Germs are everywhere. What is a germ? A germ is an informal term for bacteria. Bacteria are single-celled organisms, or living begins. They get nutrients from their environment in order to live and grow. Bacteria can make humans and animals very sick. They can causes diseases and illnesses like sore throats, infections, flus, and food poisoning. We cannot see bacteria with our eyes. Instead, they can be seen with microscopes. However, just because you cannot see them does not mean that they are not there. Bacteria are everywhere!
Let’s talk about where bacteria live! Do you have a doormat in front of the door to your house? While doormats are cute and welcoming, they harbor a lot of bacteria. Think of all of the places your shoes have been. They have been everywhere you walked: school, restrooms, stores, and parking lots. Imagine how many germs your shoes have collected! Then you wipe your shoes on your doormat. While you might be lowering the amount of bacteria on your shoes, the doormat is filling with bacteria. Then you (and others) step on the doormat before walking into the house. Thus, germs are carried into the home! Remember, just because we can’t see these organisms does not mean that they aren’t there. Another common area where bacteria grow is on door handles. Everyone needs to touch door knobs to enter and exit buildings or rooms. However, not everyone disinfects their hands before touching the handle. When the next person touches the door handle, new germs are left on the door knob, and new germs are transferred onto the hand. The same is true with faucets, such as those in bathrooms and on kitchen sinks. Most notably, smartphones and tablets are full of bacteria due to their portability and unwashed hands.
In order to ensure that bacteria (germs) do not come in contact with our bodies and make us ill, we need to sanitize. To sanitize something is to clean and disinfect it. This removes or kills the bacteria. Very hot water, soap, and vinegar will all kill living organisms (the bacteria). There are also sprays that can be used to remove and kill bacteria. The more bacteria that is removed from the surfaces we come into contact with, the less likely we are to suffer from the effects of bad bacteria entering our bodies. Where is one place bacteria can live and grow?