Keeping the Toilet and Bathroom Clean

Did you know that the toilet is one of the high-humidity areas in the house? Due to the amount of water in the cistern, it is prone to germs breeding there.

Bacteria can be found in the toilet bowl, on the floor, in the flush and even on the door handle. It is important to know that every time you flush the toilet, bacteria is projected up to 1.5m high into the air and covers all the surrounding surfaces. Bacteria can even land on your toothbrush if your toilet is in the bathroom.

Types of bacteria found in the toilet/bathroom

Microorganisms, bacteria, viruses, & pathogens on bathroom surfaces can survive for up to a week or more. Some of the bacteria commonly found in the toilet are listed below :

•    Gastrointestinal viruses that like Norovirus cause stomach ailments in humans and are easily transmitted.

•    Enteric pathogens, are organisms usually spread by contaminated foods but are also carried in faeces.  E. coli, salmonella, shigella, and campylobacter are some examples of these pathogens. An infected person can suffer severe diarrhoea with bloody stools.

•    Skin and respiratory organisms include the staphylococcus aureus (staph) bacteria. They also include the antibiotic-resistant MRSA strain, and Group A Strep, also known as ‘flesh-eating’ bacteria.

•    Dermatophitic fungi causes infections like athlete's foot which is transmitted by walking barefoot in the bathroom.

•    Residual fungi like mould and mildew that can grow in shower areas don't usually cause infection. However, it can aggravate illnesses like asthma and allergies.

Keeping a toilet and bathroom clean as well as practicing good hygiene helps in lowering the risk of infections and preventing illness affecting the aging and unhealthy individuals.

Here are some useful tips and advice to help you maintain a clean toilet and bathroom.

•    A clean bathroom requires daily wiping of surfaces and weekly deep cleaning.

•    Use cleaning products specifically designed for toilet/bathroom.

•    Direct contact areas like the flush and taps as they are breeding grounds for bacteria should be cleaned with extra care.

•    Clean the toilet brush properly.

•    In order to reduce the spread of bacteria in the room, flush the toilet with the toilet lid down.

•    Preferably use a push-pump soap dispenser which doesn't allow bacteria to collect. Wash hands thoroughly every time you use the toilet.

•    Ensure the ventilation system is working and air the toilet to reduce the level of humidity.

Are you faced with a messy and dirty toilet and bathroom, and are in need of a professional cleanup? Bio Cleanse Services has trained, qualified and specialized cleaning technicians.  We ensure a thorough cleaning & decontamination of all affected areas.

Call us now on 0412 547 547 for Sydney, Canberra, Goulburn and NSW areas.

Visit http://www.bio-cleanse.com.au/services/urine-and-faeces-clean-up/ to know more.

Tips for Fire Safety During the Fall Season

With the daylight becoming shorter and leaves taking a new form of green to orange, you’re preparing for the cold season and all the exciting festivities. But are you really prepared? Here are a few important fire safety tips to keep in mind:

Replace smoke/carbon detector batteries and test the alarms. It’s advisable to change your smoke and carbon monoxide detector batteries when Daylight Savings Time begins and ends. This ensures the alarms don’t fail when you turn on the heat in your home. Once the batteries are changed don’t forget to test the smoke alarms. Ensure all the fire extinguishers are in working condition.

Before cranking up the heat, have your heating devices fully checked:

• Have a certified HVAC contractor inspect your HVAC system. Check and replace furnace filters with High Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) filters.
• Ensure sufficient space of at least three to four feet around space heaters. Don’t place fabrics on space heaters to dry, and turn heaters off every night before bed.
• Have a professional chimney sweep to inspect and clean your chimney. Keep flammable objects at least three feet away from the fireplace and install a mesh metal screen around it.

Halloween safety – Excited to decorate your home and mastermind scary costumes for Halloween? Don’t forget the safety aspects. Ensure considerable distance between decorations and open flames and other heat sources, and replace candles in jack-o-lanterns with battery-operated lights. We strongly advise you not to use real candles for decorating your home, but if you do, follow utmost care.

Outdoor fire risks – Periodically remove the leaves and other flammable debris that builds up around the house. Prune trees and rake up leaves and twigs. Avoid fuel storage in your home or garage. Clean your roof, gutters, and downspouts of debris and drain the fuel from lawn mowers before storing them for winter.

See also:  Safety with Flammable Liquids at Home 

Formulate a fire escape plan and make sure everyone in the house is well aware of it. In case a fire breaks out at 2 AM and your smoke alarms wake you and your family up – what do you do? This is when the fire escape plan comes into play. Designate an escape route for each area of your home and establish a meeting place outside. Practice escaping your home while staying low to avoid breathing in smoke. Also, practice escaping through windows using emergency ladders.

We, at Bio Cleanse Services, have an expert team of fire damage restoration technicians. If you ever face a fire incident in your home/office, contact us on 0427 411 789 for property remediation.

How to detect odour

    Pic Credit: https://goo.gl/8wGwur

Does your home smell funny? Can't really figure out what it is, but it's a bad odour that has been lingering for a while. Unpleasant musty odours are a common cause of indoor air quality complaints. This could be the most challenging issue to solve.

Identifying the source of odour within the environments could be a difficult task. Odour in offices, buildings or homes may arise right from the simplest things like plain soil to more complex things like biological materials.

Indoor odours can be caused due to:

•     Poor maintenance of ventilation, heating and air conditioning systems

•     Dampness caused due to moisture

•     Electrical odours caused due to overheating of the electrical units

•     Carpet, paint and surface coatings

•     Rodents and animals piddling

•     Chemical/fuel spills or gas leakage

•     Unattended deaths and carcasses

Mould odour is more common in households nowadays. It can grow where there's excess moisture, such as water leaks in rooftops, pipes, and walls. Mould odour has a pungent smell. They start growing in patches and can be hidden behind walls or wallpapers.

Indoor and outdoor contaminated air odour arising from biological materials like smoke, contaminates, urine, faeces, mould and human decomposition are some of the obnoxious odours. One needs to be very cautious as these could lead to discomfort, severe headache,  and other respiratory problems. Getting rid of substances like these using traditional methods is troublesome.

The need for professional help is necessary with appropriate training and equipment to identify and eliminate these offensive odours. By identifying the root cause and determining the conditions which caused the odour, it can often be eliminated over time without a trace.

If you ever come across such a situation, contact us by visiting our website: http://www.bio-cleanse.com.au/services/odour-control/ or call – 0427 411 789 to schedule an appointment.