13 Everyday Habits That You Should Stop Following Right Now!

There are possibly many things that we either do (or don’t do) almost every day and we know for a fact that it is definitely not the healthiest of things to do. Not flossing your mouth before sleep? Definitely not a good thing. Forgetting to cover your mouth at the time of sneezing? Jeez! even a kid knows that’s not right. Anyway, my point is – we all are guilty of doing something or the other every day that doesn’t exactly classify as a healthy habit.

But what if I told you these are just the basic no-no’s, and that there are tons of more everyday habits that are way grosser than you actually thought they were. So, in order to inform our readers about some of those, we’ve compiled a list of 13 everyday habits you should definitely give up on, right now! Let’s check out the list without further ado.

Keeping your bag on the table

Keeping your bag on the table while having a meal is not only against most table manners, but is also super gross. According to research conducted by Initial Washroom Hygiene, a bag contains on an average more bacteria than a toilet does! In fact, one out of every five bags has so much harmful bacteria that it could make a perfectly healthy and normal person sick. Yes, that’s true. And if you actually think about it, your bag travels everywhere – right from the washroom, to those public trains, and every single place you go to. So, the next time you’re headed out for food, do keep the bag away for your own good!

Defrosting your food at room temperature

Contrary to what most people around the world believe, you should never defrost meat on your kitchen counter. Yes, that’s right! According to Department of Agriculture U.S, whether it is raw or cooked, meat that is left at a temperature more than forty degrees centigrade helps bacterial growth. This is precisely why you should never defrost meat on a countertop, but instead in your refrigerator, cold water or your microwave oven.

Using hand dryers

Most people believe that using a hand dryer at a public toilet is the best way to dry their hands without contacting germs. Well, guess what – that can’t be further away from the truth. According to a recent report, a contactless hand dryer sends 40-60 colonies of bacteria when you use it on your hands! And just for comparison, you are only exposed to around 1 colony of bacteria while using the washroom otherwise! So, the next time you visit a washroom, stick to the regular towels and sanitizers.

Poking your fingers in your ears

This is perhaps the most annoying thing we all are guilty of doing – poking our fingers to clear ear wax. This can not only cause harm to your ears, but is also quite useless in cleaning the ear wax. By using fingers to clean your ear wax, you are more likely to further push it down inside – making it block your ear canal and affect your hearing senses. It can also cause injury to your sensitive eardrums, and attract harmful bacteria as well. It is, therefore, advised that you should visit an ENT (Ear, Nose, Throat) doctor to get your ears cleaned by a professional and save yourself from a possible injury.

Never cleaning the earbuds

While it is recommended that you don’t clean your earwax yourself, this doesn’t stand true for your earbuds, obviously. The earbuds need frequent cleaning and if left uncleaned for a while, they puts you at risk of getting rashes, allergies, infections and can increase the buildup of wax in your ears. So, the next time you step out of your bathroom, don’t forget to clean the earbuds with a soft cotton cloth.

Forgetting to change the dirty kitchen sponge

Do you remember when was the last time you actually changed that dirty kitchen sponge with a new one? If you can’t, it’s not a pleasant sign. According to recent research, you should change the kitchen sponge once every month or so. Also, if you notice the sponge giving off a foul smell, it should be replaced immediately with a new one. When you decide to clean the damp sponges, make sure to dry them out in the dishwasher or microwave them for a couple of minutes to kill the harmful germs and bacteria.