Husbands, boyfriends, fathers and sons now have the perfect excuse
to sit back and let 'the women' do the cleaning. New scientific
research, commissioned by the makers of Zoflora disinfectant, shows
that men's poor cleaning skills may be putting family health at
risk by leaving millions of bacteria behind with high levels of
risk for infection.
Zoflora, commissioned independent laboratory, Kingmoor Technical
Services, to analyse microbiological swabs from various sites
around two typical family homes before and after cleaning and
disinfecting. One home was cleaned by the 'man of the house', the
other by the lady. Both 'cleaners' were given a range of Zoflora disinfectant
and cleaning products and cleaning materials.
The results discovered a huge discrepancy between how
effectively men and women clean. In House A, where the woman
cleaned, six sites were identified before cleaning as having
bacteria levels which could be a risk to health. After cleaning
with Zoflora, all six were made 'safe'. In House B, where the
man cleaned, the same number of sites were identified before
cleaning as having bacteria levels which could be a risk to health.
After cleaning, four sites were still considered to have risky
levels of bacteria, with two named as having 'unacceptable levels'
of bacteria.
|
Woman's cleaning in House A
|
|
Level of risk of
infection
|
|
Swab site
|
Before
|
After cleaning
|
|
Bathroom floor
|
High risk
|
No real risk
|
|
Child's pottie
|
High risk
|
No real risk
|
|
Dog toy
|
High risk
|
No real risk
|
|
Patio Table
|
Medium risk
|
No real risk
|
|
Laptop
|
Medium risk
|
No real risk
|
|
Hall floor
|
Medium risk
|
No real risk
|
|
Man's cleaning in House B
|
|
Level of risk of
infection
|
|
Swab site
|
Before
|
After cleaning
|
|
Kitchen bin lid
|
High risk
|
No real risk
|
|
Kitchen work
surface
|
High risk
|
High risk
|
|
Shower head
|
High risk
|
High risk
|
|
Child's high chair
|
High risk
|
Medium risk
|
|
Hall floor
|
Medium risk
|
No real risk
|
|
Dog's toy
|
Medium risk
|
Medium risk
|
|
The laboratory technicians observed the cleaning, concluding
that the cleaning products and equipment used were very effective
in House A because of the woman's cleaning technique, while the
cleaning methods used by the man in House B were sub-standard.
Previous independent certification shows that Zoflora is effective
at killing 99.9% of bacteria and viruses, including Salmonella,
E-coli, MRSA, Listeria, Influenza, Rotavirus, Respiratory Syncytial
virus (RSV), Herpes Zoster and Herpes Simplex.
Dr Catherine Hood comments: "Bacteria and viruses are all around
us but we can minimise our risk of infection by following simple
hygiene tips. Always wash your hands carefully with soap and water
after going to loo; make sure you store, prepare and cook food
appropriately; and change towels and cleaning cloths frequently.
Make sure an effective disinfectant is part of your cleaning
routine too and look for one that's proven to kill bacteria
and viruses, like Zoflora."
What do you think about these findings? Post your views and
cleaning techniques on the Zoflora Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/LoveZoflora