, the rest is water and small amounts of flavour chemicals.</p>
<p>There are other naturally occurring acids, such as formic acid in ant bites and hydrochloric acid in our stomachs. Industrially, sulfuric acid is used in mineral processing, nitric acid for <a href="https://theconversation.com/what-is-ammonium-nitrate-the-chemical-that-exploded-in-beirut-143979">fertiliser manufacturing</a> and the highly potent hydrofluoric acid is used to etch glass.</p>
<p>All of these acids share similar properties. They can all release hydrogen ions (positively charged atoms) into water. Depending on their potency, acids can also dissolve minerals and metals through various chemical reactions.</p>
<p>This is why vinegar is an excellent cleaner for showers or kettles – it can react with and dissolve mineral deposits like limescale. </p>
<p>Other common acidic cleaning ingredients are oxalic acid, used for revitalising timber decks, hydrochloric acid in concrete and masonry cleaners, and sulfamic acid in potent toilet cleaners.</p>
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<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/581224/original/file-20240312-18-tb4sa3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A hand in a yellow glove cleaning the inside of a shower screen with a squeegee." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/581224/original/file-20240312-18-tb4sa3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/581224/original/file-20240312-18-tb4sa3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=440&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/581224/original/file-20240312-18-tb4sa3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=440&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/581224/original/file-20240312-18-tb4sa3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=440&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/581224/original/file-20240312-18-tb4sa3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=552&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/581224/original/file-20240312-18-tb4sa3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=552&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/581224/original/file-20240312-18-tb4sa3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=552&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">Adding some vinegar to your shower cleaning routine can help to dissolve away the limescale deposits on the glass.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.pexels.com/photo/crop-person-cleaning-glass-shower-unit-4239091/">Karolina Grabowska/Pexels</a></span>
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<h2>What’s a base?</h2>
<p>In chemistry, bases – the opposite of acids in many ways – can bind, rather than release hydrogen ions. This can help lift and dissolve insoluble grime into water. Bases can also break apart fat molecules. </p>
<p>Baking soda (also known as sodium hydrogen carbonate, sodium bicarbonate, or bicarb) is a relatively weak base. Stronger common bases include sodium carbonate (washing soda), sodium hydroxide (lye) and ammonia.</p>
<p><a href="https://theconversation.com/spill-at-a-nuclear-facility-shows-potential-burn-risks-from-a-household-chemical-112763">Sodium hydroxide</a> is a potent drain cleaner – its strong base properties can dissolve fats and hair. This allows blockages to be broken down and easily flushed away.</p>
<h2>Mixing a base and an acid</h2>
<p>Mixing vinegar and baking soda causes an immediate chemical reaction. This reaction forms water, sodium acetate (a salt) and carbon dioxide – the fizzy part. </p>
<p>The amount of carbon dioxide gas that is produced from baking soda is remarkable – one tablespoon (around 18 grams) can release over <a href="https://www.chemedx.org/JCESoft/jcesoftSubscriber/CCA/CCA8/MAIN/8/06/2/4/movie.html">five litres of gas</a>! But only if you add enough acid.</p>
<p>Reactions in chemistry often use equal quantities of chemical reagents. A perfect balance of acetic acid and baking soda would give you just water, carbon dioxide and sodium acetate. </p>
<p>But the majority of vinegar and bicarb cleaner recipes use a large excess of one or the other components. An example from TikTok for a DIY oven cleaner calls for one and a half cups of baking soda and one quarter cup of vinegar. </p>
<p>Crunching the numbers behind the chemical reaction shows that after the fizz subsides, over 99% of the added baking soda remains. So the active cleaning agent here is actually the baking soda (and the “elbow grease” of scrubbing).</p>
<p><div data-react-class="TiktokEmbed" data-react-props="{"url":"https://www.tiktok.com/@carmsssdi/video/6846229758724885765"}"></div></p>
<p>Ovens can be cleaned much more rigorously with stronger, sodium hydroxide based cleaners (although these are also more caustic). Many modern ovens also have a self-cleaning feature, so read your product manual before reaching for a chemical cleaner of any sort.</p>
<h2>What about the sodium acetate?</h2>
<p>Devotees of vinegar and baking soda mixtures might be wondering if the product of the fizzy reaction, sodium acetate, is the undercover cleaning agent. </p>
<p>Unfortunately, sodium acetate is an even weaker base than baking soda, so it doesn’t do much to clean the surface you’re trying to scrub.</p>
<p>Sodium acetate is used in <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vABpel-11Nc">crystallisation-based heating packs</a> and as a concrete sealant, but not typically as a cleaner. </p>
<p>Fun fact: sodium acetate can be combined with acetic acid to make a crystalline <a href="https://theconversation.com/busting-the-myth-that-all-food-additives-are-bad-a-quick-guide-for-label-readers-82883">food additive</a> called sodium diacetate. These crystals give the vinegar flavour to <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N0hEutu_goY">salt and vinegar chips</a> without making them soggy.</p>
<h2>Sorry to burst your bubbles</h2>
<p>There are a few rare cases where mixing vinegar and baking soda may be useful for cleaning. This is where the bubbling has a mechanical effect, such as in a blocked drain. </p>
<p>But in most cases you’ll want to use either vinegar or baking soda by itself, depending on what you’re trying to clean. It will be less <a href="https://theconversation.com/visually-striking-science-experiments-at-school-can-be-fun-inspiring-and-safe-banning-is-not-the-answer-195362">visually exciting</a>, but it should get the job done.</p>
<p>Lastly, remember that mixing cleaning chemicals at home can be risky. Always carefully read the product label and directions before engaging in DIY concoctions. And, to be extra sure, you can find out more safety information by reading the product’s <a href="https://theconversation.com/a-new-tiktok-trend-has-people-drinking-toxic-borax-an-expert-explains-the-risks-and-how-to-read-product-labels-210278">safety data sheet</a>.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/225177/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Nathan Kilah does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>A mix of vinegar and baking soda is a popular DIY cleaner – but it’s really inefficient. A chemist explains why you should reconsider using this fizzy mixture.Nathan Kilah, Senior Lecturer in Chemistry, University of TasmaniaLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2194772023-12-19T23:20:05Z2023-12-19T23:20:05ZSame-sex couples divide household chores more fairly – here’s what they told us works best<p>Who does which household chores – or who does the most – is a perennial source of tension for many couples. From cleaning the toilet to taking out the trash, it’s sometimes the little things that can cause the biggest trouble.</p>
<p>Not without reason, either. Research shows women still do the bulk of the <a href="https://theconversation.com/yet-again-the-census-shows-women-are-doing-more-housework-now-is-the-time-to-invest-in-interventions-185488">housework and caregiving</a> in most heterosexual couples. And this unequal labour can lead to <a href="https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/the-juggle-is-real-parents-want-greater-flexibility-in-return-to-office-20220325-p5a820.html">burnout, health problems and financial stress</a>. </p>
<p>We also know same-sex couples often have a far <a href="https://theconversation.com/dont-give-mum-chocolates-for-mothers-day-take-on-more-housework-share-the-mental-load-and-advocate-for-equality-instead-182330">more equitable division of labour</a> than heterosexual couples. But it’s not clear how same-sex couples manage to achieve this fairer split of household chores. </p>
<p>Our <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/27703371.2023.2285276">recent research</a> aimed to shed some light on this. We surveyed same-sex couples in Aotearoa New Zealand and Australia, and identified three key factors that enabled them to share the chores in ways they both feel is fair. </p>
<p>The couples in our study focused on achieving a sense of fairness and equality over time, rather than a strict 50-50 split. They all had different patterns of dividing tasks. However, they shared some common strategies that offer valuable lessons for any couple, regardless of gender or sexual orientation. </p>
<h2>1. Keep changing things up</h2>
<p>We know that when couples negotiate roles based on their individual availability and what they like doing – or what they least despise – it contributes to a <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/2378023120924805">sense of fairness and satisfaction</a>. </p>
<p>Same-sex couples we interviewed embraced flexibility when it comes to dividing housework. They negotiated chores based on their specific needs, preferences and availability. Flexibility is key – if the person who usually takes the children to swimming lessons has a lot on at work, the other partner would step in.</p>
<p>Beyond the day-to-day, same-sex couples often play the long game, balancing unpaid labour with each other’s career progression. Some couples in our study planned their working and family lives so both partners could progress at work by taking turns as the main caregiver when their children were born. </p>
<p>Others recognised that task specialisation – such as one person always doing the taxes, and the other always cooking – could lead to dependence and rigidity. So they consciously practised task sharing to avoid this. </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/how-last-nights-fight-affects-the-way-couples-divide-housework-92582">How last night's fight affects the way couples divide housework</a>
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<h2>2. Communicate</h2>
<p>Couples who engage in honest conversations about their labour responsibilities <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0959353510375869">tend to view</a> their household division as fair. On the flip side, negative communication – aggression, avoidance or criticism – <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11199-023-01422-5">fosters a sense of unfairness</a>. </p>
<p>In our research, effective and open communication was key to achieving an equitable division of unpaid labour. But these conversations weren’t always easy. </p>
<p>Couples who felt guilty about not doing enough around the house, or frustration with their partner for not pulling their weight, found simple conversations could become emotionally intense. </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/yet-again-the-census-shows-women-are-doing-more-housework-now-is-the-time-to-invest-in-interventions-185488">Yet again, the census shows women are doing more housework. Now is the time to invest in interventions</a>
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<p>We all have different standards of cleanliness, gender socialisation and family background that shape how we approach housework. And this can also make it difficult to understand a partner’s perspective or expectations.</p>
<p>Couples in our survey navigated disagreements through candid conversations, transforming conflict into opportunities for greater mutual understanding and agreement. </p>
<p>It’s not just about talking, but also about regular “check-ins” to see how each person is feeling about the labour load, and renegotiating things when household circumstances or feelings change. </p>
<h2>3. Remember unpaid labour is valuable</h2>
<p>Housework is often devalued when compared with paid work. Previous research has shown how undervaluing housework <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11199-022-01282-5">diminishes the quality</a> of relationships. </p>
<p>Same-sex couples in our research sought to revalue unpaid labour by assigning it equal worth to paid labour. As one person said: </p>
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<p>The domestic tasks, we might not enjoy them, but we both value them equally. We both think they are important. </p>
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<p>Some couples actively acknowledged and appreciated difficult and time-consuming tasks, such as their partner cleaning the bathroom. Participants also found value in unpaid labour beyond the chores themselves, viewing them as acts of love, and found joy in small tasks. </p>
<p>One couple even turned household chores into a game, writing tasks on slips of paper and randomly selecting them from a bag – including enjoyable activities like walks or coffee breaks as rewards. </p>
<p>This not only lightens the mood but is also a strategy for involving children with less fuss.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/why-married-mothers-end-up-doing-more-housework-when-they-start-out-earning-their-husbands-183256">Why married mothers end up doing more housework when they start out-earning their husbands</a>
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<h2>4. Do a stocktake of the unpaid load</h2>
<p>We often fall into patterns of domestic labour without realising it. In our study, we found completing simple time-use surveys and discussing them can illuminate disparities in responsibilities. </p>
<p>Why not try it yourself? List down the household tasks done last week, including physical chores (like shopping or cleaning), emotional tasks (caring for children or pets), and mental tasks (planning meals, managing finances). </p>
<p>Estimate the time both you and your partner spent on each task. Then, have a heart-to-heart about who is doing what, how you both feel about it, and how it can be fairer.</p>
<h2>Lessons for all couples</h2>
<p>Adapting these strategies in heterosexual relationships isn’t easy. Deep-seated gender norms and societal expectations about the feminine “homemaker” and masculine “breadwinner” can be tough to shake. </p>
<p>And same-sex couples are <a href="https://www.census.gov/library/stories/2020/09/same-sex-married-people-more-likely-than-opposite-sex-counterparts-to-be-in-labor-force.html">more likely to both be working part-time</a> rather than having one partner at home and one working. </p>
<p>But that’s the challenge – to redefine and negotiate labour in a way that works for your unique relationship. Start by tossing out the old gender scripts about who should do what. Next, open a dialogue about chores. </p>
<p>Flexibility, communication and revaluing unpaid labour are strategies available to everyone.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/219477/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Who does what chore can be a major source of tension in many households. Our survey of same-sex couples and their routines revealed four key strategies that can help lighten the load for everyone.Alice Beban, Senior Lecturer in Sociology, Massey UniversityGlenda Roberts, Postgraduate Researcher/Project Manager, Massey UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2140602023-10-13T18:01:21Z2023-10-13T18:01:21ZWildfire smoke leaves harmful gases in floors and walls − air purifiers aren’t enough, new study shows, but you can clean it up<p>When wildfire smoke turns the air brown and hazy, you might think about heading indoors with the windows closed, running an air purifier or even wearing a mask. These are all good strategies to reduce exposure to the particles in wildfire smoke, but smoky air is also filled with potentially harmful gases. Those gases can get into buildings and remain in the walls and floors for weeks.</p>
<p>Getting rid of these gases isn’t as simple as turning on an air purifier or opening a window on a clear day.</p>
<p>In a new study published in the journal Science Advances, colleagues and I tracked <a href="https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.adh8263">the life of these gases</a> in a home exposed to wildfire smoke. We also found that the best way to get rid of the risk is among the simplest: start cleaning.</p>
<h2>The challenge of smoke particles and gases</h2>
<p>In December 2021, several of my friends and colleagues were affected by the <a href="https://theconversation.com/homes-that-survived-the-marshall-fire-1-year-ago-harbored-another-disaster-inside-heres-what-weve-learned-about-this-insidious-urban-wildfire-risk-196926">Marshall Fire</a> that burned about 1,000 homes in Boulder County, Colorado. The “lucky” ones, whose homes were still standing, asked me what they should do to clean their houses. I am <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=XpzGDEUAAAAJ&hl=en">an atmospheric and indoor chemist</a>, so I started looking into the published research, but I found very few studies on what happens after a building is exposed to smoke.</p>
<p>What scientists did know was that <a href="https://doi.org/10.1039/D1EM00087J">smoke particles end up on indoor surfaces</a> – floors, walls, ceilings. We knew that air <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/02786826.2022.2054674">filters</a> could remove particles from the air. And colleagues and I were just beginning to understand that volatile organic compounds, which are traditionally thought to stay in the air, could actually <a href="https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.aay8973">stick to surfaces inside a home and build up reservoirs</a> – invisible pools of organic molecules that can contribute to the air chemistry inside the house.</p>
<p>Volatile organic compounds, or VOCs, are compounds that easily become gases at room temperature. They include everything from limonene in lemons to benzene in gasoline. VOCs aren’t always hazardous to human health, but <a href="https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.0c04497">many VOCs in smoke are</a>. I started to wonder whether the VOCs in wildfire smoke could also stick to the surfaces of a house.</p>
<h2>Tracking lingering risks in a test house</h2>
<p>I worked with researchers from across the U.S. and Canada to explore this problem during the <a href="https://indoorchem.org/projects/casa/">Chemical Assessment of Surfaces and Air</a>, or CASA, study in 2022. We built on <a href="https://doi.org/10.1039/C9EM00228F">HOMEChem</a>, a previous study in which we looked at how cooking, cleaning and occupancy could change indoor air.</p>
<p>In CASA, we studied what happens when pollutants and chemicals get inside our homes – pesticides, smog and even wood smoke.</p>
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<figcaption><span class="caption">Tracking VOCs from smoke and other sources.</span></figcaption>
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<p>Using a cocktail smoker and wood chips, we created a surprisingly chemically accurate proxy for wildfire smoke and released small doses into a <a href="https://www.nist.gov/el/net-zero-energy-residential-test-facility">test house</a> built by the National Institute of Standards and Technology. NIST’s house allowed us to conduct controlled chemistry experiments in a real-world setting.</p>
<p>We even aged the smoke in a large bag with ozone to simulate what happens when smoke travels long distances, like the smoke from Canadian wildfires that <a href="https://theconversation.com/wildfire-smoke-and-dirty-air-are-also-climate-change-problems-solutions-for-a-world-on-fire-207676">moved into the U.S.</a> in the summer of 2023. Smoke chemistry changes as it travels: <a href="https://doi.org/10.1021/acsearthspacechem.9b00125">Particles become more oxidized</a> and <a href="https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2012218117">brown</a>, while VOCs <a href="https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.1c05684">break down</a> and the smoke loses its distinctive smell.</p>
<h2>How VOCs behave in your home</h2>
<p>What we found in CASA was intriguing. While smoke particles quickly settled on indoor surfaces, <a href="https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.adh8263">VOCs were more insidious</a>.</p>
<p>At first, the house took up these smoke VOCs – on floors, walls and building surfaces. But once the initial smoke cleared, the house would slowly release those VOCs back out over the next hours, days or even months, depending on the type of VOC.</p>
<p>This release is what we call a partitioning process: During the smoke event, individual VOC molecules in the air attach to indoor surfaces with weak chemical bonds. The <a href="https://www.int-ads-soc.org/what-is-adsorption/">process is called adsorption</a>. As smoke clears and the air cleans out, the bonds can break, and molecules “desorb” back out into the air.</p>
<p><iframe id="v93H7" class="tc-infographic-datawrapper" src="https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/v93H7/10/" height="400px" width="100%" style="border: none" frameborder="0"></iframe></p>
<p>We could watch this partitioning happen in the air by measuring smoke VOC concentrations. On surfaces, we could measure the weight of smoke VOCs that deposited on very sensitive balances and then were slowly released.</p>
<p>Overall, we concluded that this surface reservoir <a href="https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.adh8263">allows smoke VOCs to linger indoors</a>, meaning that people are exposed to them not just during the major smoke event but also long after.</p>
<h2>Why worry about VOCs?</h2>
<p>Smoke VOCs include well-known <a href="https://doi.org/10.1029/2021GH000546">carcinogens</a>, and high levels of exposure can induce <a href="https://theconversation.com/wildfire-smoke-can-harm-human-health-even-when-the-fire-is-burning-hundreds-of-miles-away-a-toxicologist-explains-why-206057">respiratory and health problems</a>.</p>
<p>While smoke VOC concentrations in our test house decreased with time, they remained persistently elevated above normal levels.</p>
<p>Given that <a href="https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.2c01381">VOC concentrations from other sources</a>, such as cooking and cleaning, can already be high enough in homes to harm health, this additional long-term exposure source from smoke could be important. Further toxicology studies will be needed to determine the significance of its health effects.</p>
<h2>How to clean up when smoke gets in</h2>
<p>So, what can you do to remove these lingering smoke gases?</p>
<p>We found that air purifiers can remove only some of the VOCs that are in the air – they can’t clean the VOCs on your floors or in your walls. They also work only when they’re running, and even then, air purifiers don’t work particularly well to reduce VOCs.</p>
<p>Opening windows to ventilate will clean the air, if it isn’t smoggy or smoky outside. But as soon as we closed windows and doors, smoke VOCs started to bleed off the surface reservoirs and into the air again, resulting in an elevated, near-constant concentration.</p>
<p>We realized that to permanently remove those smoke VOCs, we had to physically remove them from surfaces.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A young scientist, wearing a face mask, and a large air purifier." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/550124/original/file-20230925-19-s23qd0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/550124/original/file-20230925-19-s23qd0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/550124/original/file-20230925-19-s23qd0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/550124/original/file-20230925-19-s23qd0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/550124/original/file-20230925-19-s23qd0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/550124/original/file-20230925-19-s23qd0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/550124/original/file-20230925-19-s23qd0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A scientist takes samples while running an air purifier in the test house. The results show the air purifier helps while it’s running, but only for gases in the air.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">John Eisele/Colorado State University</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The good news is that cleaning surfaces by vacuuming, dusting and mopping with a commercial, nonbleach solution did the trick. While some remediation companies may do this surface cleaning for you after extreme exposures, surface cleaning after any smoke event – like <a href="https://theconversation.com/north-americas-summer-of-wildfire-smoke-2023-was-only-the-beginning-210246">Canadian wildfire smoke</a> drifting into homes in 2023 – should effectively and permanently reduced smoke VOC levels indoors.</p>
<p>Of course, we could reach only a certain number of surfaces – it’s hard to vacuum the ceiling! That meant that surface cleaning improved but didn’t eliminate smoke VOC levels in the house. But our study at least provides a path forward for cleaning indoor spaces affected by air pollutants, whether from wildfires, chemical spills or other events. </p>
<p>With wildfires <a href="https://www.unep.org/news-and-stories/story/air-pollution-wildfires-expected-surge-world-warms">becoming more frequent</a>, surface cleaning can be an easy, cheap and effective way to improve indoor air quality.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/214060/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Delphine Farmer receives funding from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, W.M. Keck Foundation, National Science Foundation, Department of Energy, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.</span></em></p>Wildfire smoke, even from fires far away, carries potentially harmful gases that, once inside, tend to stick around. An air quality specialist offers an easy, cheap, effective way to deal with it.Delphine Farmer, Professor of Chemistry, Colorado State UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2126892023-09-22T02:39:42Z2023-09-22T02:39:42ZFeeling controlled by the chaos in your home? 4 ways to rein in clutter and stay tidy<p>Maintaining a tidy home is a never-ending challenge. And tidiness goes beyond aesthetics – it <a href="https://theconversation.com/time-for-a-kondo-clean-out-heres-what-clutter-does-to-your-brain-and-body-109947">contributes to a person’s mental wellbeing</a>. </p>
<p>So what are the best strategies for creating and maintaining order? </p>
<p>A <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/263007731_Home_Sweet_Messy_Home_Managing_Symbolic_Pollution">growing body of research</a> into tidiness and <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/366106749_Having_Less_A_Personal_Project_Taxonomy_of_Consumers'_Decluttering_Orientations_Motives_and_Emotions">decluttering</a>, including our own, might offer helpful insights. </p>
<p>As part of our ongoing research project, we analysed popular cleaning and decluttering videos on YouTube as well thousands of the comments below them. We also conducted 18 in-depth interviews. The goal is to better understand how people create order in their homes – and how they keep it that way. </p>
<p>As our research shows, sustaining tidiness is about being both systematic and adaptable. </p>
<h2>Life can be the enemy of tidiness</h2>
<p>From an early age, <a href="https://books.google.co.nz/books?hl=en&lr=&id=WkrpDwAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PA67&dq=over+consumption++consumer+culture&ots=TVTnsyV25l&sig=KRmlySvvkDrkTBiGeLAAU-gqXPQ#">people are primed to shop</a>.</p>
<p>But this culture of shopping clashes with the desire for tidy and clutter-free homes.</p>
<p>Family members with different tidiness standards and life stages can also disrupt efforts to create order.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/swedish-death-cleaning-how-to-declutter-your-home-and-life-90253">Swedish death cleaning: how to declutter your home and life</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>As one young couple said:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>We’ve always wanted that really amazing organised home but we could just never really get it that way and we would feel really discouraged when we tried and then just a few days later it would just go right back to messy.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Some interviewees described feeling like prisoners of their possessions.</p>
<p>Another young couple with two kids explained:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>As more children arrived and our income increased, more stuff made its way into our home. We have never been hoarders, but at some point I looked around and realised that we were spending our time and resources on acquiring stuff, cleaning and maintaining stuff, storing stuff, moving stuff out of the way to get to other stuff.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>And the very organisation systems used to maintain tidy and clutter-free homes can <a href="https://academic.oup.com/jcr/article-abstract/41/3/565/2907524">contribute to disorganisation</a>. </p>
<p>One professional woman we spoke with described establishing a system where every piece of clothing had a designated spot in their wardrobe based on colour, type and season. Ultimately, this became too difficult to maintain, undermining the whole approach.</p>
<p>So what can be done to maintain a tidy home?</p>
<h2>4 strategies for keeping your home tidy</h2>
<p>Our research so far has helped us identify four key strategies to achieve long-term tidiness. </p>
<p><strong>1: Simplify</strong></p>
<p>To achieve lasting tidiness, you need to simplify the way you organise your home.</p>
<p>This can be done by eliminating spaces or areas in your home that encourage further organisation and classification of possessions – like extra dressers or storage units. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/clean-your-way-to-happiness-unpacking-the-decluttering-craze-52800">Clean your way to happiness: unpacking the decluttering craze</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>One retired couple we spoke with did just that.</p>
<blockquote>
<p>We had this dresser […] that was basically always inviting more and more stuff to be put in it. So, it was always pretty hard to have the space we always wanted. Well then we got rid of the dresser […] and once we did that we really saw the space open up and it became really nice and clear.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Fewer dedicated spaces mean fewer opportunities for clutter to accumulate, ultimately making it easier to maintain a tidy living environment.</p>
<p><strong>2: Create groups</strong></p>
<p>Another effective strategy for long-term tidiness is to simplify how you categorise and group things in your home. </p>
<p>Replacing several small decor items with one larger one creates fewer distinct categories of things around the house, for example. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/so-youve-konmaried-your-life-heres-how-to-throw-your-stuff-out-109945">So you've KonMari'ed your life: here's how to throw your stuff out</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>One mother of two kids we spoke with switched out several small teddy bears in her lounge for one big one. </p>
<p>A married couple we interviewed grouped smaller knickknacks onto a tray, making it easier to keep track of things and to maintain order. Having all of their knickknacks in one place also made it easier to clean.</p>
<p><strong>3: Manage numbers</strong></p>
<p>To sustain long-term tidiness, it’s also essential to control the total number of possessions in your home. </p>
<p>This can be achieved through various methods, such as encouraging sharing among family members and friends or following the “one in, one out” rule – for every new item you bring into the house, you get rid of an old item. </p>
<p>Instead of buying rarely used items, like a camping tent, you could rent it when needed. </p>
<p>Another married couple we spoke with described a cluttered kitchen with multiple pots for different cooking jobs. Looking to reduce the clutter, they switched to using a multipurpose cast iron skillet – one item that can do many jobs. </p>
<p>A family with two kids spoke about sharing hair products to reduce the clutter in the bathroom.</p>
<blockquote>
<p>We used to buy a bunch of different things but now we use the same thing for our hair so the product [my husband] uses, I use. We use the same shampoo. We actually used to buy different shampoo. So basically, we just simplified our product […] this brought the products down to half and now we have so much more peace of mind and the bathroom is so much easier to maintain.</p>
</blockquote>
<p><strong>4: Adapt and evolve</strong></p>
<p>Maintaining a tidy home requires flexibility and a willingness to re-evaluate and adjust your routines in response to the ever-changing circumstances of your life.</p>
<p>A retired couple we interviewed spoke about the process of moving to a smaller place. This required getting rid of a lot of things and changing the way they lived to maximise the use of what remained. </p>
<p>In the end, tidiness and decluttering are ongoing processes that require dedication and flexibility.</p>
<p>By embracing these strategies for long-term tidiness, a person can create and maintain organised spaces that enhance their lives, fostering not only physical order but also mental clarity and peace.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/212689/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Long-term tidiness can require a consistent approach to keeping chaos at bay. But your possessions don’t have to control your life. New research is showing how tidy people maintain their homes.Jamal Abarashi, Lecturer, International Business, Strategy and Entrepreneurship Department, Auckland University of TechnologyTaghreed Hikmet, Senior Lecturer, International Business, Strategy and Entrepreneurship Department, Auckland University of TechnologyLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2081562023-06-23T13:39:47Z2023-06-23T13:39:47ZDirty tea towels are breeding grounds for harmful bacteria – here’s how to clean them properly<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/533147/original/file-20230621-15-81vklh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=123%2C0%2C6227%2C4218&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Yep, when you've finished, both of those need to go in the wash.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.pexels.com/photo/close-up-of-women-in-pattern-dresses-drying-cutlery-with-tea-towels-6956744/">pexels/karolina grabowska</a></span></figcaption></figure><p><a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1023/A:1016378226861">Kitchens</a> can harbour all sorts of germs and bacteria. These can arrive via humans, pets, uncooked food or even plants, meaning that a high proportion of <a href="https://academic.oup.com/jambio/article-abstract/119/2/582/6717307?redirectedFrom=fulltext">foodborne infections</a> are acquired directly within the home. </p>
<p>An important cleaning aid in most kitchens is the tea towel, also known as a dishcloth. Usually made of cotton or linen, they are used to dry wet hands and kitchen implements as well as wiping down surfaces – so play an important role in kitchen hygiene. </p>
<p>But, because hands and uncooked fresh produce are often rich in a diverse variety of germs, tea towels are prone to picking up the bacteria they come into contact with. </p>
<p>Indeed, in a <a href="https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/Achieving-hygiene-in-the-domestic-kitchen%3A-the-of-Cogan-Slader/ffc798f7219afc6f986d6f18c62e6e496e7e0161">study</a> that used tea towels to wipe down chopping boards that had been used to prepare raw chicken with salmonella (which can cause diarrhoea, fever and stomach cramps), 90% of the cloths became contaminated with salmonella, too.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/09603129509356839?src=recsys">Several studies</a> have looked at the germs tea towels typically carry in domestic kitchens. One study sampled 100 used tea towels and found a marked presence of <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/09603120050127202?src=recsys">staphylococcus aureus</a> <em>Staphylococcus aureus</em>, which is often found on the skin but is also a pathogen that can cause a variety of issues such as abscesses, joint infections and even pneumonia.</p>
<figure class="align- centre ">
<img alt="Tea towels hanging to dry on the oven door." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/533151/original/file-20230621-15-620nos.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/533151/original/file-20230621-15-620nos.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=382&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/533151/original/file-20230621-15-620nos.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=382&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/533151/original/file-20230621-15-620nos.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=382&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/533151/original/file-20230621-15-620nos.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=480&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/533151/original/file-20230621-15-620nos.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=480&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/533151/original/file-20230621-15-620nos.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=480&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Dirty tea towels are a breeding ground for bacteria and foodborne illnesses.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/closeup-teatowels-on-rack-2293555605"> Joe Kuis/Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Tea towels are good at picking up germs which is important as another <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/09603129509356839?src=recsys">study of 46 kitchens</a> found a wide range of harmful bacterial species living on kitchen surfaces, which are often cleaned by tea towels. </p>
<p>Surfaces were found to have <em>Enterobacter</em> (which can cause respiratory tract infections, skin infections, urinary tract infections and heart, bone and eye infections), <em>Klebsiella</em> (which has been linked to serious infections of the lungs, bladder, brain and blood), and <em>E. coli</em> (which can cause upset stomachs and urinary tract infections). </p>
<p>Several kitchens also had <em>Pseudomonas aeruginosa</em>, which can cause lung infections. <em>Bacillus subtilis</em>, which can lead to eye infections and abscesses, was also found in more than half of the kitchens sampled. And all of the samples from the kitchens were found to have <em>Staphylococcus</em> and <em>Micrococcus</em>. In people with weak immune systems, <em>Micrococcus</em> has been linked to lung infections, such as pneumonia and septic arthritis along with eye and heart infections.</p>
<p>The levels and types of germs found on these tea towels were influenced by how they were used, how often they were washed and how long they were dried for. <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0956713522003887?via%3Dihub">Rinsing tea towels in hot water</a> at 60°C was found to reduce levels of bacteria later spread by contaminated cloths, which is important as infection likelihood is often related to how many bacteria you ingest.</p>
<h2>Clean your cloths</h2>
<p>These studies suggest there is an infection risk from tea towels and that most kitchen cloths may be contaminated with high levels of bacteria. It’s easy, then, for these germs to transfer on to food preparation surfaces, potentially causing serious food poisoning. </p>
<p>The infection risk of using tea towels is well-recognised by the medical profession. Indeed, in UK hospitals, fabric <a href="https://www.leicspart.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Food-Hygiene-for-Ward-and-Therapy-kitchens-Infection-Prevention-Policy-exp-Feb-24.pdf">tea towels are not allowed</a>. Instead, patient crockery, cutlery and food preparation work surfaces are cleaned and dried with disposable paper towels. </p>
<p>One of the reasons tea towels act as such good microbial reservoirs is that they are often damp as they are used to absorb moisture and mop up spills. <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0956713522003887?via%3Dihub">Water enables germs to grow</a>. And so a moist tea towel left in a warm kitchen provides an ideal environment for bacteria to multiply. This is particularly the case if food traces are present, too. </p>
<p>So what’s the best way to sanitise your used tea towel? Tea towels that are hung up in the air tend to dry faster than cloths stored and squeezed into balls, which can affect levels of bacteria in the towels. </p>
<p><a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0956713522003887?via%3Dihub">Laboratory experiments</a> that involved covering tea towels in salmonella, found that the bacteria multiplied in all types of cloths that were crumpled. But levels of bacteria were reduced by 1,000 times if the tea towels were hung to dry for 24 hours at room temperature. </p>
<h2>Reduce the germs</h2>
<p>To avoid tea towels spreading germs around the kitchen, it’s recommended that the cloths are washed regularly and when they get wet, are allowed to dry completely before being used again. Using <a href="https://www.food.gov.uk/sites/default/files/media/document/cloths.pdf">disposable cloths</a> or paper towels for heavily contaminated areas, such as those involving raw meat, could also help to stop the spread of bacteria. </p>
<p>In terms of tea towel hygiene, you should clean and thoroughly dry your kitchen towel <a href="https://www.food.gov.uk/sites/default/files/media/document/cloths.pdf">at least once a day</a> or after each use. The UK government recommends that tea towels should be sanitised by washing them in a washing machine with laundry detergent on a hot wash cycle of 90°C. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Tea towels drying on a clothesline." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/533152/original/file-20230621-18-piu85o.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/533152/original/file-20230621-18-piu85o.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/533152/original/file-20230621-18-piu85o.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/533152/original/file-20230621-18-piu85o.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/533152/original/file-20230621-18-piu85o.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/533152/original/file-20230621-18-piu85o.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/533152/original/file-20230621-18-piu85o.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Daily washing of tea towels is crucial for kitchen hygiene.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/colourful-towels-tea-hung-outside-dry-1655802655"> Tony Skerl/Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Laundry detergents contain hard water softeners, surfactants (which increase the wetting effect of water by reducing its surface tension), detergents, bleaches and digestive enzymes. Food stains on tea towels will probably be a mixture of proteins, fats and carbohydrates, which the enzymes degrade. </p>
<p>And the detergent helps to dissolve the stains, which are released into the washing water. Since proteins and fats are also involved in the attachment of bacteria to surfaces, laundry detergents will help to detach and so reduce bacteria levels in tea towels. </p>
<p>If you <a href="https://www.food.gov.uk/sites/default/files/media/document/cloths.pdf">wash tea towels</a> by hand, ensure any obvious food and dirt are removed by rinsing in hot water with detergent before disinfection. After washing, you can sanitise any microbes remaining using boiling water or a disinfectant such as bleach, diluted as per the manufacturer’s instructions. </p>
<p>Ironing tea towels on a hot setting will also effectively sanitise as the temperature is <a href="https://www.food.gov.uk/sites/default/files/media/document/cloths.pdf">above 90°C</a>.
You should also store your laundered tea towels in a dry, clean area, away from any uncooked food and grubby hands.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/208156/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Primrose Freestone does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>A microbiologist on the deadly germs lurking in your kitchen and why you need to wash tea towels and dishcloths more often.Primrose Freestone, Senior Lecturer in Clinical Microbiology, University of LeicesterLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2039882023-04-24T16:14:01Z2023-04-24T16:14:01ZThe dirty truth about your phone – and why you need to stop scrolling in the bathroom<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/522188/original/file-20230420-1700-nz53nk.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=14%2C26%2C1970%2C1461&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Using your phone when you're on the toilet is a horrid habit. </span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/cropped-image-beautiful-young-woman-using-488716744">Canva/Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>We carry them everywhere, take them to bed, to the bathroom and for many people they’re the first thing they see in the morning – more than 90% of the world owns or uses a <a href="https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms11020523">mobile phone</a> and many of us couldn’t manage without one.</p>
<p>But while health concerns about phones use usually focus on the <a href="https://theconversation.com/why-using-a-mobile-phone-while-driving-is-so-dangerous-even-when-youre-hands-free-71833">distraction they can cause</a> while driving, the possible effects of <a href="https://theconversation.com/theres-no-evidence-5g-is-going-to-harm-our-health-so-lets-stop-worrying-about-it-120501">radiofrequency exposure</a>, or just how <a href="https://theconversation.com/seven-tips-for-a-healthier-relationship-with-your-phone-202215">addictive they can be</a>. The microbial infection risk of your phone is much less appreciated – <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-021-93622-w">but it’s very real</a>.</p>
<p><a href="https://yougov.co.uk/topics/society/articles-reports/2019/02/28/most-britons-use-their-phone-toilet">A 2019 survey</a> found that most people in the UK use their phones on the toilet. So it’s not surprising to discover studies have found our mobile phones to be <a href="https://cals.arizona.edu/news/why-your-cellphone-has-more-germs-toilet">dirtier that toilet seats</a>. </p>
<p>We give our phones to children to play with (who aren’t exactly well known for their hygiene). We also eat while using our phones and put them down on all sorts of (dirty) surfaces. All of which can transfer microbes onto your phone along with food deposits for those microbes to eat. </p>
<p>It’s been estimated that people touch their phone <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2276752/Mobile-users-leave-phone-minutes-check-150-times-day.html">hundreds</a> if not <a href="https://dscout.com/people-nerds/mobile-touches">thousands</a> of times a day. And while many of us wash our hands regularly after say, going to the bathroom, cooking, cleaning, or gardening, we are much less likely to consider washing our hands after <a href="https://www2.deloitte.com/content/dam/insights/articles/us175371_tmt_connectivity-and-mobile-trends-interactive-landing-page/DI_Connectivity-mobile-trends-2022.pdf">touching our phones</a>. But given how disgusting and germ-infested phones can be, maybe it’s time to think more about <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19267892/">mobile phone hygiene</a>.</p>
<h2>Germs, bacteria, viruses</h2>
<p>Hands pick up bacteria and viruses all the time and are <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/handwashing/when-how-handwashing.html">recognised as a route</a> for <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK144014/#parti_ch7.s3">acquiring infection</a>. So too are the phones we touch. <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-022-14118-9">A number</a> of <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7196688/">studies</a> conducted on the microbiological colonisation of mobile phones show that they can be contaminated with many different kinds of potentially pathogenic bacteria.</p>
<p>These include the diarrhoea-inducing <em>E. coli</em> (which, by the way, comes from human poo) and the skin-infecting <em>Staphylococcus</em>, as well as <em>Actinobacteria</em>, which can cause tuberculosis and diphtheria, <em>Citrobacter</em>, which can lead to painful urinary tract infections, and <em>Enterococcus</em>, which is known to cause meningitis. <em>Klebsiella</em>, <em>Micrococcus</em>, <em>Proteus</em>, <em>Pseudomonas</em> and <em>Streptococcus</em> have also been found on phones and all can have equally nasty effects on humans.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6130244/">Research</a> has found that many pathogens on phones are often antibiotic resistant, meaning they can’t be treated with conventional drugs. This is worrying as these bacteria can cause skin, gut and respiratory infections that can be life-threatening. </p>
<p>Research has also found that even if you clean your phone with antibacterial wipes or alcohol it can still be recolonised by microorganisms, indicating that <a href="https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2607/11/2/523">sanitisation</a> must be a <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-022-14118-9">regular process</a>. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Woman wearing yellow jumper cleaning phone screen with a wipe." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/522184/original/file-20230420-23-ne9bdl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/522184/original/file-20230420-23-ne9bdl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/522184/original/file-20230420-23-ne9bdl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/522184/original/file-20230420-23-ne9bdl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/522184/original/file-20230420-23-ne9bdl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/522184/original/file-20230420-23-ne9bdl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/522184/original/file-20230420-23-ne9bdl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The importance of cleaning your phone and how to do it safely.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/coronavirus-global-epidemic-woman-disinfecting-phone-1677416521">Volurol/Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Phones contain plastic which can harbour and <a href="https://www.clinicalmicrobiologyandinfection.com/article/S1198-743X(15)01034-4/fulltext">transmit viruses</a> some of which (the common cold virus) can live on hard plastic surfaces for up to a week. Other viruses such as COVID-19, rotavirus (a highly infectious stomach bug that typically affects babies and young children), influenza and norovirus – which can cause serious respiratory and gut infections – can persist in an infectable form for several days. </p>
<p>Indeed, since the beginning of the COVID pandemic, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has introduced <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/hygiene/cleaning/cleaning-your-home.html">guidelines for cleaning and disinfecting mobile phones</a> – which, along with door handles, cash machines and <a href="https://theconversation.com/from-the-bed-sheets-to-the-tv-remote-a-microbiologist-reveals-the-shocking-truth-about-dirt-and-germs-in-hotel-rooms-202195">lift buttons</a>, are considered <a href="https://www.clinicalmicrobiologyandinfection.com/article/S1198-743X(15)01034-4/fulltext">reservoirs of infection</a>. </p>
<p>In particular, concern has been raised about the role mobile phones can play in the spread of infectious microbes in <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7196688/">hospital and healthcare settings</a>, as well as in <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5466825/">schools</a>. </p>
<h2>Clean your phone</h2>
<p>So it’s clear that you need to start cleaning your phone regularly. The US Federal Communications Commission actually recommends <a href="https://www.fcc.gov/consumers/guides/how-sanitize-your-phone-and-other-devices">daily sanitation</a> of your phone and other devices – not least because we are still within an active COVID-19 pandemic and the virus can survive for several days on hard plastic surfaces. </p>
<p>Use <a href="https://www.fcc.gov/consumers/guides/how-sanitize-your-phone-and-other-devices">alcohol-based wipes or sprays</a>. They need to contain at least 70% alcohol to disinfect phone casings and touch screens, and it needs to be done every day if possible. </p>
<p>Do not spray sanitisers directly onto the phone and keep liquids away from connection points or other phone openings. Absolutely avoid using bleach or abrasive cleaners. And wash your hands thoroughly after you’ve finished cleaning.</p>
<p>Thinking about how you handle your phone will also help to avoid it becoming colonised with germs. When not at home, keep your phone in your pocket, or bag and use a disposable paper list of to-do items, rather than constantly consulting your phone. Touch your phone with clean hands – washed with soap and water or disinfected with alcohol-based hand sanitiser. </p>
<p>There are other things you can do to avoid your phone becoming a source of viruses. Do not share your phone with others if you have any infection, or have not first sanitised it. If children are allowed to play with your phone, sanitise it as soon as possible afterwards. </p>
<p>And get in the habit of putting your phone away when not in use, then sanitising or washing your hands. You might also want to occasionally sanitise your phone charger when you are cleaning your phone.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/203988/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Primrose Freestone does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Your mobile phone is 10 times dirtier than a toilet seat. Here’s what to do about it.Primrose Freestone, Senior Lecturer in Clinical Microbiology, University of LeicesterLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2033012023-04-11T11:24:35Z2023-04-11T11:24:35ZNearly a quarter of people in the UK flush wet wipes down the toilet – here’s why they shouldn’t<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/519787/original/file-20230406-18-hx8ppo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=61%2C7%2C5028%2C3380&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/father-changing-newborn-babys-diaper-on-1450033853">Shutterstock/BigLike Images</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Whether you’re cleaning your house, your car or your child, there are a variety of wet wipes manufactured for the job. Wet wipes are small, lightweight and extremely convenient. They have become a staple in most of our lives, particularly so during and since the COVID-19 pandemic. </p>
<p>But according to Water UK, an organisation representing the water industry, flushing wet wipes down the toilet is responsible for <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/dec/12/baby-wipes-93-percent-matter-causing-uk-sewer-blockages">93% of sewer blockages</a> and costs around £100 million each year to sort out. And the majority of these wipes, about 90%, contain plastic.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.water.org.uk/news-item/bin-the-wipe/#:%7E:text=%E2%80%9CBin%20the%20Wipe%E2%80%9D%20is%20a,wet%20wipes%20down%20the%20toilet.">Water UK</a> also found that 22% of people admit to flushing wipes down the toilet, even though most of them knew they posed a hazard. And it’s estimated that <a href="https://www.water.org.uk/news-item/bin-the-wipe/#:%7E:text=%E2%80%9CBin%20the%20Wipe%E2%80%9D%20is%20a,wet%20wipes%20down%20the%20toilet.">300,000</a> sewer blockages occur every year because of “<a href="https://theconversation.com/microplastic-pollution-and-wet-wipe-reefs-are-changing-the-river-thames-ecosystem-119400">fatbergs</a>”, with wet wipes one of the main causes. </p>
<p>But it seems wet wipes <a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/wet-wipe-ban-uk-alternative-environmentally-friendly-b2314365.html">could soon be banned</a> in England - well, at least the ones that contain plastic – as the government has said it will launch a public consultation on wet wipes in response to mounting concerns about water pollution and blockages. This follows pledges made by <a href="https://www.tescoplc.com/news/2022/tesco-to-ban-wet-wipes-containing-plastic/">major retailers</a>, including Boots and Tesco, to discontinue the sale of such products.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.nonwovens-industry.com/issues/2018-4/view_features/four-trends-shaping-the-future-of-nonwoven-wipe-demand/">Market projections</a> show that 1.63 million tons of material will be produced in 2023 for wet wipes globally – an industry worth approximately $2.84 billion (£2.04 billion). Though these figures are likely to be on the conservative side as manufacturers increased the production of disinfecting wipes in 2020 <a href="https://www.nonwovens-industry.com/issues/2020-06/view_features/household-wipes-demand-soars-amid-covid-19-pandemic/">during the pandemic</a> – and have remained at the same level since. </p>
<p>Despite the popularity and wide use of wet wipes, not a lot is known about their environmental footprint. This is because manufacturers are not obliged to state what the wipes are made from on the packaging, only the intentionally added ingredients. This creates a challenge for both scientists and consumers alike. </p>
<h2>What we know</h2>
<p>Wet wipes are made from non-woven fibres that are fused together either mechanically or with the aid of chemicals or heat. The individual fibres can be made from either natural (regenerated cellulose or wood pulp) or petroleum-based (plastic) materials, including polyester and polypropylene. </p>
<p>Most wet wipes are a mixture of natural and synthetic fibres – and the majority contain plastic. As well as the fibres, wet wipes also contain chemicals, including cleaning or disinfecting agents which are impregnated into the material. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Wet wipes, disinfecting wipes." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/519793/original/file-20230406-440-1breg8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/519793/original/file-20230406-440-1breg8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=312&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/519793/original/file-20230406-440-1breg8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=312&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/519793/original/file-20230406-440-1breg8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=312&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/519793/original/file-20230406-440-1breg8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=392&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/519793/original/file-20230406-440-1breg8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=392&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/519793/original/file-20230406-440-1breg8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=392&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Wet wipes can cause a lot of issues for our sewerage system.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-vector/3d-mock-wet-wipes-pouch-pack-1928801144">JoyImage/Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Some wipes are designed to be “flushable” and contain <a href="https://www.proquest.com/docview/2771905908/">chemical binding agents</a> that are designed to release the fibres of the wipe when they are exposed to water. This means that if wipes are not disposed of correctly, they can create both a plastic and a chemical hazard to the environment. </p>
<p>It’s well known that plastic breaks down extremely slowly and persists for centuries <a href="https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/19/20/13223">in landfill</a>. And if plastic-containing wipes are released into the environment – either through littering or via the sewerage system – they can pose a number of hazards. </p>
<h2>The plastic problem</h2>
<p>When wet wipes reach the environment – including soil, rivers and the ocean – they generate microplastic pollution in the form of microfibers. Microfibers are one of the most prevalent types of plastic pollution in the <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0025326X19300451">aquatic environment</a> and affect ecosystems as well as potentially human health through their introduction into the <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0048969720374039">food chain</a>. </p>
<p>The problem has been exacerbated by these “flushable” wipes. <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11356-018-2400-9">One study</a> identified seven different types of plastics as potential components of flushable wipes – meaning that they still risk being a source of microplastic pollution. <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0043135420305583">Recent work</a> has confirmed that wet wipes (along with sanitary products) are an underestimated source of white microfibers found in the marine environment. </p>
<p>Data on the environmental impact of the associated chemicals is lacking, but this is something <a href="https://www.bristol.ac.uk/people/person/Charlotte-Lloyd-49c92f3e-0f6e-482f-961d-3fe5a34fe6c3/">my research group</a> is currently working on. What is known though is that plastics have the ability to absorb other contaminants such as <a href="https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acs.est.7b00635">metals</a> and <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0025326X10000366">pesticides</a> as well as <a href="https://portlandpress.com/emergtoplifesci/article-abstract/6/4/349/231918/Pathogens-transported-by-plastic-debris-does-this?redirectedFrom=fulltext">pathogens</a>. And this provides a way for pollution to be <a href="https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acs.est.5b06069">transported</a> large distances through the environment. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Flushable wipe going down the toilet." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/519795/original/file-20230406-18-9lvw61.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/519795/original/file-20230406-18-9lvw61.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/519795/original/file-20230406-18-9lvw61.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/519795/original/file-20230406-18-9lvw61.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/519795/original/file-20230406-18-9lvw61.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/519795/original/file-20230406-18-9lvw61.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/519795/original/file-20230406-18-9lvw61.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Are flushable wipes really flushable?</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/closeup-young-man-throwing-wet-wipe-1448959583">Shutterstock/nito</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Driven by environmental concerns as well as impending legislation, many plastic-free wipe products are now available or being developed. But even products made from natural fibres can still pose a problem to sewerage systems and so safe disposal – in a bin – is key.</p>
<p>The scientific evidence surrounding the environmental effects of bio-based plastics (plastics made from non-petroleum sources such as corn or potato starch) is also lacking, so caution is needed when thinking about simply switching from petroleum-based to bio-based plastics. </p>
<p>With this in mind, reusable washable products are a great alternative to disposables and have a much smaller environmental footprint. They are particularly handy around the home when washing is convenient. </p>
<p>That said, there will remain a market for disposables, but manufacturers should have to clearly label what the wipes are made from so that consumers can make a more informed choice.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/203301/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Charlotte Lloyd receives research funding from The Royal Society and UKRI Natural Environmental Research Council. </span></em></p>It’s estimated that 1.63 million tons of material will be produced in 2023 for wet wipes.Charlotte Lloyd, Royal Society Dorothy Hodgkin Research Fellow and Lecturer in Environmental Chemistry, University of BristolLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2020162023-04-06T13:52:26Z2023-04-06T13:52:26ZWhat is ‘eldest daughter syndrome’ and how can we fix it?<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/519302/original/file-20230404-24-pqcpq3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C3600%2C3567&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Eldest daughters often take on the lion's share of domestic responsibilities.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.pexels.com/photo/three-children-smiling-2385657/">Pexels/nishant aneja</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Have you heard of “eldest daughter syndrome”? It’s the emotional burden eldest daughters tend to take on (and are encouraged to take on) in many families from a young age. </p>
<p>From caring for younger siblings, helping out with everyday chores, looking after <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s40894-019-00119-9">sick parents</a> to sorting shopping orders or online deliveries, <a href="https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/work-employment-and-society/article/abs/household-division-of-labour-generation-gender-age-birth-order-and-sibling-composition/C8915E3CE7CA1BDECA34D25AAC0C71D4">eldest daughters</a> often shoulder a heavy but invisible burden of domestic responsibility from a young age.</p>
<p>What’s wrong with that? You might ask, shouldn’t the eldest children, who are supposed to be more grown-up, help out and look after their younger siblings? Aren’t girls “naturally” better at caring? These <a href="https://www.elgaronline.com/display/edcoll/9781788975537/9781788975537.00033.xml">popular assumptions</a> are so entrenched that they can make it difficult for us to see the problem.</p>
<p>But <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/oldestdaughtersyndrome">#EldestDaughterSyndrome</a> is now trending on TikTok, with adolescent girls speaking out about the unfair amount of unpaid (and unappreciated) labour they do in their families, as well as discussing its adverse effects on their lives, health and wellbeing.</p>
<p>Of course, the “<a href="https://uk.news.yahoo.com/eldest-daughter-syndrome-tiktok-trend-093323841.html">syndrome</a>” has existed for centuries across many parts of the world. So why is it now being spoken about as such an issue?</p>
<hr>
<figure class="align-right ">
<img alt="Quarter life, a series by The Conversation" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/451343/original/file-20220310-13-1bj6csd.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/451343/original/file-20220310-13-1bj6csd.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/451343/original/file-20220310-13-1bj6csd.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/451343/original/file-20220310-13-1bj6csd.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/451343/original/file-20220310-13-1bj6csd.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/451343/original/file-20220310-13-1bj6csd.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/451343/original/file-20220310-13-1bj6csd.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<p><em><strong><a href="https://theconversation.com/uk/topics/quarter-life-117947?utm_source=TCUK&utm_medium=linkback&utm_campaign=UK+YP2022&utm_content=InArticleTop">This article is part of Quarter Life</a></strong>, a series about issues affecting those of us in our twenties and thirties. From the challenges of beginning a career and taking care of our mental health, to the excitement of starting a family, adopting a pet or just making friends as an adult. The articles in this series explore the questions and bring answers as we navigate this turbulent period of life.</em></p>
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<p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/how-the-philosophy-behind-the-japanese-art-form-of-kintsugi-can-help-us-navigate-failure-193487?utm_source=TCUK&utm_medium=linkback&utm_campaign=UK+YP2022&utm_content=InArticleTop">How the philosophy behind the Japanese art form of kintsugi can help us navigate failure</a></em></p>
<p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/how-to-spend-time-wisely-what-young-people-can-learn-from-retirees-189340">How to spend time wisely – what young people can learn from retirees</a></em></p>
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<p>Despite women’s rise in <a href="https://www.annualreviews.org/doi/abs/10.1146/annurev-soc-073117-041215">education</a> and <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/jftr.12248?casa_token=SbEGSkHlhYQAAAAA:gO7Afzv3nFIe2QHW4kwYlb3hcEvAs31SRbLwbhviKNQgkmFD8nV-yGovkwTiOOaLFgMjy9LGcUnmr94">employment</a>, they still shoulder the <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/jomf.12590">lion’s share of housework</a>. Indeed, progress towards gender equality in the workplace has not <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/jftr.12248?casa_token=STyBuPSvBKkAAAAA:Ov9x4WfFu4XW21hHDd_8pfFn_0mlOPE-SIu8DcLqFCUQnpa1NwJ-EUK3q44wpChTJT5ulFFHX_1OPDo">translated into</a> gender equality at home. And eldest daughter syndrome can go some way to explain why this is the case.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Eldest daughter helps her brother and looks after him." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/519305/original/file-20230404-16-34v0km.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/519305/original/file-20230404-16-34v0km.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/519305/original/file-20230404-16-34v0km.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/519305/original/file-20230404-16-34v0km.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/519305/original/file-20230404-16-34v0km.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/519305/original/file-20230404-16-34v0km.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/519305/original/file-20230404-16-34v0km.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">‘ Just look after your brother will you.’</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="http://www.pexels.com/photo/little-girl-helping-her-brother-with-homework-5088191/">Pexels/olia danilevich</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Research shows that children make a notable but often <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11150-013-9234-5">overlooked contribution</a> to domestic labour. Mirroring the gender divide among adults, girls between five and 14 years old spend <a href="https://www.unicef.org/turkiye/en/node/2311#:%7E:text=The%20data%20show%20that%20the,chores%20than%20boys%20their%20age.">40% more time</a> on domestic work than boys. </p>
<p>Following a <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/21620555.2018.1430508?journalCode=mcsa20">patriarchal pecking order</a>, the <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/21620555.2018.1430508?journalCode=mcsa20">eldest daughter</a> often bears the brunt of the burden among her siblings.</p>
<p>As voiced by many on TikTok, the syndrome <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/oldestdaughtersyndrome">can impair</a> eldest daughters’ wellbeing and “steal” their childhood as they are rushed into assuming a <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/21620555.2018.1430508?journalCode=mcsa20">disproportionate amount</a> of adult responsibilities – also known as <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2022/sep/20/parentified-child-behave-like-adult">parentification</a>. In doing so, it reproduces gender inequality in domestic labour from one generation to another.</p>
<h2>Why it happens</h2>
<p>At least three behavioural theories underlie eldest daughter syndrome and they are often simultaneously at play, reinforcing one another.</p>
<p>First, the <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/jomf.12225?deniedAccessCustomisedMessage=&userIsAuthenticated=false">role modelling theory</a>, which suggests that eldest daughters often follow their mother as a role model in learning to “do” gender. Second, the <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/0044118X92024002004">sex-typing theory</a> proposes that parents often assign different, gendered tasks to girls and boys. </p>
<p>Sex-typing often builds on parents’ gendered understanding of domestic work as <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0049089X04001073?casa_token=7-yGCGodnf4AAAAA:pz_LKJKsAWAgnNIZoqNuHHjRM6fpwgmli69FdBQrAibGqnyN7GtIZj9ae_KKP9M_OvrmJjM48Q">something associated with femininity</a>. For parents who consciously strive to instil gender equality in their children, sex-typing can still occur as eldest daughters unconsciously <a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/2657414?casa_token=VDKVPExTOXAAAAAA%3AOnkPl9ACA1nU7FUY5hV5wPjQ2tQ1gbFjbu8Kojq6lC--QKqp6JxMEnOkiM1E8ZKWGz32JpqBdxILbj9F0DYs3ZVI09DeMsIH-uLPEFlNVeZ2EwBGO_s">join their mothers in gendered activities</a> such as cooking, house cleaning and shopping.</p>
<p>And third, the <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/1467-9507.00225?casa_token=PMbEnckrqtoAAAAA:NuCMXJNrsW2-DwY5kYhrlaQ7tzgLlXml3rBtnZnGR7zTjhR1Vx8gnKdz1-uUnsJ6ZTksuFxhYbJo834">labour substitution theory</a> suggests that when working mothers have limited time available for domestic work, eldest daughters often act as “substitutes”. As a result, they end up spending more time on care provision and housework. </p>
<p>Consequently, mothers’ progress towards gender equality at work can come <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/21620555.2018.1430508?journalCode=mcsa20">at the cost</a> of their eldest daughters picking up the domestic slack at a young age.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Eldest daughter helps sibling with homework." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/519303/original/file-20230404-27-dvcqk5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/519303/original/file-20230404-27-dvcqk5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/519303/original/file-20230404-27-dvcqk5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/519303/original/file-20230404-27-dvcqk5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/519303/original/file-20230404-27-dvcqk5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/519303/original/file-20230404-27-dvcqk5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/519303/original/file-20230404-27-dvcqk5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Older siblings often end up helping with homework.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.pexels.com/photo/mother-helping-her-daughter-use-a-laptop-4260325/">Pexels/august de richelieu</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>As we look further afield, the issue of eldest daughter syndrome has far-reaching implications for <a href="https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/Servants_of_Globalization/sCcoCgAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=servants+of+globalisation&printsec=frontcover">global gender inequality</a> and an ongoing <a href="https://www.compas.ox.ac.uk/2018/a-global-crisis-in-care/">global care crisis</a>.</p>
<p>In the Philippines, for example, <a href="https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/Servants_of_Globalization/sCcoCgAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=servants+of+globalisation&printsec=frontcover">many mothers migrate</a> to the US, the Middle East and Europe to work as domestic workers.</p>
<p>Their work helps free their clients from domestic gender inequality to some extent through <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/jomf.12321?casa_token=jYXuxbZK_H8AAAAA:kJYVkwu5HRiCyfiAqzMDeeildvh9C3_vCgEgQCdLqHPVwcCB_y4qXBlMV_bezq8F2XG2h3VqnzXYFJ4">domestic outsourcing</a>. But back in the Philippines, the women’s eldest daughters often have to step up as <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/011719680501400301?casa_token=plrqCW5kHG8AAAAA:yYkI906GzoUOiSdio9psYpb1VfxxdBVNMSvICk_eFI94n72L5QBxX6jd_DAu-kADauVqaKRufVbf">“surrogate” mothers</a> and run the household.</p>
<p>In this process, eldest daughter syndrome reproduces <a href="https://trainingcentre.unwomen.org/instraw-library/2009-R-MIG-GLO-GLO-EN.pdf">domestic gender inequality</a> across generations and offloads such inequality from one part of the world to another.</p>
<h2>What can we do?</h2>
<p>The “cure” might seem simple – we need families to recognise the unfair burden that may have been placed on the eldest daughter and to redistribute household responsibilities more equally.</p>
<p>Yet, doing so is far from straightforward. It requires male family members in particular to step up their contribution to domestic work. In turn, it requires us to “undo” <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/jftr.12245?casa_token=F2VnZvOJRaoAAAAA:6-kRCkTWzBiHQsE33S-0Z-VzajzAIMI1WgFO_mKrawK7bOzSFuSQgKn-qkRG3IkSBEoCOpv0_6_kPCk">centuries of thinking</a> about housework and care as something gendered and “feminine”. </p>
<p>To achieve that, we need to first recognise the problem that domestic labour, particularly labour performed by children and eldest daughters, which goes largely <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/1043463193005003003">unseen, unpaid and under-valued</a>. </p>
<p>In the <a href="https://educationhub.blog.gov.uk/2023/03/16/budget-2023-everything-you-need-to-know-about-childcare-support/">2023 UK Budget</a>, the <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2023/mar/14/budget-2023-hunt-to-announce-4bn-boost-for-childcare-in-england">£4 billion</a> investment in extending childcare coverage sheds some light on the sheer economic value of childcare, which, although massive, represents only a tiny fraction of the <a href="https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20210518-the-hidden-load-how-thinking-of-everything-holds-mums-back">extensive</a> range of domestic responsibilities disproportionately shouldered by women and often eldest daughters.</p>
<p>But we can’t change something we can’t see. This is why being more aware of eldest daughter syndrome, not only as an individual struggle but also as an issue of gender inequality, is a good start.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/202016/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Yang Hu receives funding from the Economic and Social Research Council, UK, and the Canadian Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council, Canada, for his ongoing collaborative projects on artificial intelligence and labour market inequalities.</span></em></p>Breaking the cycle of eldest daughter syndrome: tips for families.Yang Hu, Professor, Department of Sociology, Lancaster UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2021952023-03-21T16:55:28Z2023-03-21T16:55:28ZFrom the bed sheets to the TV remote, a microbiologist reveals the shocking truth about dirt and germs in hotel rooms<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/516458/original/file-20230320-1510-ozjvkn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=5%2C36%2C3479%2C2273&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Relaxing in filth?</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.pexels.com/photo/woman-in-bathrobe-sitting-on-bed-5379219/">Pexels/Cottonbro studio</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>For most of us, staying in a hotel room is either something of a necessity – think business travel – or something to look forward to as part of a holiday or wider excursion. </p>
<p>But what if I told you there’s a large chance your hotel room, despite how it might appear to the naked eye, <a href="https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/922575">isn’t that clean</a>. And even if it’s an expensive room, that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s any less dirty.</p>
<p>Indeed, whoever has stayed in your room prior to you will have deposited bacteria, fungi and viruses all over the furniture, carpets, curtains and surfaces. What remains of these germ deposits depends on how efficiently your <a href="http://www.europeancleaningjournal.com/magazine/articles/european-reports/bacteria-that-breed-in-hotel-rooms">room is cleaned</a> by <a href="https://www.today.com/money/hotel-maids-how-much-how-little-do-they-really-clean-1D80287464">hotel staff</a>. And let’s face it, what is considered clean by a hotel might be different to <a href="https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/dirty-spots-in-hotel-rooms_n_5ae09906e4b061c0bfa4356d">what you consider clean</a>.</p>
<p>Typically, assessment of hotel room cleanliness is based on <a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/26330308">sight and smell observations</a> –- not on the invisible microbiology of the space, which is where the infection risks reside. So let’s take a deep dive into the world of germs, bugs and viruses to find out what might be lurking where.</p>
<h2>It starts at the lift</h2>
<p>Before you even enter your room, think of the hotel lift buttons as germ hotspots. They are being pressed all the time by many different people, which can transfer microorganisms onto the button surface, as well back onto the presser’s fingers. </p>
<p>Communal door handles can be similar in terms of germ presence unless sanitised regularly. <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25005587/">Wash your hands</a> or use a hand sanitiser after using a handle before you next touch your face or eat or drink.</p>
<p>The most common <a href="https://www.rd.com/list/ways-your-hotel-room-could-be-making-you-sick/">infections people pick up</a> from hotel rooms are tummy bugs – diarrhoea and vomiting – along with <a href="https://www.everydayhealth.com/cold-and-flu/surprising-ways-hotels-can-make-you-sick.aspx">respiratory viruses</a>, such as colds and pneumonia, as well as <a href="https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/28/3/21-2318_article?ACSTrackingID=USCDC_333-DM72795&ACSTrackingLabel=Latest%20Expedited%20Articles%20-%20Emerging%20Infectious%20Diseases%20Journal%20-%20December%2029%2C%202021&deliveryName=USCDC_333-DM72795">COVID-19</a>, of course.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Hotel door opening." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/516459/original/file-20230320-16-kb336m.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/516459/original/file-20230320-16-kb336m.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=420&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/516459/original/file-20230320-16-kb336m.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=420&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/516459/original/file-20230320-16-kb336m.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=420&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/516459/original/file-20230320-16-kb336m.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=528&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/516459/original/file-20230320-16-kb336m.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=528&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/516459/original/file-20230320-16-kb336m.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=528&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Welcome to germ paradise.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.pexels.com/photo/bedroom-door-entrance-guest-room-271639/">Pexels/Pixabay</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p><a href="https://ami-journals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jam.15121">Toilets and bathrooms</a> tend to be cleaned more thoroughly than the rest of a hotel room and are often the least bacteriologically colonised environments. </p>
<p>Though if the drinking glass in the bathroom is not disposable, wash it before use (body wash or shampoo are effective dishwashers), as you can never be sure if they’ve been cleaned properly. Bathroom door handles may also be colonised by pathogens from unwashed hands or dirty washcloths.</p>
<h2>Beware the remote</h2>
<p>The bed, sheets and pillows can also be home to some unwanted visitors. <a href="https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/26/9/20-1435_article">A 2020 study</a> found that after a pre-symptomatic COVID-19 patient occupied a hotel room there was significant viral contamination of many surfaces, with levels being particularly high within the sheets, pillow case and quilt cover. </p>
<p>While <a href="https://www.rd.com/list/dirty-hotel-room/">sheets and pillowcases</a> may be more likely to be changed between occupants, bedspreads may not, meaning these fabrics may become invisible reservoirs for pathogens – <a href="https://www.indy100.com/science-tech/beds-more-germs-than-toilet">as much as a toilet seat</a>. Though in <a href="https://www.thesun.co.uk/travel/17444370/hotel-sheets-clean-changed-dirty/">some cases</a> <a href="https://www.insideedition.com/investigation-finds-sheets-werent-changed-between-guests-at-some-new-york-hotels-60419">sheets</a> <a href="https://www.frommers.com/tips/health-and-travel-insurance/hotels-dont-always-change-the-sheets-between-guests#:%7E:text=Sheets%20are%20usually%20changed%20between,they%20aren't%20washed%20regularly.">aren’t always changed between guests</a>, so it may be better to just bring your own.</p>
<p>Less thought about is what lives on the hotel room desk, bedside table, telephone, kettle, <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/srep17163?utm_medium=affiliate&utm_source=commission_junction&utm_campaign=CONR_PF018_ECOM_GL_PHSS_ALWYS_DEEPLINK&utm_content=textlink&utm_term=PID100087244&CJEVENT=7cf55981c74311ed82a0034b0a18ba73">coffee machine</a>, light switch or <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/hotel-room-tests-uncover-high-levels-of-contamination-1.1160859">TV remote</a> – as these surfaces aren’t always sanitised between occupancies. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="TV remote lying on pink bedding." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/516462/original/file-20230320-14-h6cnfh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/516462/original/file-20230320-14-h6cnfh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/516462/original/file-20230320-14-h6cnfh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/516462/original/file-20230320-14-h6cnfh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/516462/original/file-20230320-14-h6cnfh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/516462/original/file-20230320-14-h6cnfh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/516462/original/file-20230320-14-h6cnfh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Handle with care: the TV remote is often one of the dirtiest items in a hotel room.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.pexels.com/photo/remote-control-on-pink-fabric-5202948/">Pexels/Karolina grabowska</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Viruses such as the <a href="https://www.thesun.co.uk/travel/17444370/hotel-sheets-clean-changed-dirty/">norovirus can live</a> in an infectious form for days on hard surfaces, as can COVID-19 – and the typical time interval between room changeovers is often less than 12 hours. </p>
<p>Soft fabric furnishings such as cushions, chairs, curtains and blinds are also difficult to clean and may not be sanitised other than to remove stains between guests, so washing your hands after touching them might be a good idea.</p>
<h2>Uninvited guests</h2>
<p>If all those germs and dirty surfaces aren’t enough to contend with, there are also bedbugs to think about. These bloodsucking insects are experts at secreting themselves into narrow, small spaces, remaining dormant without feeding for months.</p>
<p>Small spaces include the cracks and crevices of luggage, mattresses and bedding. <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/parasites/bedbugs/faqs.html">Bed bugs</a> are widespread throughout Europe, Africa, the US and Asia – and are <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0278431920301201">often found in hotels</a>. And just because a room looks and smells clean, doesn’t mean there may not be bed bugs lurking.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Woman making bed in hoteroom." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/516460/original/file-20230320-16-mt06d3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/516460/original/file-20230320-16-mt06d3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/516460/original/file-20230320-16-mt06d3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/516460/original/file-20230320-16-mt06d3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/516460/original/file-20230320-16-mt06d3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/516460/original/file-20230320-16-mt06d3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/516460/original/file-20230320-16-mt06d3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Get those cushions off the bed straightaway.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.pexels.com/photo/woman-in-black-blazer-and-white-dress-shirt-arranging-the-bed-6466496/">Pexels/Cottonbro studio</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Fortunately, <a href="https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/bedbugs/">bed bug bites</a> are unlikely to give you a transmissible disease, but the bite areas can become inflamed and infected. For the detection of bedbugs, reddish skin bites and blood spots on sheets are signs of an active infestation (use an antiseptic cream on the bites). </p>
<p>Other signs can be found on your mattress, behind the headboard and inside drawers and the wardrobe: brown spots could be remains of faeces, bed bug skins are brownish-silvery looking and live bed bugs are brown coloured and typically one to seven millimetres in length. </p>
<p>Inform the hotel if you think there are bed bugs in your room. And to avoid taking them with you when you checkout, carefully clean your luggage and clothes before opening them at home.</p>
<p>As higher-status hotels tend to have more frequent room usage, a more expensive room at a five-star hotel does not necessarily mean greater cleanliness, as room cleaning costs reduce profit margins. So wherever you’re staying, take with you a pack of antiseptic wipes and use them on the hard surfaces in your hotel room. </p>
<p>Also, wash or sanitise your hands often – especially before you eat or drink anything. And take slippers or thick socks with you so you can avoid walking barefoot on hotel carpets – known to be another <a href="https://www.rd.com/list/dirty-hotel-room/">dirt hotspot</a>. And after all that, enjoy your stay.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/202195/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Primrose Freestone does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>The filthy secrets of hotel rooms and why you might want to pack disinfectant on your next trip.Primrose Freestone, Senior Lecturer in Clinical Microbiology, University of LeicesterLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1696022021-10-26T12:19:57Z2021-10-26T12:19:57ZType of ultraviolet light most effective at killing coronavirus is also the safest to use around people<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/428067/original/file-20211022-9818-i87045.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C5779%2C3752&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">UV light at most wavelengths can kill COVID–19. </span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/lamp-for-sterilization-covid-19-prevention-concept-royalty-free-image/1296016011?adppopup=true">andriano_cz/iStock via Getty Images</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Scientists have long known that ultraviolet light can <a href="https://theconversation.com/ultraviolet-light-can-make-indoor-spaces-safer-during-the-pandemic-if-its-used-the-right-way-141512">kill pathogens on surfaces and in air and water</a>. <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/28/travel/coronavirus-hotels-private-jets-virtual-spas.html">UV robots are used to disinfect</a> empty hospital rooms, buses and trains; UV bulbs in HVAC systems eliminate pathogens in building air; and <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/02/business/02novel.html">UV lamps kill bugs in drinking water</a>.</p>
<p>Perhaps you have seen UV wands, UV LEDs and UV air purifiers advertised as silver bullets to protect against the coronavirus. While decades of research have looked at the ability of UV light to kill many pathogens, there are no set standards for UV disinfection products with regard to the coronavirus. These products may work to kill SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, but they also may not. </p>
<p>I am an <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=uAS7KNUAAAAJ&hl=en&oi=ao">environmental engineer and expert in UV disinfection</a>. In May 2021, my colleagues and I set out to accurately test various UV systems and see <a href="https://doi.org/10.1128/AEM.01532-21">which was the most effective</a> at killing off – or inactivating – SARS-CoV-2.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/428307/original/file-20211025-27-12cylg0.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A diagram showing UV light breaking down a strand of DNA." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/428307/original/file-20211025-27-12cylg0.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/428307/original/file-20211025-27-12cylg0.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=462&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/428307/original/file-20211025-27-12cylg0.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=462&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/428307/original/file-20211025-27-12cylg0.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=462&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/428307/original/file-20211025-27-12cylg0.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=581&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/428307/original/file-20211025-27-12cylg0.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=581&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/428307/original/file-20211025-27-12cylg0.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=581&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">When UV light enters a cell, it breaks the bonds that hold DNA or RNA together.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:DNA_UV_mutation.svg#/media/File:DNA_UV_mutation.svg">NASA/David Herring via WikimediaCommons</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>How does UV light kill a virus?</h2>
<p>Light is categorized by wavelength – the distance between peaks of a wave of light – and is measured in nanometers. UV wavelengths range from 100 to 400 nanometers – shorter in wavelength than the violet hues in visible light – and are invisible to the human eye. As wavelength shortens, photons of light contain higher amounts of energy.</p>
<p>Different wavelengths of UV light work better than others for inactivating viruses, and this depends on how well the wavelengths are absorbed by the virus’s DNA or RNA. When UV light gets absorbed, the photons of light transfer their energy to and <a href="https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-93231-7">damage the chemical bonds of the genetic material</a>. The virus is then unable to replicate or cause an infection. Researchers have also shown the proteins that viruses use to attach to a host cell and initiate infection – like the spike proteins on a coronavirus – are also <a href="https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.7b04602">vulnerable to UV light</a>.</p>
<p>The dose of light matters too. Light can vary in intensity – bright light is more intense, and there is more energy in it than in dim light. Being exposed to a bright light for a short time can produce the same UV dose as being exposed to a dim light for a longer period. You need to know the right dose that can kill coronavirus particles at each UV wavelength.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/428069/original/file-20211022-17-63e9kd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A man with sunburned shoulders sitting on a beach." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/428069/original/file-20211022-17-63e9kd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/428069/original/file-20211022-17-63e9kd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/428069/original/file-20211022-17-63e9kd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/428069/original/file-20211022-17-63e9kd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/428069/original/file-20211022-17-63e9kd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/428069/original/file-20211022-17-63e9kd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/428069/original/file-20211022-17-63e9kd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Sunburns are caused by UV light damaging skin cells.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/man-with-sun-burnt-shoulders-sitting-on-beach-rear-royalty-free-image/85775471?adppopup=true">Ian Hooton/Science Photo Library via Getty Images</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Making ultraviolet lights safe for people</h2>
<p>Traditional UV systems use wavelengths at or around 254 nanometers. At these wavelengths the light is dangerous to human skin and eyes, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/php.13402">even at low doses</a>. Sunlight includes UV light near these wavelengths; anyone who has ever gotten a bad sunburn knows just how dangerous UV light can be. </p>
<p>However, recent research has shown that at certain UV wavelengths – specifically below 230 nanometers – the high-energy photons <a href="https://iuva.org/resources/covid-19/Far%20UV-C%20Radiation-%20Current%20State-of%20Knowledge.pdf">are absorbed by the top layers of dead skin cells</a> and don’t penetrate into the active skin layers where damage can occur. Similarly, the <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/php.13402">tear layer around eyes also blocks out these germicidal UV rays</a>.</p>
<p>This means that at wavelengths of UV light below 230 nanometers, people can move around more freely while the air around them is being disinfected in real time.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/428310/original/file-20211025-19717-bfs99z.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A diagram showing a lamp above a sample of water containing the coronavirus." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/428310/original/file-20211025-19717-bfs99z.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/428310/original/file-20211025-19717-bfs99z.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=317&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/428310/original/file-20211025-19717-bfs99z.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=317&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/428310/original/file-20211025-19717-bfs99z.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=317&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/428310/original/file-20211025-19717-bfs99z.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/428310/original/file-20211025-19717-bfs99z.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/428310/original/file-20211025-19717-bfs99z.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Researchers used this setup to test multiple different UV lights at various doses to see what it took to kill SARS-CoV-2.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Karl Linden</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/">CC BY-ND</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Testing different wavelengths</h2>
<p>My colleagues and I tested five commonly used UV wavelengths to see which work best to inactivate SARS-CoV-2. Specifically, we tested how large a dose is needed to <a href="https://doi.org/10.1128/AEM.01532-21">kill 90% to 99.9% of the viral particles present</a>.</p>
<p>We ran these tests in a biosafety level three facility at the <a href="https://environmentalscience.cals.arizona.edu/person/charles-chuck-gerba">University of Arizona</a> that is built to handle lethal pathogens. There we tested numerous lights across the UV spectrum, including UV LEDs that emit light at 270 and 282 nanometers, traditional UV tube lamps at 254 nanometers and a newer technology called an <a href="https://www.ushio.eu/excimer-explained/">excited dimer, or excimer, UV source</a> at 222 nanometers. </p>
<p>To test each device we spiked a sample of water with millions of SARS-CoV-2 viruses and coated a petri dish with a thin layer of this mixture. We then shined UV light on the petri dish until we achieved a specific dose. Finally we examined the viral particles to see if they could still infect human cells in culture. If the viruses could infect the cells, the dose was not high enough. If the viruses did not cause an infection, the UV source at that dose had successfully killed the pathogen. We carefully repeated this process for a range of UV doses using the five different UV devices.</p>
<p>While all of the wavelengths we tested can inactivate SARS-CoV-2 at very low doses, the ones that required the lowest dose were the <a href="https://doi.org/10.1128/AEM.01532-21">systems that emit UV light at a wavelength of 222 nanometers</a>. In our experiment, it took a dose of less than 2 millijoules of energy per square centimeter to kill 99.9% of viral particles. This translates to needing about 20 seconds to disinfect a space receiving a low intensity of short wavelength UV light, similar to that used in our test.</p>
<p>[<em>Get our best science, health and technology stories.</em> <a href="https://theconversation.com/us/newsletters/science-editors-picks-71/?utm_source=TCUS&utm_medium=inline-link&utm_campaign=newsletter-text&utm_content=science-best">Sign up for The Conversation’s science newsletter</a>.]</p>
<p>These 222-nanometer systems are almost twice as effective as conventional UV tube lamps, which are often used in ultraviolet disinfecting systems. But importantly, the winning lamp also happens to be the safest for humans, too. At the same UV light intensity it takes to kill 99.9% of SARS-CoV-2 in 20 seconds, a person could be safely exposed to 222-nanometer light for <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/php.13402">up to one hour and 20 minutes</a>.</p>
<p>What this means is that <a href="https://edenpark.com/">widely available</a> types of <a href="https://www.ushio.com/product/care222-filtered-far-uv-c-excimer-lamp-module/">UV lamp</a> lights can be used to safely knock down levels of the coronavirus with people present.</p>
<h2>Better use of existing tech</h2>
<p>Many places or organizations – ranging from the <a href="https://www.defense.gov/News/Feature-Stories/Story/Article/2309289/air-guard-wing-receives-dods-first-uv-light-disinfectant-system/">U.S. Air Force</a> to the <a href="https://www.spaceneedle.com/elevatingclean">Space Needle in Seattle</a> to <a href="https://www.boeing.com/confident-travel/research/CAP-3_Disinfection_with_Far-UV.html">Boeing</a> – are already using or investigating ways to use UV light in the 222 nanometer range to protect public health. </p>
<p>I believe that our findings are important because they quantify the exact doses needed to achieve various levels of SARS-CoV-2 control, whether that be killing 90% or 99.9% of viral particles. </p>
<p>Imagine coffee shops, grocery stores, school classrooms, restaurants and concert venues now made safe by this technology. And this is not a solution for just SARS-CoV-2. These technologies could help protect human health in public spaces in future times of crisis, but also during times of relative normalcy, by reducing exposure to everyday viral and bacterial threats.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/169602/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Karl Linden advises various companies promoting the use of UV light for disinfection. He receives funding from federal agencies and industry to conduct research in his role as a professor at the University of Colorado Boulder. He is affiliated with the International Ultraviolet Association. </span></em></p>UV lights come in a variety of different wavelengths, but not all are equally effective at disinfection. Researchers tested a number of commercially available lights to find the best.Karl Linden, Professor of Environmental Engineering and the Mortenson Professor in Sustainable Development, University of Colorado BoulderLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1579612021-04-27T06:24:25Z2021-04-27T06:24:25ZNo, OCD in a pandemic doesn’t necessarily get worse with all that extra hand washing<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/397230/original/file-20210427-19-9ne5lv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C7951%2C5304&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>At the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, we were concerned infection control measures such as extra hand washing and social distancing <a href="https://time.com/5808278/coronavirus-anxiety/">might compound the distress</a> of people living with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). </p>
<p>Early <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7151248/">anecdotal evidence</a> and <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7151537/">case studies</a> reported an apparent increase in OCD relapse rates and symptom severity. </p>
<p>But a year on, we’re learning this is not necessarily the case, and research is giving us a more nuanced understanding of what it’s like to have OCD during a pandemic.</p>
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<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/hoarding-stockpiling-panic-buying-whats-normal-behavior-in-an-abnormal-time-149422">Hoarding, stockpiling, panic buying: What's normal behavior in an abnormal time?</a>
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<h2>What is OCD?</h2>
<p>OCD is a common and disabling condition, affecting roughly <a href="https://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/Lookup/by%20Subject/4363.0%7E2014-15%7EMain%20Features%7EMental,%20behavioural%20and%20cognitive%20conditions%7E36">1.2% of Australians</a>. </p>
<p>It’s <a href="https://beyondocd.org/information-for-individuals/clinical-definition-of-ocd">characterised by</a> obsessions (repetitive intrusive thoughts) and compulsions (physical actions or mental rituals) that attempt to quell these preoccupations. </p>
<p>There are several <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0165178116302530">subtypes of OCD</a>, including: </p>
<ul>
<li><p>contamination: characterised by obsessions and compulsions centred around washing, cleaning and concerns around personal hygiene and health</p></li>
<li><p>overresponsibility: encompassing pathological doubt, concerns over unintentional harm to others or oneself, and persistent urges to check things</p></li>
<li><p>symmetry: obsessions about things feeling “just right” (for example, uniform and/or symmetrical), resulting in ritualistic behaviours including counting and ordering</p></li>
<li><p>taboo: characterised by unwanted intrusive thoughts that are often violent, sexual or religious in nature.</p></li>
</ul>
<p>Although we don’t fully understand what causes OCD, research points to <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4515165/">abnormal activity of specific brain networks</a>, including a network called the cortico-striatal-thalamo-cortical loop. </p>
<p>This network connects key emotional, cognitive and motor hubs in the brain, and it’s particularly important for higher-order cognitive tasks such as <a href="https://www.jneurosci.org/content/38/19/4490.short">thinking flexibly</a>.</p>
<h2>No, people with OCD aren’t ‘quirky’</h2>
<p>There are several <a href="https://iocdf.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/OCDMyth-Handout-092313.pdf">prevailing stereotypes</a> about what it means to live with OCD, such as a belief people with the disorder are just a bit quirky, overly particular, “neat freaks” or “germ-phobic”. </p>
<p>Such ideas are frequently promulgated in popular culture. For example, in 2018 Khloe Kardashian promoted her “KHLO-C-D” branding for an online miniseries in which she gave tips on home organisation and cleanliness. The campaign <a href="https://metro.co.uk/2018/03/13/khloe-kardashians-khlo-c-d-harmful-7383999/">was widely criticised</a>.</p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"973635337380614144"}"></div></p>
<p>While contamination fears and an affinity for symmetry are better recognised in the community (perhaps owing to portrayals in TV and film), the “taboo” and “overresponsibility” dimensions of OCD are far less understood and are therefore <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2211364916301579">subject to higher levels of stigma</a>. </p>
<h2>Are we all OCD now?</h2>
<p>The global response to COVID-19 has <a href="https://theconversation.com/are-we-all-ocd-now-coronavirus-fears-blur-the-line-between-obsessive-compulsive-and-safety-amid-a-dangerous-pandemic-140205">blurred the line between</a> pathological behaviours and adaptive health and safety measures. </p>
<p>Behaviours that were previously linked to psychiatric illnesses, such as repetitive washing and sanitising rituals, are now encouraged (at least to some extent) by health authorities.</p>
<p>While infection control directives such as social distancing and hand hygiene play an essential role in our fight against the virus, they take a psychological toll too. </p>
<p>The pandemic has had <a href="https://globalizationandhealth.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12992-020-00589-w?fbclid=IwAR1IsBbTX9f8g1bMRjVR2hoscN6QQEGuPK0IQNaqBht80gi0hQ_9KtuAXTA">a profound effect on mental health</a> due to increased stress and <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7300745/">lifestyle changes</a>. Indeed, scientists have recently proposed a condition called “<a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11920-021-01226-y">COVID-19 stress syndrome</a>”. Some of the symptoms significantly overlap with anxiety disorders and OCD. </p>
<p>While we don’t all have OCD now, it’s unquestionable our collective behaviour has changed in ways that make the distinction between “normal” and “pathological” much more complex.</p>
<p>In this light, the International College of Obsessive–Compulsive Spectrum Disorders <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7152877/">has highlighted</a> the unique challenges the pandemic poses for accurately diagnosing OCD. </p>
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<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/you-cant-be-a-little-bit-ocd-but-your-everyday-obsessions-can-help-end-the-conditions-stigma-49265">You can't be 'a little bit OCD' but your everyday obsessions can help end the condition's stigma</a>
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</p>
<hr>
<h2>Living with OCD in a pandemic</h2>
<p>Having a pre-existing mental health condition appears to be the single <a href="https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/bmjopen/10/12/e043805.full.pdf">most influential predictor of high stress levels</a> during COVID-19. </p>
<p>However, recent evidence from well-controlled studies doesn’t find compelling evidence that people with OCD have been affected by COVID-19 to a greater extent than those with other psychological conditions (such as depression or general anxiety).</p>
<p>One study <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7834974/">published in January</a> compared OCD severity in a large group before and during the pandemic. It found the stress induced by COVID-19 increased measures of mental distress across all OCD symptom dimensions (not only those directly related to a public health crisis).</p>
<p>The authors suggested the increase in OCD symptom severity was likely a “non-specific stress-related response”. In other words, it’s the general stress of the pandemic that has worsened OCD in some cases; not the increased focus on infection control.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A woman sitting on the couch, appears pensive or unhappy." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/397279/original/file-20210427-23-1d9pkpv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/397279/original/file-20210427-23-1d9pkpv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/397279/original/file-20210427-23-1d9pkpv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/397279/original/file-20210427-23-1d9pkpv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/397279/original/file-20210427-23-1d9pkpv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/397279/original/file-20210427-23-1d9pkpv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/397279/original/file-20210427-23-1d9pkpv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Having a pre-existing mental health condition is the biggest risk factor for having high stress levels during the pandemic.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Another <a href="https://journals.lww.com/jonmd/Citation/2021/04000/Impact_of_the_COVID_19_Pandemic_on_the_Short_Term.8.aspx">recent study</a> found the pandemic didn’t lessen the benefits of treatment in a large outpatient group with OCD in India. </p>
<p>Interestingly, the researchers from this study also found prior incomplete disease remission (cases of OCD that persisted even with treatment) and general stress were the best predictors of OCD relapse during the pandemic, rather than “COVID-specific” stress, per se.</p>
<h2>After the pandemic</h2>
<p>These findings don’t suggest there’s a specific vulnerability to COVID-related stress for people with OCD. </p>
<p>But it’s worth noting cognitive inflexibility, <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0306452216303359">a symptom often seen in OCD</a>, may make it more difficult for people with the disorder to “unlearn” temporary public health directives.</p>
<p>So it’s important we continue to monitor the effects of COVID-related stress on OCD and similar disorders, particularly as we slowly transition from the pandemic.</p>
<p>There’s much we can learn from the study of OCD during COVID-19. Most notably, it appears an “intuitive” understanding of the disorder doesn’t sufficiently capture the breadth of individual OCD experiences. </p>
<p>A deeper understanding of the variability of OCD presentations, and a move away from stereotyped perceptions, may encourage more people to openly discuss their own OCD experience and seek treatment.</p>
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<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/my-skins-dry-with-all-this-hand-washing-what-can-i-do-134146">My skin's dry with all this hand washing. What can I do?</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>Need support?</h2>
<p>If you live in Australia, call Lifeline (13 11 14), Kids Helpline (1800 551 800) or BeyondBlue (1800 512 348). Alternatively, “<a href="https://www.mentalhealthonline.org.au/pages/about-the-ocd-stop-program">OCD STOP!</a>” is a free online program designed to help you better understand and manage OCD.</p>
<p>If you simply want to learn more about OCD, online resources are available at <a href="https://www.sane.org/information-stories/facts-and-guides/obsessive-compulsive-disorder">SANE Australia</a> and <a href="https://www.beyondblue.org.au/the-facts/anxiety/types-of-anxiety/ocd">Beyond Blue</a>.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/157961/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Carey Wilson receives funding from the Australian Government Research Training Program Scholarship.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Thibault Renoir receives funding from the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) and Australian Research Council (ARC)</span></em></p>Early reports suggested an apparent increase in OCD relapse rates and symptom severity during the pandemic. But a year on, we’re learning this may not be the case.Carey Wilson, PhD Candidate, The University of MelbourneThibault Renoir, Head of Genes Environment and Behaviour Laboratory, Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental HealthLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1589432021-04-16T02:53:20Z2021-04-16T02:53:20ZA ‘deep clean’ has been ordered for a Brisbane hospital ward. What does that actually involve?<p>The Australian public’s infection control literacy continues to expand. We know what PPE is, what “flattening the curve” means, and we are growing increasingly familiar with the term “deep clean”. But what does a deep clean involve, and when is it necessary? </p>
<p>This week, media <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-04-14/brisbane-pa-hospital-ward-5d-covid-cluster-deep-cleaning/100058606">reported</a> that a ward at Brisbane’s Princess Alexandra Hospital was to undergo further “deep cleaning” after testing found a “COVID-19 related virus” in the ward. This was to be combined with further engineering reviews, although the ward’s isolation rooms were deemed to be functioning as expected.</p>
<h2>What role does environmental cleaning play?</h2>
<p>SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, can survive on surfaces. This means if a surface is contaminated by someone with COVID-19, it is theoretically possible for other people to become infected if they touch those surfaces and then touch their nose, mouth, or eyes. </p>
<p>It is not clear how many cases of COVID-19 are acquired through surface transmission, although the risk from this transmission route is <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/more/science-and-research/surface-transmission.html">thought to be lower</a> than other routes, such as droplets, aerosols and direct contact. </p>
<p>The other good news is that SARS-CoV-2 is easily broken down and can degrade quickly upon contact with particular cleaning agents and under certain environmental conditions.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/how-worried-should-i-be-about-news-the-coronavirus-survives-on-surfaces-for-up-to-28-days-147919">How worried should I be about news the coronavirus survives on surfaces for up to 28 days?</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>Nonetheless, because SARS-CoV-2 can survive on surfaces and there is a theoretical risk, it is important that measures to reduce subsequent transmission include cleaning. This is on top of other, potentially more important measures such as increasing <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/ventilation.html">appropriate ventilation</a>, waiting as long as possible before entering the space (at least several hours), and using personal protective equipment (PPE).</p>
<h2>So, what is a deep clean?</h2>
<p>There is no nationally agreed definition of what constitutes a “deep clean”. The term seems to have originated during disease outbreaks in hospitals in the <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/7916358/">1990s</a> and <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/1757177409351334">2000s</a>. </p>
<p>Cleaning is a complex and skilled process involving many facets. Evidence has shown that improving <a href="https://www.thelancet.com/journals/laninf/article/PIIS1473-3099(18)30714-X/fulltext">routine cleaning</a> in hospitals can reduce infection risk, and that this is <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31359053/">cost-effective</a>. But what is the difference between a routine cleaning and deep cleaning?</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Hospital worker mops floor" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/395396/original/file-20210416-13-1kfbjgm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/395396/original/file-20210416-13-1kfbjgm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=409&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/395396/original/file-20210416-13-1kfbjgm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=409&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/395396/original/file-20210416-13-1kfbjgm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=409&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/395396/original/file-20210416-13-1kfbjgm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=514&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/395396/original/file-20210416-13-1kfbjgm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=514&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/395396/original/file-20210416-13-1kfbjgm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=514&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">There’s no agreed definition of a deep clean, but it goes a long way beyond mopping the floor.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Masanori Inagaki/AP</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>In the absence of detailed guidelines, institutions and companies have developed their own approach to deep cleaning. In <a href="https://www.dhhs.vic.gov.au/sites/default/files/documents/202102/Factsheet_Cleaning%20Guidelines_COVID-19%20deep%20clean-090221.pdf">Victoria</a>, there is some limited guidance of what a deep clean involves. </p>
<p>Broadly speaking, a deep clean should pay particular attention to cleaning objects or surfaces that may not be cleaned as part of a routine clean. These could include walls, ventilation ducts, curtains, and harder-to-reach surfaces that are touched less frequently. In contrast, routine cleaning focuses on surfaces that are frequently touched. </p>
<p>Deep cleaning typically involves the use of a disinfectant, as well as a detergent. Typically detergents are used to remove organic matter. Disinfectant can kill bacteria and viruses (depending on the type of disinfectant). Products or surfaces that are more difficult to clean, such as carpets, soft furnishings or certain equipment, may also be included in a more thorough clean, noting that care has to be taken not to damage such items in the process. </p>
<p>Training and auditing are also crucial for effective cleaning. Cleaners need to be properly trained, including in the correct use of PPE to ensure they are protected.</p>
<p>Regular auditing of cleaning can be done in <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/hai/toolkits/appendices-evaluating-environ-cleaning.html">various ways</a>, including direct observation or by using fluorescent markers. Fluorescent markers are invisible to the naked eye, but are removed when a surface is cleaned. They can be applied before cleaning a surface and checked again after, to determine whether it has been effectively cleaned. </p>
<h2>What about ‘fogging’?</h2>
<p>Media footage often shows workers “fogging” rooms and facilities as part of a deep clean. This involves spraying the area with very fine droplets of disinfectant, and it certainly makes for compelling television. </p>
<p>But several Australian organisations have recommended against fogging, including the <a href="https://www.dhhs.vic.gov.au/sites/default/files/documents/202102/Factsheet_Cleaning%20Guidelines_COVID-19%20deep%20clean-090221.pdf">Victorian Department of Health and Human Services</a>, <a href="https://www.cec.health.nsw.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0004/587164/COVID-19-Infection-Prevention-and-Control-Advice-on-Cleaning-and-Disinfection-in-the-Workplace.pdf">New South Wales’ Clinical Excellence Commission</a> and <a href="https://www.safeworkaustralia.gov.au/covid-19-information-workplaces/industry-information/agriculture/cleaning#heading--23--tab-toc-what_is_disinfectant_fogging,_and_do_i_need_to_do_it?">Safe Work Australia</a>. </p>
<p>The <a href="https://www.epa.gov/coronavirus/can-i-use-fogging-fumigation-or-electrostatic-spraying-or-drones-help-control-covid-19">US Environmental Protection Agency</a> does not recommend fogging or fumigation, unless the product label specifically includes disinfection directions. Australia’s Therapeutical Goods Administration has also <a href="https://www.tga.gov.au/publication/guidance-regulation-exempt-disinfectants-australia">noted</a> that testing of disinfectants may not apply to techniques such as fogging. </p>
<h2>Where to from here?</h2>
<p>Like all things COVID-19, our understanding of the role of surface transmission and the benefits of deep cleaning continues to evolve. Any unusual transmission events or “mystery” cases, particularly in a health-care setting, need to be thoroughly investigated. </p>
<p>Technologies such as <a href="https://theconversation.com/genomic-surveillance-what-it-is-and-why-we-need-more-of-it-to-track-coronavirus-variants-and-help-end-the-covid-19-pandemic-157540">genomic testing</a>, which provide detailed information about specific chains of transmission between people, could provide rich data to help us understand the role of the environment and inform future strategies. </p>
<p>Importantly, any findings from investigating these unusual events need to be made publicly available so the wider community can better understand how to combat the spread of COVID-19.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/catching-covid-from-surfaces-is-very-unlikely-so-perhaps-we-can-ease-up-on-the-disinfecting-155359">Catching COVID from surfaces is very unlikely. So perhaps we can ease up on the disinfecting</a>
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</em>
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<img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/158943/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Brett Mitchell has received research funding from the NHMRC, HCF Foundation, Medtronics, Australasian College for Infection Prevention and Control, Nurses Memorial Centre, Senver, GAMA Healthcare, Ian Potter Foundation and Commonwealth (Innovation Connections grant). Professor Mitchell is a Fellow of the Australasian College for Infection Prevention and Control and a Fellow of the Australian College of Nursing. Brett is a member of the National COVID-19 Evidence Taskforce Leadership group and a member of the Infection Control Panel. He has run infection prevention and control programs for hospitals and at a State level, and is a credential Expert by the Australasian College for Infection Prevention and Control.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Philip Russo receives funding from the National Health and Medical Research Council, and has received research funding from the Rosemary Norman Foundation, Cardinal Health, Australian College of Nursing and the Cabrini Institute. He is the President of the Australasian College for Infection Prevention and Control, a member of the COVID19 Evidence Taskforce Steering Committee, the Australian Strategic and Technical Advisory Group on AMR, the Healthcare Associated Infection Advisory Committee to the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care, a member of the Australian College of Nursing, and formerly the Infection Control Expert Group to the Department of Health.</span></em></p>A deep clean involves cleaning objects or surfaces that may not be routinely cleaned, such as walls, ventilation ducts, curtains, carpets, and hard-to-reach places.Brett Mitchell, Professor of Nursing, University of NewcastlePhilip Russo, Associate Professor, Director Cabrini Monash University Department of Nursing Research, Monash UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1441142020-08-10T07:37:11Z2020-08-10T07:37:11ZGot someone with coronavirus at home? Here’s how to keep the rest of the household infection-free<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/351890/original/file-20200810-22-1aohhr5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C4896%2C3261&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Although some positive signs suggest Victoria’s second wave <a href="https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/right-direction-victoria-appears-past-peak-of-second-wave-experts-say-20200808-p55jvf.html">may be slowing</a>, we continue to see large numbers of COVID-19 cases recorded every day. </p>
<p>Most people who test positive for COVID-19 won’t need hospital care and will self-isolate at home. But is it then inevitable the rest of the household will catch it? </p>
<p>It shouldn’t be, if you follow a few important infection prevention steps.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/how-can-i-treat-myself-if-ive-got-or-think-ive-got-coronavirus-134654">How can I treat myself if I've got – or think I've got – coronavirus?</a>
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<h2>First, how does the virus spread?</h2>
<p>We understand SARS-CoV-2, the coronavirus that causes COVID-19, spreads to others primarily in two ways:</p>
<ul>
<li><p>an uninfected person breathes in <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7207108/">infectious droplets</a> released when an infected person breathes, talks, coughs or sneezes </p></li>
<li><p>an uninfected person touches a surface contaminated with these droplets and then touches their mouth, nose, eyes or food. Viral particles can remain <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/tbed.13707">infectious on surfaces</a> for extended periods. </p></li>
</ul>
<p>There’s also mounting evidence SARS-CoV-2 can spread via the <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S030698772030801X">airborne route</a>: smaller “aerosolised” particles that linger in the air. </p>
<p>Living in close quarters with someone with COVID-19 means thinking about ways to prevent each of these modes of transmission.</p>
<h2>Isolation and ventilation</h2>
<p>Ideally, the COVID-positive person should have their own room and bathroom to <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/if-you-are-sick/care-for-someone.html">minimise contact</a> with others. If a dedicated room isn’t available, they should maintain as much distance as possible from other members of the household. </p>
<p>It’s especially important for anyone in the household who is at <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/need-extra-precautions/index.html">higher risk</a> — such as elderly family members or people with compromised immune systems — to keep their distance from the infected person.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Gloved hands wiping kitchen bench." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/351894/original/file-20200810-18-2gpnjw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/351894/original/file-20200810-18-2gpnjw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=420&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/351894/original/file-20200810-18-2gpnjw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=420&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/351894/original/file-20200810-18-2gpnjw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=420&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/351894/original/file-20200810-18-2gpnjw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=528&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/351894/original/file-20200810-18-2gpnjw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=528&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/351894/original/file-20200810-18-2gpnjw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=528&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Regular cleaning can reduce the spread of infection.</span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Additionally, <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17326709/">the better the ventilation</a>, the lower the risk of transmission. Weather permitting, open windows to <a href="https://www.healthdirect.gov.au/coronavirus-covid-19-information-for-carers-faqs#care">encourage air exchange</a>. </p>
<p>It’s also a good idea to keep the door to the infected person’s room closed to minimise the movement of contaminated air into the rest of the house.</p>
<h2>Personal hygiene</h2>
<p>Everyone in the household — but the COVID-19 patient especially — should practise good respiratory hygiene (covering coughs and sneezes and disposing of used tissues).</p>
<p>Hand hygiene becomes even more important. Everyone in the household should <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/handwashing/index.html">wash their hands</a> frequently, particularly before eating or after handling potentially contaminated objects. Use soap and water for at least 20 seconds or a sanitiser with at least 60% alcohol.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/no-the-extra-hygiene-precautions-were-taking-for-covid-19-wont-weaken-our-immune-systems-143690">No, the extra hygiene precautions we're taking for COVID-19 won't weaken our immune systems</a>
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</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>The World Health Organisation recommends the infected person <a href="https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/home-care-for-patients-with-suspected-novel-coronavirus-(ncov)-infection-presenting-with-mild-symptoms-and-management-of-contacts">wear a mask</a> as much as possible to reduce the number of infectious particles in the air and lower the risk of transmission. </p>
<p>Caregivers may also choose to <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/if-you-are-sick/care-for-someone.html">wear a mask</a> when entering the infected person’s room. They should wear gloves if they’re going to come into contact with body fluids such as vomit, faeces or saliva.</p>
<p>All contaminated waste — such as used tissues, masks and gloves — should be put into a dedicated bin. The bin should have a lid and be lined. Wear gloves when emptying the bin.</p>
<h2>Sharing isn’t caring</h2>
<p>To prevent possible spread via contaminated objects, avoid sharing sheets, towels, toothbrushes, cups and glasses, eating utensils or equipment such as mobile phones with a COVID-positive person.</p>
<p>If others need to use or handle utensils the COVID-positive person has used, wear gloves when handling them, wash them with hot water and detergent or put them through a hot cycle in the dishwasher. Objects you can’t wash can be wiped down with disinfectant. </p>
<p>Handle used linen and clothing carefully to avoid the possibility of shaking virus particles into the air. In hospital settings, nurses make beds <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bHNJMBKOnhY">without flapping the sheets around</a> to minimise the transfer of pathogens.</p>
<p>Put used linen directly into the washing machine and wash and dry it at the highest possible temperature setting. If you don’t have a clothes dryer, hang laundry in the sun. Evidence suggests <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25664567/">sunlight can inactivate viruses</a>. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/what-does-it-mean-to-be-immunocompromised-and-why-does-this-increase-your-risk-of-coronavirus-135200">What does it mean to be immunocompromised? And why does this increase your risk of coronavirus?</a>
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<h2>Up your cleaning game</h2>
<p>You should clean surfaces such as benchtops and tables daily with hot soapy water followed by a <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prevent-getting-sick/disinfecting-your-home.html">disinfectant</a>. </p>
<p>Pay particular attention to cleaning frequently touched shared surfaces, such as door and cupboard handles, light switches, toilets, sinks and taps. </p>
<p>If the bathroom is shared, the COVID-positive person should clean and disinfect the bathroom after using it if they’re well enough to do so. There is some evidence <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7207108/">SARS-CoV-2 can be present</a> in faecal matter.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Boy wearing surgical mask is sleeping on grey pillow." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/351895/original/file-20200810-18-hw2dwm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/351895/original/file-20200810-18-hw2dwm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/351895/original/file-20200810-18-hw2dwm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/351895/original/file-20200810-18-hw2dwm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/351895/original/file-20200810-18-hw2dwm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/351895/original/file-20200810-18-hw2dwm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/351895/original/file-20200810-18-hw2dwm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">Ensure people with COVID-19 get plenty of rest.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span>
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<h2>Caring for someone with COVID-19</h2>
<p>If you’re looking after a family member or housemate with COVID-19, ensure they have nutritious food to eat and fluids to drink. Staying well hydrated is important when a person has a fever, to replace <a href="https://accessmedicine.mhmedical.com/content.aspx?bookid=365&sectionid=43074918">fluids lost</a> due to sweating. </p>
<p>People with a virus often <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22823398/">feel fatigued</a> as a result of their body’s immune response, so it’s important they get plenty of rest. </p>
<p>While fever is nature’s way of fighting off an infection — our immune cells <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-019-00175-0#:%7E:text=One%20type%20of%20immune%20cell,walls%20to%20attack%20invading%20microbes.">work better when we have a fever</a> — if needed, anti-pyretic drugs such as paracetamol can make the person more comfortable.</p>
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<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/how-to-clean-your-house-to-prevent-the-spread-of-coronavirus-and-other-infections-133912">How to clean your house to prevent the spread of coronavirus and other infections</a>
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<p>It’s important to monitor how the person is feeling, and seek medical help if they deteriorate. </p>
<p>Finally, members of the household should keep an eye out for and get tested if they develop any COVID-19 symptoms, such as cough or fever.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/144114/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Thea van de Mortel teaches into the Griffith University Master of Infection Prevention and Control program. </span></em></p>There are a number of things you should do, including keeping the person with COVID-19 isolated, and cleaning regularly.Thea van de Mortel, Professor, Nursing and Deputy Head (Learning & Teaching), School of Nursing and Midwifery, Griffith UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1412042020-07-08T14:41:15Z2020-07-08T14:41:15ZOutsourcing has not improved conditions for domestic workers in South Africa<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/345004/original/file-20200701-159820-1itxtcs.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Domesic workers in South Africa continue to be neglected.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>In South Africa, approximately <a href="http://www.statssa.gov.za/publications/P0211/P02111stQuarter2020.pdf">one million people</a>, mostly black women from marginalised backgrounds, are employed as domestic workers by the middle class. </p>
<p>Some are employed as full-time domestic workers and live on the premises of their employers, usually in backyard rooms. For live-in domestic workers, their work and personal lives are often blurred. They lack freedom and independence, as they are required to devote most of their time to the needs of employers.</p>
<p>Others are employed as full-time domestic workers but live elsewhere. They typically rely not only on the wages of their employers but also their goodwill in times of need. Live-out domestic workers’ output and performance continue to be controlled by their employers. They have little autonomy over workloads and have the additional burden of being pressed for time by completing duties before returning home.</p>
<p>A large proportion of domestic workers are also employed part-time or temporarily, where they work on various time and wage schedules for different employers. This makes for economic insecurity and instability.</p>
<p>In recent years, <a href="https://www.college.columbia.edu/core/sites/core/files/pages/Ehrenreich_Maid_To_Order.pdf">outsourced domestic cleaning services</a> have increased, changing the dynamics of paid domestic work. </p>
<p>The outsourcing of domestic work and its impact on domestic workers has not been well researched in the South African context. To understand this development, I did my <a href="http://scholar.sun.ac.za/handle/10019.1/19921">Masters</a> and <a href="http://scholar.sun.ac.za/handle/10019.1/108026">PhD</a> studies on the growth of outsourced domestic cleaning services. The aim was to gain a better understanding of how outsourced domestic cleaning service firms operate, how it changes domestic work and what the costs for domestic workers are. </p>
<p>My findings show that outsourced domestic cleaning service firms contribute to the race, class and gender stereotypes of domestic work. Outsourcing has not been enough to elevate the status of this occupation, or to improve the working conditions of domestic workers.</p>
<h2>The problem with paid domestic work</h2>
<p>Despite various employment arrangements, the relationship between employers and domestic workers is characteristically <a href="https://www.scirp.org/journal/paperinformation.aspx?paperid=33757">personal and unequal</a>. Where domestic workers are considered as “part of the family”, employers have the power to provide or withdraw support as they please. Employers may provide gifts, kindness and care to elicit harder work and favours from domestic workers, which is often a tension-filled part of the employment relationship.</p>
<p>The second issue is the dehumanised treatment of domestic workers. Employers often call their domestic workers by derogatory names but expect to be addressed formally and respectfully. Some employers treat their domestic workers as child-like, reinforcing their inferiority.</p>
<p>Thirdly, the demeaning working conditions contribute to the devaluation of domestic work. The lack of employment contracts, poor wages and little social security reinforce the race, class and gender inequalities of this occupation. In essence, personalism is an issue and adds to the exploitative conditions of domestic work. </p>
<p>In the case of outsourced services, the main feature of domestic cleaning service firms is the transformation of a personal bipartite employer-domestic worker relationship, with all its dependencies, into a tripartite employment relationship between a client (former employer), a domestic worker and a manager or franchise owner. Contact and dependency between domestic workers and clients are reduced, and interaction remains focused on work duties. Clients pay a fee for the cleaning session and have no further responsibilities towards domestic workers. Managers perform the emotional labour by (it’s assumed) taking care of the well-being of domestic workers.</p>
<p>Another feature is that workload, duties and working hours are controlled to formalise domestic work. Domestic cleaning services attempt to professionalise the services provided. They often use checklists for cleaning duties, methods and cleaning products. Some domestic workers are accompanied by a supervisor to monitor services.</p>
<p>Thirdly, cleaning is not only rendered professionally on a physical level but also an emotional and aesthetic level. Domestic workers are required to be friendly and professional when in contact with clients. Domestic workers are mostly dressed in neat uniforms and transported in the firm’s vehicles.</p>
<p>By emphasising the necessity to professionalise domestic work, domestic cleaning service firms portray themselves as providing experts in the field of domestic work. In doing so, domestic workers benefit from a perceived elevated status and supposedly better working conditions. </p>
<p>But what are the costs for domestic workers employed through these domestic service firms?</p>
<h2>The costs</h2>
<p>First, domestic workers have little influence on the power dynamics of the employment relationship. In a bureaucratic, rationally organised system, domestic workers lack agency and control over the work process. They have to follow instructions on how to clean and when, and they have to engage in emotional labour by providing friendly and professional services to clients.</p>
<p>Second, the division of labour within teams increases supervision and control by team leaders, clients or managers of firms. Comparing workers and teams to each other, and classifying them according to skill, speed and feedback from clients, breaks down the agency of domestic workers further.</p>
<p>Third, domestic work is depersonalised to such an extent that clients do not recognise domestic workers. They do not know them or want to know anything about their personal life. Contact between clients and domestic workers is stripped to the bare minimum – they come in to clean as quickly and efficiently as possible. They become nameless bodies that clean homes.</p>
<p>Fourth, domestic workers often lack the respect and dignity from their managers expected in a professional work environment. Many domestic workers are employed on a part-time basis, reinforcing the lack of job security and stability. They are paid poorly and receive few or no service benefits. Domestic workers clean under a new set of rules and they are disciplined and punished by different authorities (such as clients, supervisors, managers and franchise owners).</p>
<p>Hence, the shift from personal employment of a domestic worker to an outsourced anonymised team of cleaners suggests that South Africa may be heading towards a society where paid domestic work is disposable, dehumanised and temporary. To use outsourced domestic cleaning services is to avoid the duties and responsibilities of the middle class, to evade dealing with issues of poverty and to devalue paid domestic work in the process.</p>
<p>The country needs to rethink the practice of outsourcing as it seems that domestic workers continue to be neglected. Even under the practice of “professional” domestic cleaning services, domestic workers are undervalued in South African society.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/141204/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>David du Toit does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>The outsourcing of domestic work contributes to the race, class and gender stereotypes of domestic work. It has neither elevated the status nor improved the working conditions of domestic workers.David du Toit, Sociology Lecturer, University of JohannesburgLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1402052020-06-15T12:26:14Z2020-06-15T12:26:14ZAre we all OCD now? Coronavirus fears blur the line between obsessive-compulsive and safety amid a dangerous pandemic<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/341346/original/file-20200611-80770-1j24wdv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C65%2C2712%2C1643&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">What once looked like obsessive-compulsive disorder has become normal when faced with a deadly pandemic. </span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/double-exposure-portrait-of-face-of-young-man-royalty-free-image/1219500833">Busà Photography via Getty Images</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>One of the hallmarks of <a href="https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/obsessive-compulsive-disorder-ocd/index.shtml">obsessive-compulsive disorder</a> is contamination fears and excessive hand-washing. Years ago, a patient with severe OCD came to my office wearing gloves and a mask and refused to sit on any of the “contaminated” chairs. Now, these same behaviors are accepted and <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prevent-getting-sick/prevention.html">even encouraged</a> to keep everyone healthy. </p>
<p>This new normal in the face of a deadly pandemic has permeated our culture and will continue to influence it. Many stores now prominently post rules mandating face masks and hand sanitizer use and limit the number of customers allowed inside at one time. Walkers and joggers politely cross the street to avoid proximity to each other.</p>
<p>Only a few months ago, this type of behavior would have been considered excessive and certainly not healthy.</p>
<p>So, where do doctors draw the line between vigilance to avoid being infected with the coronavirus and obsessive-compulsive disorder that can be harmful?</p>
<p>This is an important question that I, a <a href="https://www.med.wayne.edu/profile/aa3409">psychiatrist</a>, and my co-author, a wellness and parenting coach, often hear. </p>
<h2>Adaptation or internet addiction?</h2>
<p>Since the start of the pandemic, it has become more challenging to assess behaviors that were once considered excessive. Many behaviors previously considered pathological are now considered essential to protect human health and are applauded as adaptive and resourceful.</p>
<p>Before COVID-19, concerns about <a href="https://doi.org/10.2174/157340012803520513">compulsive use of the internet or internet addiction</a>, characterized by overuse and overdependence on digital devices, were growing. </p>
<p>During the pandemic, however, society has quickly adapted online opportunities. Whenever possible, people are working from home, attending school online and socializing through online book clubs. Even certain health care needs are increasingly being met remotely through telehealth and telemedicine.</p>
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<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/341344/original/file-20200611-80750-1qex5g9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/341344/original/file-20200611-80750-1qex5g9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/341344/original/file-20200611-80750-1qex5g9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/341344/original/file-20200611-80750-1qex5g9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/341344/original/file-20200611-80750-1qex5g9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/341344/original/file-20200611-80750-1qex5g9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/341344/original/file-20200611-80750-1qex5g9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">Technology has become a lifeline during the pandemic, allowing people to work, go to school and keep in touch with family and friends all from home.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Peter Dazeley/ImageBank via Getty</span></span>
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<p>Overnight, <a href="https://www.usnews.com/news/health-news/articles/2020-03-28/staying-at-home-during-the-pandemic-use-technology-to-stay-connected">digital connections have become commonplace</a>, with many of us feeling fortunate to have this access. Similar to contamination fears, some digital behaviors that were once questioned have become adaptive behaviors that keep us healthy – but not all of them. </p>
<h2>Is it obsessive-compulsive or protective?</h2>
<p>While COVID-19-era behaviors may look like clinical OCD, there are key distinctions between protective behaviors in the face of a clear and present danger like a pandemic and a clinical diagnosis of OCD. </p>
<p>The repetitive, ritualistic thoughts, ideas and behaviors seen in <a href="https://beyondocd.org/information-for-individuals/clinical-definition-of-ocd">clinical OCD</a> are very time-consuming for people dealing with them, and they significantly interfere with several important areas of the person’s life, including work, school and social interactions. </p>
<p>Some people have obsessive-compulsive traits that are less severe. These traits are often observed in high-achieving people and are not clinically debilitating. Such “keep the eye on the prize” behaviors are recognized in nearly <a href="https://doi.org/10.1097/00004583-199407000-00002">20% of the population</a>. A talented chef who is very attentive to detail may be referred to as “obsessive-compulsive.” So may a detail-oriented engineer building a bridge or an accountant doing taxes by examining files from many different angles. </p>
<p>The critical difference is that the persistent, repetitive, ritualistic thoughts, ideas and behaviors seen in those suffering from clinical OCD often take over the person’s life. </p>
<p>When most of us check the door once or twice to make sure it is locked or wash our hands or use sanitizer after going to the grocery store or using the restroom, our brains send us the “all clear” signal and tell us it is safe to move on to other things. </p>
<p>A person with OCD never gets the “all clear” signal. It is not uncommon for a person with OCD to spend several hours per day <a href="https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/325571/the-boy-who-couldnt-stop-washing-by-judith-l-rapoport/">washing their hands</a> to the point their skin becomes cracked and bleeds. Some people with OCD have checking rituals that prevent them from ever leaving their home. </p>
<h2>OCD triggers have become harder to avoid</h2>
<p>The same principles that apply to compulsive hand-washing behaviors also apply to compulsive use of the internet and electronic devices. Excessive use can interfere with work and school and harm psychological and social functioning. Besides social and familial problems, those behaviors can lead to medical problems, including back and neck pain, obesity and eye strain. </p>
<p>The American Pediatric Association recommends that teenagers spend no more than <a href="https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2016-2592%5D(https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2016-2592">two hours per day</a> using the internet or electronic devices. Some teenagers with internet addiction are spending as many as 80-100 hours per week on the internet, refusing to do anything else, including their schoolwork, outside activities and interacting with their families. The digital world becomes a black hole that is increasingly difficult for them to escape.</p>
<p>For those who struggle with compulsive use of the internet and social media, the new, increased demands to use digital platforms for work, school, grocery shopping and extracurricular activities can open the black hole even further.</p>
<p>People with pre-pandemic contamination fears, or who previously were unable to regulate their use of technology, find trigger situations that were once avoidable have now become even more ubiquitous.</p>
<h2>Keeping the threat response in check</h2>
<p>As new behavioral norms evolve due to the changing social conditions, the way that certain behaviors are identified and described may also evolve. Expressions such as being “so OCD” or “addicted to the internet” may take on different meanings as frequent hand-washing and online communication become common.</p>
<p>For those of us adapting to our new normal, it is important to recognize that it is healthy to follow new guidelines for social distancing, washing hands and wearing masks, and that it is OK to spend extra time on the internet or other social media with the new limits on personal interactions. However, if internet use or hand-washing becomes uncontrollable or “compulsive,” or if intrusive “obsessive” thoughts about cleanliness and infection become problematic, it’s time to seek help from a mental health professional.</p>
<p><em>Roen Chiriboga, a wellness and parenting coach in Troy, Michigan, contributed to this article.</em></p>
<p>[<em>You need to understand the coronavirus pandemic, and we can help.</em> <a href="https://theconversation.com/us/newsletters?utm_source=TCUS&utm_medium=inline-link&utm_campaign=newsletter-text&utm_content=upper-coronavirus-help">Read The Conversation’s newsletter</a>.]</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/140205/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>David Rosenberg receives funding from the Children’s Hospital of Michigan Foundation, Detroit, MI, and a grant from the National Institute of Mental Health (R01MH59299). This work was also supported in part by the State of Michigan Lycaki Young Fund and the Detroit Wayne Integrated Health Network.</span></em></p>Behaviors that would have been seen as pathological a few months ago are now applauded as adaptive and resourceful. Where do doctors draw the line?David Rosenberg, Professor of Psychiatry and Neuroscience, Wayne State UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1399982020-06-09T19:52:10Z2020-06-09T19:52:10ZYou better hope your work cleaner is one of the few who has time to do a thorough job<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/340765/original/file-20200610-21196-1yfe2zz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=577%2C284%2C1956%2C1029&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>As many of us gingerly return to our workplaces, we are relying on cleaners to keep us safe. </p>
<p>Employers have extra concerns. High quality cleaning is the key to shielding them from liability should their workers contract COVID-19 and they run the risk of having to shut their workplaces down again.</p>
<p>SafeWork Australia and its state counterparts have prepared <a href="https://www.safeworkaustralia.gov.au/doc/how-clean-and-disinfect-your-workplace-covid-19">guidelines</a> for keeping workplaces safe.</p>
<p>They recommend cleaning at least <a href="https://www.safeworkaustralia.gov.au/covid-19-print-pack/989/733">daily</a>, and in some circumstances more frequently.</p>
<p>Two surveys paint very different pictures of how it is being done.</p>
<p>One is alarming.</p>
<h2>Much workplace cleaning is rushed and poorly resourced</h2>
<p>A survey of 500 cleaners conducted by the United Workers Union in May found that <a href="https://www.unitedworkers.org.au/cleaner-survey-not-enough-time-to-deliver-essential-cleaning-work-during-coronavirus/">91%</a> always, often or sometimes have to rush because they didn’t have enough time. 80% said they didn’t have enough equipment to do a quality job. </p>
<p>The findings are consistent with two other investigations not conducted by unions, a 2018 <a href="https://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Committees/Senate/Education_and_Employment/ExploitationofCleaners#:%7E:text=On%2019%20June%202018%2C%20the,submissions%20is%2012%20July%202018">Senate inquiry report</a> and a 2018 <a href="https://www.fairwork.gov.au/reports/inquiry-into-the-procurement-of-cleaners-in-tasmanian-supermarkets">Fair Work Ombudsman report</a>.</p>
<p>The Fair Work Ombudsman found it was</p>
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<p>not uncommon for cleaners to report that they do not consider they are afforded sufficient time to complete all the required specifications to a high level</p>
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<p>Despite the rhetoric about cleaners being “essential workers”, they are often not treated well. </p>
<p>Three quarters of the union’s respondents reported that did not have enough personal protective equipment (PPE) to do their job safely, putting them at risk if COVID-19 is present in a workplace. </p>
<p>Many face barriers to taking <a href="https://www.cleaningaccountability.org.au/news/cleaners-inability-to-take-sick-leave-poses-a-covid-19-safety-risk/">sick leave</a> when they are unwell, forcing them to continue working or lose pay. </p>
<p>The minimum award rate for cleaners is $20.82 per hour, although many <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/backgroundbriefing/international-students-exploited/7472384">don’t get paid that much</a>. </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/weve-let-wage-exploitation-become-the-default-experience-of-migrant-workers-113644">We've let wage exploitation become the default experience of migrant workers</a>
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<p>One third of cleaning companies audited by the Fair Work Ombudsman in 2016 were found to be <a href="https://www.fairwork.gov.au/about-us/news-and-media-releases/archived-media-releases/2016-media-releases/may-2016/20160513-cleaning-compliance-campaign-presser">underpaying</a> their workers.</p>
<p>A further inquiry into the exploitation of cleaners in Tasmania in 2018 found underpayment at <a href="https://www.fairwork.gov.au/reports/inquiry-into-the-procurement-of-cleaners-in-tasmanian-supermarkets">90%</a> of Woolworths sites.</p>
<p>Most cleaning workers are migrants on temporary visas who are vulnerable to <a href="https://theconversation.com/weve-let-wage-exploitation-become-the-default-experience-of-migrant-workers-113644">exploitation</a> and face risks if they speak up.</p>
<p>A second survey of paints a much better picture. </p>
<h2>Yet some of it is excellent</h2>
<p>A survey of cleaners working in buildings certified by the Cleaning Accountability Framework in April found <a href="https://www.cleaningaccountability.org.au/news/cleaners-are-our-frontline-defence/">94%</a> felt adequate precautions are being taken to protect their health and safety, 92% were given enough personal protective equipment, 97% were being provided with enough chemicals and equipment and 84% were able to take paid sick leave.</p>
<figure class="align-right zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/340770/original/file-20200610-21178-17kxf1g.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/340770/original/file-20200610-21178-17kxf1g.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/340770/original/file-20200610-21178-17kxf1g.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=971&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/340770/original/file-20200610-21178-17kxf1g.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=971&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/340770/original/file-20200610-21178-17kxf1g.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=971&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/340770/original/file-20200610-21178-17kxf1g.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1220&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/340770/original/file-20200610-21178-17kxf1g.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1220&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/340770/original/file-20200610-21178-17kxf1g.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1220&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Cleaners and building owners at the launch of the Cleaning Accountability Framework in 2018.</span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The <a href="https://www.cleaningaccountability.org.au/">Cleaning Accountability Framework</a> is an independent not-for-profit entity comprised of representatives from across the cleaning supply chain, including property investors, owners and managers, cleaning companies, employee representatives and industry associations. </p>
<p>It awas set up to promote and recognise best practice. </p>
<p>The difference in survey results points to a way forward.</p>
<p>Though the <a href="https://www.safeworkaustralia.gov.au/doc/how-clean-and-disinfect-your-workplace-covid-19">SafeWork guidelines</a> heap the burden of keeping workplaces safe on employers, most employers do not have an employment relationship with their cleaners. </p>
<h2>Know your cleaners</h2>
<p>The <a href="https://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Committees/Senate/Education_and_Employment/ExploitationofCleaners/Report">2018 Senate Inquiry</a> was “deeply concerned by the trend in contracting out cleaning services through convoluted supply chains with murky lines of responsibility”. </p>
<p>It found contracting out was rife across all sectors, including the public service. Many employers don’t even see those who clean their workplace, let alone supervise them, as cleaning generally takes place out of office hours, making it difficult to check whether the cleaning is being done in accordance with guidelines.</p>
<p>It would help if the guidelines took account of the reality that cleaning is often outsourced and subcontracted.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/whats-the-school-cleaners-name-how-kids-not-just-cleaners-are-paying-the-price-of-outsourcing-115443">What's the school cleaner's name? How kids, not just cleaners, are paying the price of outsourcing</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>And cooperative arrangements between building owners, cleaning contractors and building tenants could go a long way towards lifting standards, making sure that the people responsible for the workplace know whether cleaners are getting paid enough and being given enough equipment, training and time to provide it.</p>
<p>“Smiley face” monitoring systems aren’t enough in the time of COVID-19. </p>
<p>Employers whose employees contract COVID-19 because of poor cleaning practices face <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/national/employers-could-be-held-liable-for-workers-who-contract-covid-19-20200508-p54r7e.html">serious risks</a>. Cleaners who contract COVID-19 or are injured because of poor conditions are likely to be considered <a href="https://www.worksafe.vic.gov.au/contractors-and-workers-guideline">their responsibility</a>, even if they don’t employ them directly.</p>
<p>The best response is to take that responsibility seriously, more closely enforcing contracts, and if necessary varying their terms, to allow for extra, safe and adequately paid and resourced cleaning.</p>
<hr>
<p><em>This piece was co-authored with <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/miriam-thompson-3b918618/">Dr Miriam Thompson</a></em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/139998/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Shelley Marshall receives funding from the Australian Research Council. Shelley is the Director of the RMIT Business and Human Rights Centre. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Carla Chan Unger does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Many of our cleaners have neither the time nor the resources to do the job properly, yet some do the job really well. The difference points to a way forward.Shelley Marshall, Associate Professor and Director of the RMIT Business and Human Rights Centre, RMIT UniversityCarla Chan Unger, Research Associate, RMIT UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1364342020-05-12T12:35:50Z2020-05-12T12:35:50ZThe dirty history of soap<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/333754/original/file-20200508-49546-dx6y3a.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=126%2C364%2C4404%2C3169&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">How many times a day do you use soap?</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/bar-soap-royalty-free-image/530859976">Paul Linse/The Image Bank via Getty Images</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>“<a href="https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prevent-getting-sick/prevention.html">Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds</a>.” That’s what the CDC has advised all Americans to do to prevent the spread of COVID-19 during this pandemic.</p>
<p>It’s common-sense advice. The <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/speaking-of-science/wp/2017/03/20/dear-science-how-does-soap-make-things-clean/">surfactants found in soap lift germs from the skin</a>, and water then washes them away. Soap is inexpensive and ubiquitous; it’s a consumer product found in every household across the country.</p>
<p>Yet few people know the long and dirty history of making soap, the product we all rely on to clean our skin. <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=ZG3N6Cr_wT0C&hl=en&oi=ao">I’m a historian who focuses on material culture</a> in much of my research. As I started digging into what’s known about soap’s use in the past, I was surprised to discover its messy origins.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/333755/original/file-20200508-49546-550d2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/333755/original/file-20200508-49546-550d2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/333755/original/file-20200508-49546-550d2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=395&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/333755/original/file-20200508-49546-550d2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=395&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/333755/original/file-20200508-49546-550d2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=395&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/333755/original/file-20200508-49546-550d2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=496&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/333755/original/file-20200508-49546-550d2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=496&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/333755/original/file-20200508-49546-550d2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=496&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">From animal fat to coal tar, what goes in tends to be pretty dirty.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/advertising-during-the-first-world-war-in-1915-wrights-coal-news-photo/1080227192">SeM/Universal Images Group via Getty Images</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Gross ingredients to clean things up</h2>
<p><a href="https://doi.org/10.1021/bk-2015-1211.ch009">Ancient Mesopotamians were first to produce</a> a kind of soap by cooking fatty acids – like the fat rendered from a slaughtered cow, sheep or goat – together with water and an alkaline like <a href="https://www.britannica.com/science/lye">lye</a>, a caustic substance derived from wood ashes. The result was a greasy and smelly goop that lifted away dirt.</p>
<p>An early mention of soap comes in <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/282650616_An_Ancient_Cleanser_Soap_Production_and_Use_in_Antiquity">Roman scholar Pliny the Elder’s</a> book “<a href="https://books.google.com/books?id=nvBDAQAAMAAJ&q=sapo#v=onepage&accltump;q=soap&f=false">Naturalis Historia</a>” from A.D. 77. He described soap as a pomade made of tallow – typically derived from beef fat – and ashes that the Gauls, particularly the men, applied to their hair to give it “a reddish tint.”</p>
<figure class="align-right zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/333756/original/file-20200508-49550-1mcaftr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/333756/original/file-20200508-49550-1mcaftr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/333756/original/file-20200508-49550-1mcaftr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=1276&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/333756/original/file-20200508-49550-1mcaftr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=1276&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/333756/original/file-20200508-49550-1mcaftr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=1276&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/333756/original/file-20200508-49550-1mcaftr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1603&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/333756/original/file-20200508-49550-1mcaftr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1603&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/333756/original/file-20200508-49550-1mcaftr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1603&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A strigil and flask.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/strigil-and-flask-roman-a-strigil-was-a-curved-blade-used-news-photo/464504797">Heritage Images/Hulton Archive via Getty Images</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Ancient people used these early soaps to clean wool or cotton fibers before weaving them into cloth, rather than for human hygiene. Not even the Greeks and Romans, who pioneered running water and public baths, <a href="https://www.thoughtco.com/hygiene-in-ancient-rome-and-baths-119136">used soap to clean their bodies</a>. Instead, men and women immersed themselves in water baths and then smeared their bodies with scented olive oils. They used a <a href="https://doi.org/10.1098/rstb.1976.0080">metal or reed scraper called a strigil</a> to remove any remaining oil or grime.</p>
<p>By the Middle Ages, new vegetable-oil-based soaps, which were hailed for their mildness and purity and smelled good, had come into use as luxury items among Europe’s most privileged classes. The first of these, <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-syria-soap/modern-threat-to-syrias-ancient-aleppo-soap-industry-idUSTRE69L1ID20101022">Aleppo soap, a green, olive-oil-based bar soap</a> infused with aromatic laurel oil, was produced in Syria and brought to Europe by Christian crusaders and traders.</p>
<p>French, Italian, Spanish and eventually English versions soon followed. Of these, <a href="https://www.pharmaceutical-journal.com/opinion/comment/a-short-history-of-soap/20066753.article?firstPass=false">Jabon de Castilla</a>, or Castile soap, named for the region of central Spain where it was produced, was the best known. The white, olive-oil-based bar soap was a wildly popular toiletry item among European royals. Castile soap became <a href="https://www.pharmaceutical-journal.com/opinion/comment/a-short-history-of-soap/20066753.article?firstPass=false">a generic term for any hard soap of this type</a>.</p>
<p>The settlement of the American colonies coincided with an age (1500s-1700s) when most Europeans, whether privileged or poor, had turned away from regular bathing out of <a href="https://yalebooks.yale.edu/book/9780300171556/foul-bodies">fear that water actually spread disease</a>. Colonists used soap primarily for domestic cleaning, and soap-making was part of the seasonal domestic routine overseen by women.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/files/22675/22675-h/22675-h.htm">As one Connecticut woman described it in 1775</a>, women stored fat from butchering, grease from cooking and wood ashes over the winter months. In the spring, they made lye from the ashes and then boiled it with fat and grease in a giant kettle. This produced a soft soap that women used to wash the <a href="https://yalebooks.yale.edu/book/9780300171556/foul-bodies">linen shifts that colonists wore as undergarments</a>.</p>
<p>In the new nation, the founding of soap manufactories like New York-based <a href="https://www.supplytime.com/Blogs/Blog/History-of-Colgate-Palmolive-Company_23.aspx">Colgate, founded in 1807</a>, or the Cincinnati-based <a href="https://www.pg.com/en_US/downloads/media/Fact_Sheets_CompanyHistory.pdf">Procter & Gamble, founded in 1837</a>, increased the scale of soap production but did little to alter its ingredients or use. Middle-class Americans <a href="https://doi.org/10.2307/1894408">had resumed water bathing, but still shunned soap</a>.</p>
<p><a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-0289.2007.00388.x">Soap-making remained an extension of the tallow trade</a> that was closely allied with candle making. Soap itself was for laundry. At the first P&G factory, laborers used large cauldrons to <a href="https://oac.cdlib.org/ark:/28722/bk000401r2p/?brand=oac4">boil down fat collected from homes, hotels and butchers</a> to make the candles and soap they sold.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/333757/original/file-20200508-49565-mm0nq7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/333757/original/file-20200508-49565-mm0nq7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/333757/original/file-20200508-49565-mm0nq7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=453&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/333757/original/file-20200508-49565-mm0nq7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=453&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/333757/original/file-20200508-49565-mm0nq7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=453&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/333757/original/file-20200508-49565-mm0nq7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=569&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/333757/original/file-20200508-49565-mm0nq7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=569&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/333757/original/file-20200508-49565-mm0nq7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=569&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Workers tended to soap in large tanks in a French factory circa 1870.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/the-manufacture-of-soap-in-large-tanks-in-the-19th-century-news-photo/929239368">Universal History Archive/Universal Images Group via Getty Images</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>From cleaning objects to cleaning bodies</h2>
<p><a href="https://doi.org/10.1021/ed079p1172">The Civil War was the watershed</a>. Thanks to reformers who touted regular washing with water and soap as a sanitary measure to aid the Union war effort, bathing for personal hygiene caught on. <a href="https://ohiohistorycentral.org/w/Procter_%26_Gamble">Demand for inexpensive toilet soaps increased</a> dramatically among the masses.</p>
<figure class="align-right zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/333758/original/file-20200508-49558-6zabpn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/333758/original/file-20200508-49558-6zabpn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/333758/original/file-20200508-49558-6zabpn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=862&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/333758/original/file-20200508-49558-6zabpn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=862&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/333758/original/file-20200508-49558-6zabpn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=862&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/333758/original/file-20200508-49558-6zabpn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1083&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/333758/original/file-20200508-49558-6zabpn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1083&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/333758/original/file-20200508-49558-6zabpn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1083&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Palmolive ads, like this one from 1900, stressed the exotic ingredients in the green bar.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/2018696682/">Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Companies began to develop and market a variety of new products to consumers. In 1879, P&G introduced <a href="https://oac.cdlib.org/ark:/28722/bk000401r2p/?brand=oac4">Ivory soap</a>, one of the first perfumed toilet soaps in the U.S. B.J. Johnson Soap Company of Milwaukee followed with their own palm-and-olive-oil-based <a href="https://www.milwaukeemag.com/story-behind-this-bar-of-palmolive-soap/">Palmolive soap</a> in 1898. It was the <a href="https://www.supplytime.com/Blogs/Blog/History-of-Colgate-Palmolive-Company_23.aspx">world’s best-selling soap by the early 1900s</a>.</p>
<p>Soap chemistry also began to change, paving the way for the modern era. At P&G, <a href="https://oac.cdlib.org/ark:/28722/bk000401r2p/?brand=oac4">decades of laboratory experiments</a> with imported coconut and palm oil, and then with domestically produced cottonseed oil, led to the <a href="https://www.ars.usda.gov/research/publications/publication/?seqNo115=210614">discovery of hydrogenated fats in 1909</a>. These solid, vegetable-based fats revolutionized soap by making its manufacture less dependent on animal byproducts. <a href="https://www.cleaninginstitute.org/understanding-products/why-clean/soaps-detergents-history">Shortages of fats and oils for soap</a> during World Wars I and II also led to the discovery of synthetic detergents as a <a href="https://www.britannica.com/science/soap/Early-synthetic-detergents">“superior” substitute</a> for fat-based laundry soaps, household cleaners and shampoos.</p>
<p>Today’s commercially manufactured soaps are <a href="http://www.soaphistory.net/soap-facts/soap-types/">highly specialized</a>, lab-engineered products. Synthesized animal fats and plant-based oils and bases are combined with <a href="https://www.bare-soaps.com/blogs/your-impact/116431557-what-s-in-a-bar-of-soap">chemical additives</a>, including moisturizers, conditioners, lathering agents, colors and scents, to make soaps more appealing to the senses. But they cannot fully mask its mostly foul ingredients, including <a href="http://www.soaphistory.net/soap-history/history-of-liquid-soap-and-shower-gel/">shower gels’</a> petroleum-based contents.</p>
<p>As a 1947 history of P&G observed: “<a href="https://oac.cdlib.org/ark:/28722/bk000401r2p/?brand=oac4">Soap is a desperately ordinary substance to us</a>.” As unremarkable as it is during normal times, soap has risen to prominence during this pandemic.</p>
<p>[<em>Get facts about coronavirus and the latest research.</em> <a href="https://theconversation.com/us/newsletters?utm_source=TCUS&utm_medium=inline-link&utm_campaign=newsletter-text&utm_content=upper-coronavirus-facts">Sign up for The Conversation’s newsletter.</a>]</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/136434/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Judith Ridner does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>With hand-washing top of mind, soap is an integral part of keeping clean. But people through the ages relied on earlier forms of soap more for cleaning objects than for personal hygiene.Judith Ridner, Professor of History, Mississippi State UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1349752020-04-17T12:10:47Z2020-04-17T12:10:47ZBuildings have their own microbiomes – we’re striving to make them healthy places<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/327799/original/file-20200414-117583-rqdwoz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C7360%2C4912&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Sunlight, ventilation and relative humidity all affect the microbiome of indoor spaces.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/new-luxury-rich-appartments-royalty-free-image/1166870178?adppopup=true">iStock / Getty Images Plus</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Architects and building engineers strive to create safe, productive places where humans can live and work. We have developed complex codes, regulations and guidelines to achieve goals such as structural safety, fire safety, adequate ventilation and energy efficiency, and to anticipate extreme scenarios such as 100-year floods. The question for our profession now is whether and how the 100-year viral pandemic will change architectural design and building operations. </p>
<p>How can societies safeguard buildings or homes from a viral pathogen during an epidemic? What would it take to redesign public and institutional buildings so they could help “flatten the curve,” instead of simply evacuating occupants? What if people could shape and modify the microbial communities present inside buildings to minimize exposure to harmful pathogens? </p>
<p>At the University of Oregon’s <a href="https://biobe.uoregon.edu/">Biology and the Built Environment (BioBE) Center</a>, we study interactions between humans, buildings and microorganisms. We believe that architecture needs to adapt and evolve in ways that help people manage indoor microbiomes to support health. In a new paper, we combine research on how microbes function indoors with knowledge about the novel coronavirus to outline ways of <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1128/mSystems.00245-20">minimizing COVID-19 transmission in buildings</a>.</p>
<h2>Cultivating or murdering microbes</h2>
<p>Even in good times, and certainly during pandemics, the main thing people typically want to know about microbes is how to kill them. But in fact, the vast majority of microbes help humans more than they hurt us. The idea that microbes around us play an important role in our lives is known as the <a href="http://www.grahamrook.net/OldFriends/oldfriends.html">Old Friends Hypothesis</a> or the <a href="https://doi.org/10.1186/s40168-017-0294-2">Hygiene Hypothesis</a>. </p>
<p>Each of us has our own microbiome – a collection of bacteria, fungi, viruses and protozoa that inhabit our skin and body, and <a href="https://www.sciencefriday.com/videos/your-very-special-microbial-cloud/">may be as unique as our fingerprints</a>. Some of these microbes help <a href="https://theconversation.com/5-things-you-can-do-to-make-your-microbiome-healthier-129215">keep us healthy</a>, while others may cause us to become ill. </p>
<p>These organisms help regulate our digestion and <a href="https://theconversation.com/dont-hate-your-gut-it-may-help-you-lose-weight-fight-depression-and-lower-blood-pressure-77453">impact our mood and our weight</a>. Skin microbes can have <a href="https://doi.org/10.1186/s40413-017-0160-5">immunoprotective effects</a>. </p>
<p>There are also surprisingly complex microbial ecosystems within indoor spaces. Removing all microbial life from these settings can create problems. For example, <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.12688/f1000research.14592.1">irritable bowel disease</a>, <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/ijms20010123">asthma</a> and some <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s40572-016-0100-5">mood disorders</a> have been linked to overall decreases in our microbial exposure. Lack of exposure during childhood is thought to spark overreactive immune function later in life, potentially leading to increased inflammation and contributing to these afflictions.</p>
<p>Focusing solely on murdering microbes can have unintended consequences. For example, our lab recently discovered a correlation between concentrations of antimicrobial compounds and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vFWlMAMlemA">abundance of antibiotic-resistant bacteria indoors</a>. This finding has led our team to <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/ina.12596">reexamine indoor cleaning practices</a> more broadly. </p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1143960123003551745"}"></div></p>
<h2>Designing indoor microbiomes</h2>
<p>Architects can use many design features to shape and modify microbial communities within homes and office buildings. They include <a href="https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0087093">space configuration and occupant density</a>; interior material selection; <a href="https://doi.org/10.1186/s40168-018-0559-4">window location, size and glass type</a>; electric lighting spectrum and intensity; and <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/ina.12047">air movement and ventilation strategies</a>.</p>
<p>Building managers also play a role. They can adjust the amount of outside air that is admitted and the frequency at which it is exchanged with indoor air. Other levers include humidification and dehumidification, and of course, cleaning products and practices. </p>
<p>Our recent research suggests that many natural systems, such as <a href="https://doi.org/10.1186/s40168-018-0559-4">daylight</a> and <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/ina.12047">natural ventilation</a>, don’t just reduce energy consumption and support human health – they also support more diverse indoor microbial ecosystems and reduce the abundance of potential pathogens. Similarly, natural unfinished wood surfaces have been shown to reduce the abundance of some viruses more quickly than other common indoor surfaces, such as <a href="https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0027932">stainless steel or plastic</a>. </p>
<p>Humidification is an important influence in indoor settings. Most indoor environments are very dry in the heating season. Dampness can produce mold, but very dry air is also a problem. It dehydrates our mucus membranes and skin and carries particles deeper into our respiratory tract, leaving us <a href="https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1902840116">more susceptible to infection</a>. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/327800/original/file-20200414-117587-faxktx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/327800/original/file-20200414-117587-faxktx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/327800/original/file-20200414-117587-faxktx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=426&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/327800/original/file-20200414-117587-faxktx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=426&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/327800/original/file-20200414-117587-faxktx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=426&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/327800/original/file-20200414-117587-faxktx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=535&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/327800/original/file-20200414-117587-faxktx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=535&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/327800/original/file-20200414-117587-faxktx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=535&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">How the novel coronavirus might spread indoors: (a) Viral particles accumulate in an infected person’s lungs and upper respiratory tract. (b) Droplets and aerosolized viral particles are expelled from the body through activities such as coughing, sneezing and talking, and can spread to nearby surroundings and individuals. (c and d) Viral particles, excreted from the mouth and nose, are often found on the hands (c) and can be spread to commonly touched items (d) such as computers, glasses, faucets and countertops.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://msystems.asm.org/content/5/2/e00245-20/figures-only">Dietz et al., 2020, http://dx.doi.org/10.1128/mSystems.00245-20</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">CC BY-SA</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Dry air also decreases particle deposition, allowing ultra-fine particles to <a href="https://doi.org/10.1098/rsif.2018.0298">remain aerosolized longer</a>. This increases the risk of airborne transmission of microbes. </p>
<p>Indoor air with a relative humidity of 40%-60% avoids these harmful impacts. It has also been shown to decrease viral infectivity, likely by <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10453-007-9068-9">disrupting viruses’ outer membrane</a> </p>
<p>Based upon our past research, we have developed some basic guidelines for enhanced building operations during the COVID-19 pandemic. They aim to <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1128/mSystems.00245-20">reduce the risk of indoor viral transmission</a> in settings including homes, medical buildings and other critical infrastructure. </p>
<p>These strategies can be applied in nearly every building. Examples include introducing more outside air, increasing air exchange, maintaining relative humidity of 40%-60%, opening windows to provide natural ventilation and flush out indoor spaces, increasing access to daylight, and implementing targeted disinfection techniques, such as <a href="https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/04/200414173251.htm">UV-C light in health care settings</a>.</p>
<p>People can use similar strategies to reduce risks at home. If someone in the house has been infected or is symptomatic, we recommend having them self-isolate in a space next to a bathroom with an exhaust fan that can operate continuously. This will pull air from the rest of the home through the infected space and out the bathroom exhaust.</p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/k1O4oiNoUrU?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">Letting in sunlight and fresh air and maintaining healthy humidity levels can help create a healthy indoor environment at home during the COVID-19 pandemic.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Better living through microbiology</h2>
<p>Our team’s next goal is to define what makes up a community of beneficial microbes. We are partnering with industry, institutions and government organizations to develop real-time indoor microbial monitoring technologies that can support better operating practices and improve contact tracing strategies. With this knowledge, we can monitor for pathogens and use data science to improve our understanding of healthy indoor microbiomes. </p>
<p>How might people cultivate an indoor community of benign and favorable microbes? Several <a href="https://zbioscience.com/">cleaning product manufacturers</a> are already exploring the idea of <a href="https://betterairus.com/">adding specific microbes</a> to indoor environments to <a href="https://auntfannies.com/shop/probiotic-cleaners/">outcompete or attack harmful microbes and curate others</a>. These products avert many traditional cleaners’ “scorched Earth” approach, which relies on caustic and volatile ingredients. </p>
<p>We believe this concept is worth exploring but should be based on robust research with effective oversight. The key agency in this area is the Environmental Protection Agency, which <a href="http://npic.orst.edu/factsheets/antimicrobials.html">regulates antimicrobial products designed as pesticides</a>, including cleaning products. </p>
<p>For several decades, the architectural design and construction industry has been developing standards to guide <a href="https://www.usgbc.org/leed">building</a> <a href="http://www.greenglobes.com/home.asp">performance</a>, including aspects related to <a href="https://living-future.org/lbc/">human</a> <a href="https://standard.wellcertified.com/well">health</a>. In our view, it is time to focus on shaping healthy indoor microbiomes so that they can shape us. </p>
<p>[<em>You’re smart and curious about the world. So are The Conversation’s authors and editors.</em> <a href="https://theconversation.com/us/newsletters?utm_source=TCUS&utm_medium=inline-link&utm_campaign=newsletter-text&utm_content=youresmart">You can read us daily by subscribing to our newsletter</a>.]</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/134975/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Kevin Van Den Wymelenberg receives funding from The Alfred P Sloan Foundation, US Department of Agriculture, US Department of Energy, The Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance, and several industry members participating in the Institute for Health in the Built Environment Industry Research Consortium. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Leslie Dietz receives funding from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation and the US Department of Agriculture. Leslie Dietz is affiliated with 500WomenScientists. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Mark Fretz receives funding from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, U.S. Department of Agriculture, the Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance and participating industry members in the Institute for Health in the Built Environment Industry Research Consortium. He consults with industry members in the Institute for Health in the Built Environment Industry Research Consortium.</span></em></p>We spend 90% of our lives indoors, and every building has its own indoor microbiome. Can we learn to manage them in ways that support helpful microbes and suppress harmful ones?Kevin Van den Wymelenberg, Associate Professor of Architecture and Director, Biology and the Built Environment Center, University of OregonLeslie Dietz, Wet Lab Manager, University of OregonMark Fretz, Research Assistant Professor of Architecture, University of OregonLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1343012020-03-25T16:06:23Z2020-03-25T16:06:23ZCoronavirus: household cleaning products can kill the virus – an expert on which ones to use<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/322616/original/file-20200324-155702-1bwybs2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=51%2C0%2C5760%2C3837&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/cleaning-housework-housekeeping-concept-indian-man-1448510711">Syda Productions/Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>COVID-19 has only been around for a few months, so at this point scientists don’t know that much about it. But more is being learned every day. We now know, for example, it can live on surfaces <a href="https://www.journalofhospitalinfection.com/article/S0195-6701(20)30046-3/fulltext">for up to nine days</a> and survives in the air <a href="https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMc2004973">for a few hours</a>. We also now know that the virus particles are shed through saliva and fluids coughed up from the lungs. And that the virus can also be <a href="https://www.gastrojournal.org/article/S0016-5085(20)30281-X/pdf">shed from our faeces</a>. </p>
<p>It’s easy for an infected person to spread the virus particles through coughing, touching other people or leaving the virus on surfaces. Undoubtedly, hand-washing after being in public spaces is key to reduce the spread of COVID-19. But what should we be doing in our homes to eliminate it?</p>
<p>Two recent studies have investigated how long coronaviruses survive on different surfaces. The research looked at a number of different viruses including SARS-CoV-2 – the coronavirus that has caused COVID-19. And it found that the survival times varied according to the type of surface. </p>
<p>The virus survived for longest on stainless steel and plastic – for up to <a href="https://www.journalofhospitalinfection.com/article/S0195-6701(20)30046-3/fulltext">nine days</a>. The shortest survival times of <a href="https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMc2004973">one day</a> was for paper and cardboard. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/322681/original/file-20200324-115461-pvnu08.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/322681/original/file-20200324-115461-pvnu08.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=380&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/322681/original/file-20200324-115461-pvnu08.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=380&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/322681/original/file-20200324-115461-pvnu08.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=380&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/322681/original/file-20200324-115461-pvnu08.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=478&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/322681/original/file-20200324-115461-pvnu08.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=478&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/322681/original/file-20200324-115461-pvnu08.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=478&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Table of time surviving in air and on surfaces.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Lena Ciric</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The amount of virus particles during this time does reduce, but it’s worrying that the particles can last for days rather than hours or minutes on a surface. So, how good are the cleaning products already in your cupboards at killing SARS-CoV-2? There is some good news in the list below.</p>
<h2>Soap and water</h2>
<p>Soap and water are your first line of defence to remove the virus from surfaces. Soap interferes with the fats in the virus shell and lift the virus from surfaces and this is then rinsed off by water. Of course, you also need to wash your hands when you come in from the shops and wash your food as normal.</p>
<h2>Bleach</h2>
<p>The active ingredient in bleach – sodium hypochlorite – is <a href="https://www.journalofhospitalinfection.com/article/S0195-6701(20)30046-3/fulltext">very effective</a> at killing the virus. Make sure you leave the bleach to work for 10-15 minutes then give the surface a wipe with a clean cloth. The bleach works by destroying the protein and what’s known as the ribonucleic acid (RNA) of the virus – this is the substance that gives the blueprint for making more virus particles when you become infected. Be sure to use the bleach as directed on the bottle.</p>
<h2>Surgical spirit</h2>
<p>Surgical spirit is mostly made up of the alcohol ethanol. Ethanol has been shown to kill coronaviruses in as little as <a href="https://www.journalofhospitalinfection.com/article/S0195-6701(20)30046-3/fulltext">30 seconds</a>. Like bleach, the alcohol destroys the protein and RNA that the virus is made up of. Moisten a cloth with some neat surgical spirit and rub it over a surface. This will evaporate and you will not need to wipe it off.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/322623/original/file-20200324-155631-13j1u9o.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/322623/original/file-20200324-155631-13j1u9o.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=420&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/322623/original/file-20200324-155631-13j1u9o.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=420&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/322623/original/file-20200324-155631-13j1u9o.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=420&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/322623/original/file-20200324-155631-13j1u9o.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=528&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/322623/original/file-20200324-155631-13j1u9o.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=528&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/322623/original/file-20200324-155631-13j1u9o.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=528&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Target your home’s high-touch surfaces.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/woman-cleaning-polishing-kitchen-worktop-spray-736138987">Stock-Asso/Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Surface wipes</h2>
<p>The active ingredient in surface wipes in an antiseptic –- usually benzalkonium chloride. The wipes work by physically removing germs through the pressure you apply when you use them, and the germs then attach to the wipe.</p>
<p>They also leave a layer of the antiseptic on the surface that works to kill germs. The antiseptic works well on many different pathogens by disrupting the fats in their cells and has been <a href="https://www.journalofhospitalinfection.com/article/S0195-6701(20)30209-7/fulltext">found to be effective at eliminating SARS-CoV-2</a>.</p>
<h2>Hand sanitisers</h2>
<p>A word of warning though about <a href="https://theconversation.com/homemade-hand-sanitiser-recipes-that-could-help-protect-against-coronavirus-133668">hand sanitisers</a>. The main ingredient in hand sanitisers that will kill SARS-CoV-2 is ethanol, the alcohol in surgical spirit. But its concentration in the sanitiser is very important –- it has to be over 70 % or it will not kill the virus effectively.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/homemade-hand-sanitiser-recipes-that-could-help-protect-against-coronavirus-133668">Homemade hand sanitiser recipes that could help protect against coronavirus</a>
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<p>One thing you can also do is make sure you air out the spaces you are spending time in regularly. An infected person will produce thousands of tiny droplets which contain the virus every time they cough. SARS-CoV-2 can survive in the air for up to <a href="https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMc2004973">three hours</a>. So by opening the window, you can remove and disperse the droplets and reduce the amount of virus in the air – which will reduce the risk of infection for others.</p>
<p>We are living in uncertain times but it’s reassuring to know that we have some weapons we can use to fight COVID-19 in our homes. The bottom line: keep washing your hands, use 70% hand sanitiser, dust off the bleach and open a window to let in the spring air.</p>
<p>*<em>This article was revised on Thursday 26 March and Monday 18 May 2020. Further additions were made to clarify how soap and water work on the virus and how antiseptic works against COVID-19 based on new research published. A typo was also corrected</em>.</p>
<hr>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/301912/original/file-20191115-66957-gxdqkd.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/301912/original/file-20191115-66957-gxdqkd.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=140&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/301912/original/file-20191115-66957-gxdqkd.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=140&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/301912/original/file-20191115-66957-gxdqkd.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=140&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/301912/original/file-20191115-66957-gxdqkd.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=176&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/301912/original/file-20191115-66957-gxdqkd.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=176&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/301912/original/file-20191115-66957-gxdqkd.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=176&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<p><em>Get the latest news and analysis, direct from the experts in your inbox, every day. Join hundreds of thousands who trust experts by <strong><a href="http://theconversation.com/newsletter?utm_source=TCUK&utm_medium=linkback&utm_campaign=TCNewsletter&utm_content=newsletterA">subscribing to our newsletter</a></strong>.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/134301/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Lena Ciric receives funding from UKRI. </span></em></p>Here are the most effective cleaning solutions to keep your home free of coronavirus.Lena Ciric, Associate Professor in Environmental Engineering, UCLLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1339122020-03-18T04:40:43Z2020-03-18T04:40:43ZHow to clean your house to prevent the spread of coronavirus and other infections<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/321207/original/file-20200318-37378-i2bece.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C24%2C5463%2C3612&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>As the coronavirus pandemic spreads around the world, it’s a good time to understand how cleaning can help prevent the spread of disease and what you can do to cut the risk of infection in your home. </p>
<p>Coronavirus is mainly transmitted from person to person via <a href="https://www.health.gov.au/news/health-alerts/novel-coronavirus-2019-ncov-health-alert/what-you-need-to-know-about-coronavirus-covid-19">tiny droplets</a> of saliva or other bodily fluids that float in the air after a cough or sneeze.</p>
<p>Contaminated objects and surfaces can also be important in the transmission of disease. It’s not entirely clear what role they play in transmitting the new coronavirus, but they play an important one for <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0195670120300463">related viruses</a> such as SARS and MERS.</p>
<p>However, it makes sense that something contaminated with the virus could pass it on, for example if a person touches it and then touches their nose, mouth or face. </p>
<p>So, if someone at risk of having the virus has been in your home, cleaning to reduce the amount of contamination on surfaces may help cut down your risk of further transmission of coronavirus. (It will also cut the risk of transmitting other pathogens.) </p>
<h2>What’s the difference between cleaning and disinfection?</h2>
<p>There’s a useful to distinction to make between <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prepare/cleaning-disinfection.html?CDC_AA_refVal=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cdc.gov%2Fcoronavirus%2F2019-ncov%2Fcommunity%2Fhome%2Fcleaning-disinfection.html">cleaning</a> and <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prepare/cleaning-disinfection.html?CDC_AA_refVal=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cdc.gov%2Fcoronavirus%2F2019-ncov%2Fcommunity%2Fhome%2Fcleaning-disinfection.html">disinfection</a>. </p>
<p>Cleaning means physically removing organic matter such as germs and dirt from surfaces. Disinfection means using chemicals to kill germs on surfaces.</p>
<p>Cleaning is very important, because organic matter may inhibit or reduce the disinfectant’s ability to kill germs. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/can-coronavirus-spread-through-food-can-anti-inflammatories-like-ibuprofen-make-it-worse-coronavirus-claims-checked-by-experts-133911">Can coronavirus spread through food? Can anti-inflammatories like ibuprofen make it worse? Coronavirus claims checked by experts</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>How long will coronavirus survive in my house?</h2>
<p>We are not exactly sure how long this coronavirus will survive on surfaces. If it is similar to other coronaviruses, it could survive a few hours – potentially <a href="https://www.journalofhospitalinfection.com/article/S0195-6701(20)30046-3/fulltext">up to several days</a>. How long it survives could depend on temperature, humidity and what the surface is made of.</p>
<h2>What could be contaminated in my house?</h2>
<p>It’s hard to say exactly. When someone coughs or sneezes, especially if they don’t cover their mouth, it is likely surfaces close to them will be contaminated. </p>
<p>Hands are often responsible for transferring pathogens from one place to another, so items that people often touch are at greatest risk of being contaminated. </p>
<p>Frequently touched items may include TV remotes, fridge doors, kitchen cupboards, kitchen surfaces, taps and door handles. And of course, there are devices such as phones and iPads – but these may not be shared or touched by others frequently. </p>
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<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/T13Js2bMF_U?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
</figure>
<h2>What should I use to clean and how?</h2>
<p>The coronavirus is a delicate structure and it is vulnerable in the environment. Both heat and detergents, including soap, can stop it functioning. </p>
<h3>Contaminated surfaces</h3>
<p>If a surface becomes contaminated or you think it could be, cleaning it with a common household disinfectant will kill the virus. Remember to wash your hands after cleaning (or use an alcohol-based hand sanitiser) and avoid touching your eyes, mouth or nose. </p>
<p>There are many options for what to use to clean, including paper towels, cloths or disposable wipes. </p>
<figure class="align-right ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/321221/original/file-20200318-37387-184yl1.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/321221/original/file-20200318-37387-184yl1.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=644&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/321221/original/file-20200318-37387-184yl1.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=644&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/321221/original/file-20200318-37387-184yl1.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=644&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/321221/original/file-20200318-37387-184yl1.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=809&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/321221/original/file-20200318-37387-184yl1.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=809&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/321221/original/file-20200318-37387-184yl1.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=809&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The S-shaped pattern for cleaning a surface without re-contaminating parts of it.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Brett Mitchell</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>How you clean is important. You don’t want to “recontaminate” surfaces while cleaning. Working from one side of a surface to the other helps with this, using an <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0195670118307205">“S” shape to clean</a>. </p>
<p>If you are reusing a cloth, remember to wash it afterwards and let it dry. Laundering cloths in the washing machine with normal washing liquid is also likely to kill the virus, particularly on a hot wash. </p>
<h3>Dishes and cutlery</h3>
<p>Washing with hot water and detergent is fine for dishes and cutlery. A dishwasher is even better, because it can use hotter water than your hands will tolerate.</p>
<h3>Clothing and linen</h3>
<p>Use the warmest setting possible to wash contaminated laundry and make sure you allow it to dry completely. You may not want to ruin clothing or other materials, so always look at the manufacturer’s instructions.</p>
<p>Laundry from someone who is sick can be washed with other people’s items. If you are handling contaminated items such as towel or sheets, avoid shaking them before washing, to reduce the risk of contaminating other surfaces. </p>
<p>And remember to wash your hands immediately after touching any contaminated laundry. </p>
<h2>Prevention is best</h2>
<p>Remember that surfaces play a role in transmitting pathogens, so preventing them from becoming contaminated in the first place is as important as cleaning. There are some things you can do to reduce the amount of contamination of surfaces in your house:</p>
<p>– cover your cough and sneezes, ideally with a tissue but otherwise into your elbow, and wash your hands immediately</p>
<p>– wash your hands often, especially after going to the bathroom and before eating.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/what-is-a-virus-how-do-they-spread-how-do-they-make-us-sick-133437">What is a virus? How do they spread? How do they make us sick?</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>What do I do if someone in my home is sick?</h2>
<p>It may be wise to think about which room in your home could be used to care for a sick member of your family. If possible, the ideal room is one that that is separate from other parts of your home and has a separate bathroom. </p>
<p>Cleaning this room when someone is sick also requires some thought. Further advice on caring for someone with coronavirus at home is available from the <a href="https://www.health.gov.au/sites/default/files/documents/2020/03/coronavirus-covid-19-information-about-home-isolation-when-unwell-suspected-or-confirmed-cases.pdf">Department of Health</a>.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/133912/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Brett Mitchell has received research funding from the NHMRC, HCF Foundation, Medtronics, Australasian College for Infection Prevention and Control, Nurses Memorial Centre, Senver, GAMA Healthcare, Ian Potter Foundation and Commonwealth (Innovation Connections grant). Professor Mitchell is a Fellow of the Australasian College for Infection Prevention and Control and a Fellow of the Australian College of Nursing. He has run infection prevention and control programs for hospitals and at a State level, and is a credential Expert by the Australasian College for Infection Prevention and Control.</span></em></p>Cleaning surfaces, dishes and laundry the right way can help maintain hygiene in your house.Brett Mitchell, Professor of Nursing, University of NewcastleLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1330542020-03-17T19:46:25Z2020-03-17T19:46:25ZViruses live on doorknobs and phones and can get you sick – smart cleaning and good habits can help protect you<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/320286/original/file-20200312-111300-zgdow6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Disinfecting an area takes time and effort. And there is only so much you can do. </span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="http://www.apimages.com/metadata/Index/Virus-Outbreak-New-York/4af925c106ca40268d5db383657b355e/2/0">AP Photo/Seth Wenig</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>One vomiting episode from someone infected with norovirus <a href="https://dx.doi.org/10.3201/eid1410.080117">emits billions and billions of individual viruses</a>. That’s enough to fuel an outbreak – and is exactly what happened in an elementary school in <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/health/2019/12/13/norovirus-outbreak-stomach-flu-terrorizes-washington-public-schools/4417867002/">Seattle, Washington a few months ago</a>. Over 100 children got sick with the stomach-churning bug, and the school doors remained closed until workers could decontaminate the lockers, desks and hallways.</p>
<p>You might think of germs mostly passing directly from one person to another, but the outbreak in Seattle illustrates how they can survive on and be transmitted by inanimate objects in the world around us. <a href="https://sph.umich.edu/faculty-profiles/eisenberg-joseph.html">Epidemiologists like me</a> call these everyday objects – like doorknobs, elevator buttons and cellphones – fomites, and when contaminated, these fomites can make you sick. </p>
<p>Fomites can be an important pathway of disease transmission. They were the main culprits in that norovirus outbreak in Seattle last year and have been the cause of many other outbreaks. In 1908, <a href="https://dx.doi.org/10.1128%2FAEM.02051-06">smallpox outbreaks were traced to contaminated imported cotton</a>. More recently, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordjournals.aje.a113661">outbreak studies in day care centers</a> have identified viruses on <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8393172">toys, phones, toilet handles, sinks and water fountains</a>.</p>
<h2>The novel coronavirus</h2>
<p>The coronavirus is spreading quickly. As concern has increased, I’ve seen more people washing their hands and using hand sanitizer than ever before. While there is still a lot we don’t know about the new coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2, history would suggest that there is probably some transmission from fomites. Everyone should be washing their hands and using hand sanitzer, but taking efforts to clean the things around you is also important to fight the spread of the virus.</p>
<p>For instance, in the last major coronavirus pandemic, SARS in 2002, contaminated surfaces were a major contributor to over <a href="https://dx.doi.org/10.1258%2Fjrsm.96.8.374">300 cases in a Hong Kong apartment building</a>.</p>
<p>When thinking about how risky transmission via fomites is in an outbreak, the important question is how long can a particular bug survive on surfaces. And there is a lot of variation. Some pathogens can last outside the body for only minutes, while others are hardier and can hold on for days or even months. A new study suggests that the novel coronavirus <a href="https://doi.org/10.1101/2020.03.09.20033217">can survive on some surfaces up to three days</a>, but it varies depending on the material. The study found that the virus could survive for 24 hours on cardboard and up to three days on plastic and stainless steel.</p>
<p>This variation is caused in part by the <a href="https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-2334-6-130">properties of the surface a virus lands on</a>. Porous material like clothing may allow pathogens to survive longer but it can be harder for a virus to move <a href="https://doi.org/10.1128/AEM.01030-13">from your shirt to someone else’s fingers</a>. The matrix fibers in nonporous materials can trap germs making it hard for them to transfer. On the other hand, viruses can more readily transfer from nonporous materials like the glass screen on your phone to fingers, but the virus won’t always survive as long on a glass surface compared to a sweater.</p>
<p>Environmental conditions such as <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC201876/">temperature and humidity also influence the viability of a pathogen in the environment</a>.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/320291/original/file-20200312-111268-3h808r.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/320291/original/file-20200312-111268-3h808r.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/320291/original/file-20200312-111268-3h808r.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/320291/original/file-20200312-111268-3h808r.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/320291/original/file-20200312-111268-3h808r.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/320291/original/file-20200312-111268-3h808r.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/320291/original/file-20200312-111268-3h808r.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/320291/original/file-20200312-111268-3h808r.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Most viruses will eventually die on their own. But cleaning with alcohol, bleach and other chemicals can kill them more quickly.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="http://www.apimages.com/metadata/Index/Ukraine-Virus-Outbreak/6b99329a97094a578d3b689b6f5d9924/20/0">AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Persistent bugs and how to get rid of them</h2>
<p>It’s nearly impossible to keep anything in the real world virus-free, but during outbreaks like this one it’s a good idea to try to minimize the number of viruses on fomites around you. Some people are practically bathing in hand sanitizer and wiping down everything they touch with disinfectant. But whether this works depends on what virus you are hoping to kill.</p>
<p>Norovirus, for example, is notoriously hardy. After an outbreak on a cruise ship in 2002, the next group of passengers got sick <a href="https://dx.doi.org/10.3201%2Feid1101.040434">more than a week later after a thorough cleaning of the ship</a>. Many standard cleaners like alcohol or Lysol do not kill norovirus. It takes something as strong as chlorine bleach to get the job done. </p>
<p>In contrast to norovirus, <a href="https://dx.doi.org/10.1128%2FAEM.02051-06">influenza is much less persistent in the environment</a>. While influenza is often lurking in daycare centers during flu season, it typically lasts on surfaces only for hours or a few days. And if you wanted to clean off your phone or countertop, simply wiping it down with an alcohol-based product or ammonia is effective.</p>
<p>While virologists don’t know much about how tough the current coronavirus is, past coronaviruses have fallen somewhere between norovirus and the flu. Like influenza, Lysol will likely kill the coronavirus.</p>
<p>But you don’t necessarily need to kill the virus to make yourself safer. Removing the virus can be just as effective and simply <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/handwashing/show-me-the-science-hand-sanitizer.html">washing often-used objects or your hands with soap can do that</a>.</p>
<p>If you have been in crowded areas or want to be extra careful, washing your hands with soap for 20 seconds will effectively remove germs, and disinfecting tabletops and gym equipment with ammonia will effectively kill most germs.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/320289/original/file-20200312-111237-38wj0i.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/320289/original/file-20200312-111237-38wj0i.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/320289/original/file-20200312-111237-38wj0i.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/320289/original/file-20200312-111237-38wj0i.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/320289/original/file-20200312-111237-38wj0i.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/320289/original/file-20200312-111237-38wj0i.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/320289/original/file-20200312-111237-38wj0i.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/320289/original/file-20200312-111237-38wj0i.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Viruses are on everything. How you behave around them matters.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/asian-woman-with-protective-face-mask-using-royalty-free-image/1203348066?adppopup=true">d3sign/Moment via Getty Images</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>What can you do in a world with viruses everywhere?</h2>
<p>During the coronavirus pandemic, it is important to clean the objects you touch frequently, like keyboards, tabletops and gym equipment.</p>
<p>But while fomites are known to be the culprits in many outbreaks, an individual’s risk depends on a lot of factors. Someone who touches contaminated surfaces frequently, like a health care worker, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/03/15/business/economy/coronavirus-worker-risk.html">is more likely to get sick than someone who doesn’t</a>. Risk also depends on personal habits, such as how often one touches their eyes, nose and mouth. And for most infectious diseases, whether someone gets sick and the severity of the illness depends on age and underlying health conditions.</p>
<p>Cleaning objects frequently with a disinfectant is the best way to mitigate the risk of transmission from everyday objects. Hand-washing is also important, especially if done reliably right after coming home from a public place.</p>
<p>Given that germs are ubiquitous, it’s easy to become germ-phobic and strive for a sterile environment. But keep in mind that while basic precautions are important, germs will always find a way to exploit our human environment. You can and should minimize risk, but germs are here to stay. </p>
<p>[<em>You’re smart and curious about the world. So are The Conversation’s authors and editors.</em> <a href="https://theconversation.com/us/newsletters?utm_source=TCUS&utm_medium=inline-link&utm_campaign=newsletter-text&utm_content=youresmart">You can read us daily by subscribing to our newsletter</a>.]</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/133054/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Joseph Eisenberg does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>The coronavirus, like many infectious diseases, can live and spread on inanimate objects in the world around us. An epidemiologist explains how and gives some advice on how to minimize the risk.Joseph Eisenberg, Professor and Chair of Epidemiology, University of MichiganLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1288382020-01-03T13:49:14Z2020-01-03T13:49:14ZBuyers should beware of organic labels on nonfood products<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/308336/original/file-20200101-11951-6ipelk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=71%2C44%2C5910%2C2389&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Be skeptical of organic claims on cleaning products and other nonfood goods.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/eco-blank-design-packaging-natural-bottles-1432036151">Pinkasevich/Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Product labels offer valuable information to consumers, but <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/amazon-has-ceded-control-of-its-site-the-result-thousands-of-banned-unsafe-or-mislabeled-products-11566564990">manufacturers can misuse them</a> to increase profits. This is particularly true for the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s <a href="https://www.ams.usda.gov/rules-regulations/organic/labeling">organic label</a>. </p>
<p>Two recent decisions by the <a href="https://www.ftc.gov/">U.S. Federal Trade Commission</a>, which protects consumers from unfair and deceptive business practices, signal that the agency is paying more attention to misuse of the word “organic” on nonfood items, such as clothing and personal care products. In my <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=nvnsqIoAAAAJ&hl=en">research on food and environmental policy</a>, I have found that federal authority in this area is less clear than it is for food products. In my view, the FTC’s interest is long overdue.</p>
<h2>The rules are mostly for foods</h2>
<figure class="align-right zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/308335/original/file-20200101-11909-111h1xh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/308335/original/file-20200101-11909-111h1xh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/308335/original/file-20200101-11909-111h1xh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/308335/original/file-20200101-11909-111h1xh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/308335/original/file-20200101-11909-111h1xh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/308335/original/file-20200101-11909-111h1xh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/308335/original/file-20200101-11909-111h1xh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/308335/original/file-20200101-11909-111h1xh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The USDA organic seal.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.ams.usda.gov/sites/default/files/media/Organic4colorsealJPG.jpg">USDA</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Unlike other marketing claims such as “healthy” or “natural,” “organic” is defined and regulated by the federal government. Organic food products undergo a rigorous certification process to comply with the <a href="https://www.ams.usda.gov/about-ams/programs-offices/national-organic-program">National Organic Program</a>, or NOP, which is administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. </p>
<p>Only agricultural products that contain at least 95% certified organic ingredients meet these standards and can display the USDA organic seal or use the phrase “made with organic products.” USDA organic certification is considered the gold standard among food labels, and has significant cachet in the marketplace. In 2018 the U.S. organic food market was <a href="https://ota.com/news/press-releases/20699">valued at US$49.9 billion</a> and accounted for <a href="https://ota.com/news/press-releases/20699">almost 6% of nationwide food sales</a>.</p>
<p>All sorts of nonfood products also make organic claims, including textiles, household cleaners, personal care products and services such as house cleaning and dry cleaning. Nonfood products are a much smaller market, but their sales jumped by 10.6% to <a href="https://ota.com/news/press-releases/20699">$4.6 billion</a> in 2018. While they may appear to promote healthy lifestyles, the word “organic” is less meaningful when used on nonfood products and more subject to abuse.</p>
<h2>Organic nonfood products with agricultural ingredients</h2>
<p>While the NOP regulates organic claims for agricultural food products, its authority over nonfood products is limited. Textiles, for example, are made from agricultural products like cotton, wool or flax. Textiles made from agricultural ingredients that are “produced in full compliance with the NOP regulations” <a href="https://www.ftc.gov/system/files/documents/public_events/975753/nop-pm-11-14-labelingoftextiles.pdf">may be labeled as NOP certified organic</a>. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/308334/original/file-20200101-11939-at3xxn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/308334/original/file-20200101-11939-at3xxn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/308334/original/file-20200101-11939-at3xxn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/308334/original/file-20200101-11939-at3xxn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/308334/original/file-20200101-11939-at3xxn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/308334/original/file-20200101-11939-at3xxn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/308334/original/file-20200101-11939-at3xxn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/308334/original/file-20200101-11939-at3xxn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">USDA regulates organic claims for goods made with plant materials such as cotton.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://flic.kr/p/ajWAz">Scoobyfoo/Flickr</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/">CC BY-NC-ND</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Personal care products can also be made from agricultural ingredients, such as flower or fruit extracts and oils. USDA allows personal care products that contain agricultural ingredients and meet the USDA/NOP organic standards to be <a href="https://www.ftc.gov/system/files/documents/public_events/975753/nop_organiccosmeticsfactsheet.pdf">certified organic</a>. As a result, you can find mosquito repellent, shampoo and face cream bearing the USDA certified organic seal.</p>
<h2>Consumer confusion</h2>
<p>Beyond these limited categories, products with non-agricultural ingredients <a href="https://www.ftc.gov/system/files/documents/public_events/975753/consumer_perception_of_recycled_content_and_organic_2016-08-10_-_published_on_ftc-gov.pdf">do not generally fall within the NOP program</a>, and the USDA does not regulate them. For example, the agency has no authority over cosmetics that do not contain agricultural ingredients or meet NOP organic standards. Cosmetics are regulated by the Food and Drug Administration, which has expressed little interest in policing organic claims. </p>
<p>The Federal Trade Commission can investigate and sue companies making false, misleading or deceptive organic claims, but until recently it has been <a href="https://www.ota.com/news/press-releases/19336">reluctant to do so</a>, partly to avoid duplicating the USDA’s efforts. This began to change in 2015 when the two agencies conducted a study on public understanding of organic claims for nonfood products. They found that consumers were confused about whether these claims meant the same thing as claims on food products, and did not understand that USDA had <a href="https://www.ota.com/news/press-releases/19336">limited authority</a> in this area. </p>
<p>When the agencies co-hosted a <a href="https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/events-calendar/2016/10/consumer-perceptions-organic-claims-ftc-usda-roundtable">roundtable in 2016</a> on this issue and solicited public input, they received <a href="https://www.ftc.gov/policy/public-comments/2016/08/initiative-669">hundreds of comments</a> from individuals, trade associations and other interested groups. One individual wrote: </p>
<blockquote>
<p>“I am deeply concerned about the flagrant misuse of the term "organic” in the personal care products industry. The term “organic” should mean the same thing whether applied to personal care products or to food. I am also very troubled that companies that deliberately mislabel their products <a href="https://www.ftc.gov/policy/public-comments/2016/09/26/comment-14">seem to go unpunished</a>.“</p>
</blockquote>
<p>The nonprofit <a href="https://www.cornucopia.org/">Cornucopia Institute</a>, which acts as an organic industry watchdog, submitted results of a survey it conducted about the word organic. One question asked consumers whether a shampoo labeled organic was certified by the USDA. Approximately 27% of respondents said yes, 55% said no and <a href="https://www.ftc.gov/system/files/documents/public_comments/2016/10/00028-129259.pdf">the rest were unsure</a>. </p>
<p>The Institute urged the FTC to "harmonize label regulation
with the [NOP organic] standards in a simple way: Prevent the term ‘organic’ from being used on products and services that generally fall <a href="https://www.ftc.gov/system/files/documents/public_comments/2016/10/00028-129260.pdf">outside the scope of the USDA’s National Organic Program</a>.” </p>
<p>In my view, this is unlikely to happen. But one useful step would be for the FTC to include information about organic claims in its <a href="https://www.ftc.gov/sites/default/files/attachments/press-releases/ftc-issues-revised-green-guides/greenguides.pdf">Green Guide</a>, which is designed to help marketers avoid making misleading or deceptive environmental claims. </p>
<h2>Recent violations</h2>
<p>In 2017 the FTC stepped in for the first time to investigate deceptive organic claims on baby mattresses. According to a consent order filed with the agency, Moonlight Slumber, LLC made <a href="https://www.ftc.gov/system/files/documents/cases/1623128moonlightslumberorder.pdf">unsubstantiated representations</a> on its mattresses, including that the mattresses were “organic.” In fact, the company’s products were made of <a href="https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/press-releases/2017/09/illinois-firm-barred-making-misleading-baby-mattress-claims">a majority of non-organic materials</a>, mainly polyurethane, a plastic produced almost entirely from <a href="https://www.ftc.gov/system/files/documents/cases/1623128moonlightslumbercomplaint.pdf">petroleum-based raw materials</a>. </p>
<p>In October 2019 the FTC fined another company, Truly Organic, $1.76 million for falsely advertising its body washes, lotions, baby, hair care, bath and cleaning products as “<a href="https://www.natlawreview.com/article/truly-organic-not-really-says-ftc">certified organic,” “USDA certified organic,” and “Truly Organic</a>.” Despite having some ingredients that could be organically sourced, Truly Organic products either contained ingredients that were not approved by NOP or contained ingredients that were not organically sourced. </p>
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<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/s6RMs7nDJhs?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">The FTC charged Truly Organic with altering documents to make it appear that the company’s products were USDA-certified organic.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Nonetheless, the market for natural and organic personal care products continues to grow, as evidenced by the popularity of celebrity brands like Gwyneth Paltrow’s <a href="https://goop.com/">Goop</a> and Jessica Alba’s <a href="https://www.honest.com/">Honest Company</a>. Demand for this category of goods is projected to reach <a href="https://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2018/11/16/p-gs-gillette-going-natural-with-pure-shave-gel.html">$17.6 billion by 2021</a>. </p>
<p>Consumers want clean, chemical-free and organic products, but they don’t always get them. Many personal care companies have been cited for <a href="https://www.ewg.org/news-and-analysis/2018/01/natural-or-organic-cosmetics-don-t-trust-marketing-claims">misleading claims</a>. As examples, <a href="https://www.npr.org/2018/09/07/645665387/gwyneth-paltrows-goop-agrees-to-pay-145-000-to-settle-false-advertising-lawsuit">Goop</a> and the <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-honest-alba-settlement-idUSKBN18X2Y4">Honest Company</a> have settled lawsuits that accused them respectively of making misleading health claims and false advertising. </p>
<p>Instead of relying on consumers to bring these claims to court, I believe regulators should be more engaged, particularly the FTC. Without effective oversight, unscrupulous retailers have an incentive to continue cashing in on the organic seal.</p>
<p>[ <em>You’re smart and curious about the world. So are The Conversation’s authors and editors.</em> <a href="https://theconversation.com/us/newsletters/weekly-highlights-61?utm_source=TCUS&utm_medium=inline-link&utm_campaign=newsletter-text&utm_content=weeklysmart">You can get our highlights each weekend</a>. ]</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/128838/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Sarah Morath is a board member of the Citizens Environmental Coalition, a Houston non-profit whose mission is to foster dialogue, education, and collaboration on environmental issues in the Houston/Gulf Coast region. </span></em></p>What does it mean to call a nonfood product like lipstick organic? Federal regulators allow such claims, but have set few standards defining them.Sarah J. Morath, Clinical Associate Professor of Law and Director of Lawyering Skills and Strategies, University of HoustonLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1221852019-09-02T02:00:36Z2019-09-02T02:00:36ZHow clean is your hospital room? To reduce the spread of infections, it could probably be cleaner<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/288847/original/file-20190821-170941-1l7zzzz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=31%2C7%2C5246%2C3505&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Hospital cleaning is an important way to prevent the spread of infections.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">From shutterstock.com</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Imagine you need to go into hospital. First, you are likely to be seen in the emergency department, and then moved to a ward room for further treatment and recovery. </p>
<p>Unknown to you, the last patient in your room had an infection caused by a multi-drug resistant pathogen (bug) – meaning the standard antibiotics can’t fight it.</p>
<p>Unfortunately, <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26365827">research suggests</a> if you are admitted to a room where the last patient had this kind of infection, you are significantly more likely to be infected by that same pathogen than if you were admitted to a room where the last patient wasn’t infected. </p>
<p>The consequences of a hospital infection can be serious, including a much longer stay in hospital and even death.</p>
<p>However, transferring the pathogen from patient to room to patient is less likely when the room is thoroughly cleaned.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/1-in-10-patients-are-infected-in-hospital-and-its-not-always-with-what-you-think-120095">1 in 10 patients are infected in hospital, and it's not always with what you think</a>
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<p>All Australian hospitals employ cleaning staff who play an important role in patient safety. But some of this cleaning could be more effective.</p>
<p>Our research team developed a “bundle” of <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jmii.2015.02.112">evidence-based</a> hospital cleaning initiatives, and trialled this across 11 Australian hospitals. </p>
<p>We found it <a href="https://www.thelancet.com/journals/laninf/article/PIIS1473-3099(18)30714-X/fulltext">reduced the incidence of hospital-acquired infections</a>. And in a paper <a href="https://academic.oup.com/cid/advance-article/doi/10.1093/cid/ciz717/5540717">recently published</a>, we estimate implementing this bundle across the 11 hospitals saved more than A$1 million in health-care costs.</p>
<h2>Reducing infection risk</h2>
<p>Infections during a hospital stay affect <a href="https://theconversation.com/1-in-10-patients-are-infected-in-hospital-and-its-not-always-with-what-you-think-120095">one in ten patients</a>.
Hospital staff are aware of the dangers of infections, and reduce the risks by keeping their hands clean. </p>
<p>But staff and visitors can still transfer pathogens to patients, because these pathogens can remain dormant (but still alive) on surfaces for a long time. Some pathogens can survive in hospitals for days, or even months. </p>
<p>We can break the cycle of infection by creating cleaner hospitals with fewer dormant pathogens.</p>
<p>Hospital-grade cleaning products kill or remove common pathogens. But the product used is just one element of cleaning – the right technique is also important. Technique includes using the product according to the instructions, not contaminating already clean areas, using sufficient pressure to clean, and cleaning in the right spots.</p>
<p>Frequently touched surfaces such as light switches, emergency call-bells and bed rails are commonly contaminated with pathogens. These surfaces require extra cleaning.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/explainer-what-are-superbugs-and-how-can-we-control-them-44364">Explainer: what are superbugs and how can we control them?</a>
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<p>How frequently cleaning needs to occur in hospitals and the best methods to use are disputed. Decisions are complicated because you can’t see the bugs with the naked eye. </p>
<p>In Australia, there is considerable <a href="https://www.idhjournal.com.au/article/S2468-0451(17)30080-9/fulltext">variation in approaches to hospital cleaning</a> including in the use of cleaning products, the type of auditing used to check cleaning, and the training cleaning staff receive.</p>
<h2>A cleaning ‘bundle’</h2>
<p>Our research team developed a “bundle” of hospital cleaning initiatives based on expert opinion and <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jmii.2015.02.112">scientific evidence</a>. This included the use of a fluorescent gel, training and feedback to cleaning staff. </p>
<p>The fluorescent gel is invisible to the naked eye, but visible under a UV light. The gel is applied to surfaces before cleaning, and auditors can use the UV light to determine whether a surface was thoroughly cleaned.</p>
<p>After cleaning, if it’s been done properly, the gel should no longer be visible. <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18851687">Research has shown</a> this approach, when combined with constructive feedback to cleaning staff, can greatly improve cleaning.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/288849/original/file-20190821-170906-agvn5r.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/288849/original/file-20190821-170906-agvn5r.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/288849/original/file-20190821-170906-agvn5r.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/288849/original/file-20190821-170906-agvn5r.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/288849/original/file-20190821-170906-agvn5r.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/288849/original/file-20190821-170906-agvn5r.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/288849/original/file-20190821-170906-agvn5r.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Although a room may look clean, it doesn’t mean bugs aren’t lurking.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">From shutterstock.com</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>We applied our cleaning bundle in 11 Australian hospitals and examined cleaning performance and infection rates before and after the change to cleaning. Our approach <a href="https://www.thelancet.com/journals/laninf/article/PIIS1473-3099(18)30714-X/fulltext">reduced the risk</a> of an important drug-resistant bacteria (vancomycin-resistant enterococci) by 37%. </p>
<p>We also saw an improvement in cleaning success, measured by how often the florescent gel was removed after cleaning. Effective cleaning of frequently touched surfaces in patients’ rooms improved from 64% at the start of the trial to 84% at the end.</p>
<h2>Investing in cleaners and cleaning</h2>
<p>Spending money on improvements to cleaning practice should be given the same consideration as expensive new machines or new drugs. Improving cleaning reduces the risk of infection, which in turn saves lives, means fewer longer stays in hospital and the intensive care unit, and saves money. </p>
<p>We estimate the infections prevented by the cleaning “bundle” saved <a href="https://academic.oup.com/cid/advance-article/doi/10.1093/cid/ciz717/5540717">more than A$1 million in health benefits across the 11 hospitals</a> by reducing treatment costs and length of hospital stays. </p>
<p>Of course, cleaning is not the only answer to dealing with hospital-acquired infections. Hand hygiene, identifying and isolating patients with certain infections, and correct insertion and maintenance of devices such as urinary catheters and drips are all important ways to reduce the spread of infections. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/infections-complications-and-safety-breaches-why-patients-need-better-data-on-how-hospitals-compare-86748">Infections, complications and safety breaches: why patients need better data on how hospitals compare</a>
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<p>While the risk of infection for patients will never be zero, <a href="https://www.ajicjournal.org/article/S0196-6553(18)30076-2/fulltext">cleaning staff play an important role</a> in patient safety. Yet they often go unrecognised. </p>
<p>Next time you visit a hospital, why not thank a member of the cleaning team for their role in reducing your risk of infection.</p>
<p>And patients should remember it’s more difficult to clean when tables, chairs and rooms are full of items. So reducing clutter will make it easier for cleaning staff to do their job.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/122185/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Brett Mitchell has received funding from the National Health and Medical Research Council (Australia), the HCF Foundation, Australasian College for Infection Prevention and Control and industry grants.
The REACH study was funded by the National Health and Medical Research Council (Australia) as a 2014–17 Partnership Project (GNT1076006), led by Queensland University of Technology in conjunction with Wesley Medical Research.
Brett Mitchell is Editor-in-Chief of Infection Disease and Health, an international, peer-reviewed journal. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Adrian Barnett receives funding from the National Health and Medical Research Council (Australia), including for the REACH study which was as a 2014–17 Partnership Project (GNT1076006), led by Queensland University of Technology in conjunction with Wesley Medical Research. </span></em></p>If hospitals are not thoroughly cleaned, patients may be at higher risk of infection. We tested a new approach to hospital cleaning, and found it could reduce infections and save money.Brett Mitchell, Professor of Nursing, University of NewcastleAdrian Barnett, Professor of Statistics, Queensland University of TechnologyLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1187282019-07-02T11:13:27Z2019-07-02T11:13:27ZMen do see the mess – they just aren’t judged for it the way women are<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/281821/original/file-20190628-94704-e2uefb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Does this look messy to you?</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/sale-concept-top-view-vortex-clothes-1373300843?src=VItqnkeMVPMUj9qUfqRYQg-4-44&studio=1">studiovin/Shutterstock.com</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>On a typical day, men spend <a href="https://www.bls.gov/tus/charts/household.htm">a third as much time</a> cleaning as women. </p>
<p>Does that make women beacons of cleanliness, while men are <a href="https://www.miamiherald.com/living/liv-columns-blogs/dave-barry/article1934194.html">genetically unable</a> to see the messiness in their midst?</p>
<p><a href="https://www.harpercollins.com/9780062861443/all-the-rage/">This myth</a> is a <a href="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/women/womens-life/9789921/Sexism-or-ignorance-Men-who-fail-to-do-housework-often-dont-see-the-need.html">common explanation</a> for why men don’t do as much housework as women. Men walk into a room and apparently can’t see the dust bunnies gathering on the floor or the piles of laundry stacked up on the couch. </p>
<p>It <a href="https://us.macmillan.com/tradebooksforcourses/academictrade/9780312311490/whatcouldhebethinking">lets men off the hook</a> for not doing their fair share of the household cleaning. </p>
<p>But in a recent study we show that men aren’t dirt-blind – they can see mess just as well as women. They are simply less severely penalized for not keeping their spaces neat and tidy.</p>
<h2>Chore inequality</h2>
<p>Despite massive gains in <a href="https://www.statista.com/statistics/184272/educational-attainment-of-college-diploma-or-higher-by-gender/">education</a> and <a href="https://www.dol.gov/wb/stats/NEWSTATS/facts/women_lf.htm#CivilianLFSex">employment</a>, women still shoulder a <a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/2675569?seq=1#page_scan_tab_contents">larger share of the housework</a> than men.</p>
<p>Women today spend, on average, roughly an hour and 20 minutes per day cooking, cleaning and doing laundry. About a third of that is just spent cleaning. Men, on the other hand, spend about half an hour performing these duties – and only 10 minutes scrubbing and tidying. </p>
<p>This household chore inequality is evident <a href="https://www.doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-21635-5_2">over time</a>, <a href="https://www.doi.org/10.1086/662649">across professions</a> and even when women <a href="https://doi.org/10.1093/sf/79.1.191">work longer hours</a> and <a href="https://www.doi.org/10.1111/j.1741-3737.2011.00851.x">make more money</a>. Even in Sweden, where government <a href="https://www.perfar.eu/policy/family-children/sweden">policies</a> are strongly geared toward promoting gender equality, women <a href="https://academic.oup.com/esr/article-abstract/23/4/455/483448">do more housework</a>. Swedish women do two times as much daily housework than men even though women are much more likely <a href="https://www.doi.org/10.1177/0961463X15577269">to work full-time</a> than in other countries. </p>
<p>Naturally, the more time spent on chores, the less a woman has to spend on other activities like <a href="https://www.doi.org/10.1007/s13524-018-0647-x">sleep, work and leisure</a>. </p>
<h2>The same mess</h2>
<p>In our study, which was recently published in <a href="https://www.doi.org/10.1177/0049124119852395">Sociological Methods and Research</a>, we asked 327 men and 295 women of various ages and backgrounds to assess a photo of a small living room and kitchen area. </p>
<p>By random assignment, some participants rated a photo of the room looking cluttered – dirty dishes on the counter, clothing strewn about – while others examined a much tidier version of the same room. All participants looked at the one photo they were given and then rated how messy they thought it was and how urgently it needed cleaning.</p>
<p>The first thing we wanted to know was whether men and women respondents rated the rooms differently. Contrary to <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2015/sep/04/if-i-dont-see-it-why-clean-it-oliver-burkeman">popular lore</a>, men and women saw the same mess: They rated the clean room as equally clean and the messy room as equally messy. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/281698/original/file-20190627-76734-13wiqq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/281698/original/file-20190627-76734-13wiqq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/281698/original/file-20190627-76734-13wiqq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/281698/original/file-20190627-76734-13wiqq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/281698/original/file-20190627-76734-13wiqq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/281698/original/file-20190627-76734-13wiqq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/281698/original/file-20190627-76734-13wiqq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">‘Men are lazy’ is a stereotype that lets men off the hook.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/funny-young-man-tired-cleaning-carpet-567105034?src=wARpsOoza_hLM8Fr-v9vrw-1-58&studio=1">Africa Studio/Shutterstock.com</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Differing expectations</h2>
<p>So if “dirt blindness” isn’t to blame, why do women do more housework? </p>
<p>One argument is that social expectations are different for men and women. Women may be judged more harshly for having a less-than-spotless home, and women’s awareness of these expectations may motivate them to do more. </p>
<p>We tested this idea by randomly telling participants that the photo they were looking at depicted either “John’s” or “Jennifer’s” living space. Then we asked them to rate Jennifer’s or John’s character – how responsible, hardworking, neglectful, considerate and likable they were – based on the cleanliness of their home. </p>
<p>We also asked participants to assess the extent to which she or he might be judged negatively by unexpected visitors – extended family, bosses and friends – and how much responsibility they believed Jennifer or John would bear for housework if they were working full-time and living alone, working full-time and married with children, or a married, stay-at-home parent. </p>
<p>This is where things got interesting. Participants rated the photos differently depending on whether they were told that a woman or a man lived there. Notably, respondents held higher standards of cleanliness for Jennifer than they did for John. When they were told the tidy room belonged to Jennifer, participants – regardless of gender – judged it less clean and more likely to inspire disapproving reactions from guests than when the same exact room was John’s. </p>
<h2>We’ve all heard ‘men are lazy’</h2>
<p>Still, we did find that both men and women pay a large penalty for having a cluttered home.</p>
<p>Compared to their tidier counterparts, both Jennifer and John received substantially more negative character ratings and were expected to garner much more negative judgments from visitors. </p>
<p>Interestingly, John’s character was rated more negatively than Jennifer’s for having a messy home, reflecting the common stereotype that men are lazy. Yet participants did not believe John would be any more likely than Jennifer to suffer negative judgment from visitors, which suggests that the “men are lazy” stereotype does not disadvantage them in a socially meaningful way. </p>
<p>Finally, people were more likely to believe that Jennifer would bear primary responsibility for cleaning, and this difference was especially large in the hypothetical scenario in which she or he is a full-time working parent living with a spouse.</p>
<p>That people attribute greater responsibility for housework to women than men, even regardless of their employment situation, suggests that women get penalized more often for clutter than men do.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/281697/original/file-20190627-76722-1reunvn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/281697/original/file-20190627-76722-1reunvn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/281697/original/file-20190627-76722-1reunvn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/281697/original/file-20190627-76722-1reunvn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/281697/original/file-20190627-76722-1reunvn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/281697/original/file-20190627-76722-1reunvn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/281697/original/file-20190627-76722-1reunvn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Women do three times as much cleaning as men.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/attractive-beauty-lady-office-work-using-725715985?src=Pqj21YJx5qUs745BXbOZOg-1-77&studio=1">PR Image Factory/Shutterstock.com</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Judge not</h2>
<p>People hold women to higher standards of cleanliness than men, and hold them more responsible for it. </p>
<p>Some women may internalize or embrace such standards. But for many, it is unlikely a love of cleaning but rather a fear of how mess will be perceived that is the real problem – and one possible reason why many women frantically clean their home before unexpected visitors arrive. </p>
<p>The good news is that, with enough collective willpower, old-fashioned social expectations can be changed. We could start by thinking twice before judging the state of someone’s home, especially our own.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/118728/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Sarah Thebaud has received funding from the National Science Foundation and the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Leah Ruppanner receives funding from the Australian Research Council.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Sabino Kornrich has received funding from the Emory University Research Council.</span></em></p>Dirt blindness is used by some to excuse men for spending a third as much time as women cleaning. A new study shows it’s a myth.Sarah Thebaud, Associate Professor, Sociology, University of California, Santa BarbaraLeah Ruppanner, Associate Professor in Sociology, The University of MelbourneSabino Kornrich, Assistant Professor of Sociology, Emory UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1154432019-04-25T20:13:09Z2019-04-25T20:13:09ZWhat’s the school cleaner’s name? How kids, not just cleaners, are paying the price of outsourcing<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/270592/original/file-20190424-19297-1dn85pe.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">In Victoria in 1992, every government-employed school cleaner was terminated overnight.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">from shutterstock.com</span></span></figcaption></figure><p><em>This is an edited extract from The New Disruptors, the 64th edition of <a href="https://griffithreview.com/">Griffith Review</a>. It is a little longer than most published on The Conversation.</em></p>
<hr>
<p>It is supposed to be a test of character. An A+ student sits down to the final exam of his degree and is surprised to be presented with a piece of paper with a single question: what is the name of the person who cleans this building? </p>
<p>Walter W. Bettinger II, CEO of a finance giant, the Charles Schwab Corporation, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com.au/charles-schwab-ceo-learned-biggest-lesson-of-career-after-failing-a-test-2016-2">told a version of this story </a> to The New York Times last year, describing the test as “the only one I ever failed” and “a great reminder of what really matters in life”.</p>
<p>I recently tried it out on my eight-year-old, a New South Wales public school student, and she flunked too. This result, though, is less to do with her moral qualities, I suspect, than her state of residence. For NSW, it turns out, is one of the harder states for a kid to pass the “what’s the cleaner’s name?” test.</p>
<p>Kath Haddon, a school cleaner in NSW since 1981, remembers when cleaners’ names started to drop from use in her workplace. It was in early 1994, following the Greiner Coalition government’s <a href="https://www.parliament.nsw.gov.au/researchpapers/Documents/Privatisation%20in%20NSW%20-%20a%20timeline%20and%20key%20sources.pdf">decision to dissolve</a> the Government Cleaning Service and tender the work to private companies. </p>
<p>“We went from being employees of the school to being employees of the contractors overnight, and you could physically feel the change,” she says. </p>
<p>She stopped being invited to meetings about school health and safety – that was now the contractors’ job – and face-to-face conversations with the school principal ceased. Instructions were now delivered via a bureaucratic maze of faxes, phone calls, logbook entries and area manager site visits. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/270629/original/file-20190424-19289-cu48e.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/270629/original/file-20190424-19289-cu48e.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/270629/original/file-20190424-19289-cu48e.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/270629/original/file-20190424-19289-cu48e.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/270629/original/file-20190424-19289-cu48e.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/270629/original/file-20190424-19289-cu48e.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/270629/original/file-20190424-19289-cu48e.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/270629/original/file-20190424-19289-cu48e.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Only in some states do children know their cleaner’s name.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">from shutterstock.com</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Passing the “name the cleaner” test is far easier for kids in Tasmania, where cleaners have remained direct employees of the school. In fact, when I spoke to Tasmanian school cleaner Robert Terry about what his job was like, the theme of name-remembering was one of the first subjects to come up.</p>
<p>“I can barely step onto school grounds without hearing ‘Robbo this, Robbo that!’,” he laughs. He has been cleaning primary schools since the 1970s and sees remembering names as a crucial dimension to his work. </p>
<p>“At the start of the year I look at the whole group and pick out the really shy ones, the ones looking like they are left out or the ones who are in trouble,” he twinkles.</p>
<p>“I stand at the front and tell them, ‘I’m Robbo, I’m the cleaner here, don’t worry about what the teacher says, do what I say!’ ” </p>
<p>One kindergarten boy, Julian (not his real name), spent much of first term hiding under his desk, refusing to speak. Robert made great play of walking past him with his drill, an object of fascination to the boy. </p>
<p>He would carry the drill into Julian’s classroom, across his line of sight as he crouched beneath the desk and put a screw in the wall. The next day he did the same, taking the same screw out of the wall. </p>
<p>He repeated the pattern every day until the boy eventually came out from under the desk and allowed him to roll a ball up and down the corridor with him.</p>
<p>A week later, the teacher later got in touch to say that the boy had at last spoken. His first word? Robbo.</p>
<h2>A neoliberal experiment</h2>
<p>How did we get to be a nation where cleaners’ names ring out across a playground in some states and not others? This peculiar phenomenon is the outcome of an experiment in neoliberal design that was never planned: the privatisation of school cleaning in <a href="https://www.parliament.nsw.gov.au/researchpapers/Documents/Privatisation%20in%20NSW%20-%20a%20timeline%20and%20key%20sources.pdf">some states</a> and territories (<a href="https://www.parliament.nsw.gov.au/researchpapers/Documents/Privatisation%20in%20NSW%20-%20a%20timeline%20and%20key%20sources.pdf">NSW</a>, Victoria, Australian Capital Territory, Northern Territory, Western Australia and South Australia) and not in others (Tasmania and Queensland) in the 1990s.</p>
<p>Some states have since reversed, wholly or partially, the system (<a href="http://www.parliament.wa.gov.au/Hansard%5Chansard.nsf/0/9f4ecd3a6fbce11c482577120022c5d4/$FILE/A38%20S1%2020100421%20p1965b-1968a.pdf">WA</a>, ACT and <a href="https://www.incleanmag.com.au/victorian-school-cleaning-reforms-take-effect/">Victoria</a>), but at 20 years’ distance the story of Australia’s patchwork system of public and privately contracted school cleaning can tell us much about what happens in the long run when the maintenance of school space is transformed from a public service to a private for-profit affair.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/270641/original/file-20190424-19283-1xh5b5o.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/270641/original/file-20190424-19283-1xh5b5o.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/270641/original/file-20190424-19283-1xh5b5o.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/270641/original/file-20190424-19283-1xh5b5o.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/270641/original/file-20190424-19283-1xh5b5o.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/270641/original/file-20190424-19283-1xh5b5o.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/270641/original/file-20190424-19283-1xh5b5o.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/270641/original/file-20190424-19283-1xh5b5o.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Outsourcing cleaners has had the unlikely consequence of alienating children from the consequences of some of their actions.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">from shutterstock.com</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The Victorian case was the first and most dramatic. In 1992, the Kennett government, acting on the professed urge to liberate Victorians from “<a href="https://www.parliament.vic.gov.au/images/stories/volume-hansard/smaller/Hansard%2051%20LA%20V404%20Aug-Oct1991/VicHansard_19910828_19910829.pdf">sterile bureaucracy</a>”, terminated every government-employed school cleaner overnight. </p>
<p>Every school principal was now expected to act like the director of a standalone business. At the same time, the total school cleaning budget was slashed to less than half. Leaflets about “how to get an ABN” were thrust into cleaners’ hands, from which they learnt that, as contractors, their minimum pay (then around A$9 an hour) would fall to precisely zero.</p>
<p>Paperwork proliferated as more than 700 <a href="https://www.sbs.com.au/news/rubbish-pay-for-vic-state-school-cleaners">new cleaning companies</a> were established, each one required to bid for individual contracts with 1,750 schools. </p>
<p>School principals, most of whom had little business experience, became overwhelmed with a new set of obligations and tended to choose the cheapest tender for each contract. A system that entrenched the cutting of corners, underquoting, exploitation and spooling bureaucracy was born.</p>
<p>Schools that once had seven cleaners were suddenly cleaned by two. Principals unblocked toilets during the day while teachers cleaned schoolyards. Parents organised working bees to clean pavements and water troughs, which had been excised from the cleaning contracts.</p>
<p>Cleaners bought supplies with their own money, snipped sponges in half to make them go further and took dirty mops home to clean on their own time. </p>
<p>In 2017, the workers’ union <a href="https://www.incleanmag.com.au/united-voice-reveals-wage-theft-victorian-schools/">United Voice found</a> one cleaner working in a Victorian public school for just A$2.70 an hour.</p>
<p>In NSW, change was slower, with contracts created for just three large cleaning companies, rather than hundreds of small owner-operators, and cleaner numbers falling through attrition, rather than slashed budgets. </p>
<h2>Who are the winners?</h2>
<p>The losers from privatised school cleaning aren’t very visible. </p>
<p>They are the children, who miss out on the chance to confide in a trusted adult outside the disciplinary teaching hierarchy, someone who is looking out for them when things get difficult, whether that is in school or after hours. </p>
<p>These children do not get the chance to put a name and a face to the person who cleans up their mess, and so to think more carefully about the consequences of their actions. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/270642/original/file-20190424-19280-thap75.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/270642/original/file-20190424-19280-thap75.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/270642/original/file-20190424-19280-thap75.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/270642/original/file-20190424-19280-thap75.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/270642/original/file-20190424-19280-thap75.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/270642/original/file-20190424-19280-thap75.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/270642/original/file-20190424-19280-thap75.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/270642/original/file-20190424-19280-thap75.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Who is really paying the cost of outsourcing cleaners?</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">from shutterstock.com</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>They are the teachers, who have one less resource to draw upon to de-escalate conflict in the classroom. Who do not have the option of sending a potentially disruptive student out to help the cleaner run errands, or to a groundsperson to do some planting, rather than straight to the principal’s office.</p>
<p>They are also the cleaners themselves, most of whom are forced to work in conditions that do not allow them the time and opportunity to do their jobs as well as they would wish to do them, or to know the students they serve. </p>
<p>Who receive wages that give them no possibility of living in, or even remotely close to, the communities they clean. Who must drive for two or more hours in the dark to get to work in the morning, and then sleep in the car between shifts. Who may miss out on the chance to buy a house or have a family of their own. </p>
<p>The winners from the system aren’t easy to spot either. They are the bureaucrats with careers staked to the implementation of a “hollowed out” vision of government. They are the fund managers and shareholders who benefit from adjustments to the balance sheets of multinationals. </p>
<p>They are the executives of the multinationals themselves, such as Rafael del Pino y Calvo Sotelo – executive director of the Spanish multinational Ferrovial, which holds the cleaning contract for a portion of NSW schools – whose <a href="https://www.ferrovial.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/Integrated-Annual-Report-2017-3.pdf">annual remuneration in 2017</a> was more than A$8 million.</p>
<p>The question of how to employ school cleaners is fundamentally not an economic one. It cannot be answered without addressing the more foundational question of what, in essence, a public school is for. </p>
<p>Is it a site for the inculcation of literacy and numeracy skills on the cheapest possible basis? If so, why should marketisation stop with the cleaning staff? Why not tender out the services of teacher aides, administrative staff, teachers themselves? </p>
<p>Further cost savings could be made by incentivising students to stay home and teach themselves using Wikipedia, Siri and a handful of apps. Such “innovation” would surely generate enormous “savings” for the public purse.</p>
<p>We wince at such suggestions because at primary school we want our kids to learn more than reading and writing.</p>
<p>But when my daughter makes a mess at school and it is left to be cleaned up by a person in the early hours of the next morning, whose name she does not know, who are we letting down?</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/115443/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Frances Flanagan does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Public schools in some states outsourced their cleaning services to private companies as part of a neoliberal experiment starting in the 1990s. This has had a host of impacts, including on students.Frances Flanagan, Researcher, Discipline of Work and Organisational Studies, University of SydneyLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.