Antibacterial wipes are used to kill 99 percent of germs in places such as daycare centers, fitness centers, hospitals, kitchen countertops, schools, and around the office.
However, a doctor says disinfecting wipes are now spreading harmful bacteria instead of killing it.
Antibacterial Wipes Are A Rip-Off
In Trust Me, I'm a Doctor, TV doctor Michael Mosley wanted to do an experiment to see if antibacterial wipes really do cleanup 99 percent of bacteria on kitchen countertops. Mosley asked three families to use antibacterial wipes to clean the removable kitchen counters, similar to how they would at home.
An hour later, Mosley discovered the kitchen countertops had harmful bacteria that can cause food poisoning. Anyone who's had food poisoning, knows just how bad the symptoms can get, including stomach cramps, diarrhea, nausea, or vomiting.
Most of the time, food poisoning symptoms are tolerable; however, some people end up going to the emergency room from severe symptoms. They can last anywhere from a few hours to several days.
After 12 hours, the Trust Me, I'm a Doctor team found multiple types of bacteria on the kitchen countertops.
Where does all of the bacteria come from?
"The whole environment is absolutely teeming with microorganisms of life. They are from our bodies, they are from the air around us, the little bits of skin that come off the forearm, or dust that just lands on the surface, and they carry bacteria and fungus with them," said Dr. Lynn Dover, a Microbial physiologist from Northumbria University in New England.
Avoid Getting Sick From Harmful Bacteria
To avoid getting sick from harmful bacteria, Dr. Mosley suggested using sponges when cleaning kitchen countertops. It's best to soak the sponge in hot soapy water in order to remove harmful bacteria. In addition, he recommended soaking the sponges in bleach at least once a week to get rid of any bacteria.
This isn't the first experiment researchers have done to see how well disinfecting wipes clean up germs.
Researchers from Cardiff University in Wales used three different antibacterial wipes to clean surfaces that were contaminated by Staphylococcus aureus, a bacteria known to cause various types of illnesses.
The researchers have found that even the dirty wipes with disinfectant still had bacteria on them. When they used the wipes again, they found the wipes just moved the bacteria to a different location.
