Kids mean many things, and one of those is ‘more cleaning’.
They can’t help it. Under a certain age they have tiny little immune systems you need to mindful of.
Above a certain age and, well, they just get really dirty sometimes.
So many a parent will have a veritable arsenal of cleaning products to deal with spillages, stains, sticky work surfaces, smudges, smears and the general detritus of childhood.
But at least two of the products aren’t doing much good, according to Dr Clare Lanyon, a biomedical scientist.
What to ditch.
According to Dr Lanyon, a scientist at Northumbria University, antibacterial wipes are a complete waste of money.
The same applies to antibacterial sprays too.
The reason being, Dr Lanyon explains, is bacteria can multiply in as little as 20 minutes.
“Some bacteria can divide every 20 minutes so it doesn’t take long for one cell to become one million cells i in fact it would only take around 6.6 hours,” Dr Lanyon told The Telegraph .
So what should we be using instead?
The solution is pretty simple.
“Our research found that a lot of antibacterial cleaning products were not as effective as good old fashioned soap and water,” Dr Lanyon explained.
Soap is a more effective cleaning agent to antibacterial wipes and sprays because it often has more ingredients that can break down the cell walls in bacteria.
Dr Lanyon conducted a recent experiment where she found a “dramatic growth” of bacteria just 12 hours after cleaning a kitchen using the wipes.
