Forget dusting... keep germs at bay by scrubbing your doorknobs!

AFTER vacuuming the house from top to bottom, washing the dishes and cleaning the bath, you might feel that the weekly chores are done.

But before you put your feet up – have you remembered to scrub the doorknobs and light switches?

It may sound unlikely, but these ‘forgotten’ surfaces can pass on bugs like norovirus and the flu, scientists warn.

And cleaning them once a week could help your family cut down on coughs and colds.

There’s also good news for those less-than perfect housewives – as the scientists also say that vacuuming floors and washing bedsheets are not as vital for preventing germs in the home.

Illnesses such as cold and flu are well known to spread through coughs and sneezes. However, germs can also be spread by someone touching an infected surface at home and then their eyes – as the virus passes through the mucus mem- brane. The experts’ advice, which is to ‘identify critical points for transmitting infection’ is reported in today’s New Scientist magazine.

Dr Sally Bloomfield, a microbiologist and honorary professor at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, said: ‘I think people forget to clean doorknobs and light switches because we focus on getting rid of visible dirt.

‘Someone suffering from norovirus, for example, could have thousands of particles on their hands. Their hands may look perfectly clean and the door handle may look perfectly clean, but there are more than enough particles to infect the next person who opens the door and touches their mouth.’

However, advice from experts is not to become paranoid about cleaning, but to practise ‘targeted hygiene’. This means focusing on three areas for cleaning: door handles which are touched frequently, light switches when the light is turned off, and bathrooms, as they all carry high levels of bacteria.

It also means cleaning at the right time, for example after preparing food, before eating and after using the toilet.

You can also relax about other tasks such as vacuuming and dusting. Dr Bloomfield added: ‘For vacuuming, once a week is the rule of thumb, but if you were not to hoover for a couple of weeks it wouldn’t matter in terms of health.’

Dr Lisa Acklerley, food safety adviser at the British Hospitality Association, said: ‘It is the time of year when people are saying to me, soand-so has given me this cold or flu.

‘But actually you have got a bit of responsibility too and you have probably infected yourself rather than being infected by the other person.

‘That person will have spread the virus on surfaces like doorknobs and all over the place, but it has got into you probably through your hands.’