Have you considered that as a society we are too clean? And perhaps the products we use to clean ourselves and our homes are actually doing more harm than the germs we're trying to kill?

There’s no doubt that if you aren’t a germaphobe yourself, then you know one, or perhaps several, but there’s an overwhelming amount of research that shows our children are not getting the adequate exposure to germs to build up their immune systems, leading to frequent illnesses & more children than ever with allergies. So why are we so afraid of getting a little dirty?

Disinfectants or ‘sanitisers’ fill our supermarket shelves in the form of antibacterial wipes, cleaning solutions, aerosol sprays, deodorisers, pump packs, laundry powder, dish clothes & sponges. But they’re not only limited to cleaning products, we are also applying them directly to our skin in the form of hand soaps and body washes. It can be difficult to find a product for your home that doesn’t say ‘antibacterial’ on the label.

Why? Because we are lead to believe that our homes are not sufficiently clean if we do not use product that kills 99.9% of germs. We are bombarded with in-your-face marketing campaigns putting images in your mind of what the 'germs' look like having a party on your kitchen bench if you don't use these products.

Let’s take a look at bacteria!

You don’t have to love bacteria, but at the very least we can appreciate what their role in nature.

Most of us think of the pathogenic (disease causing) type when bacteria comes to mind, for example Streptococcus spp or Staphylococcus spp. There are approximately 2000 species of bacteria and they are literally everywhere (a fact that many find a bit confronting or we would not be having this problem).

The ecosystem, both on land and in the water, depends heavily upon the activity of bacteria. The cycling of nutrients such as carbon, nitrogen, and sulfur is completed by their ceaseless labor¹.

Learn more about the Functions of Bacteria

In & Around Us

There are more than 600,000 bacteria living in just one square inch of skin⁴ (the battle seems frivolous now doesn’t it!). The body is fighting a constant battle to keep the harmful unwanted bacteria out; we have defences in place that you could call your own ‘antibacterial solutions'.

Chemical and mechanical barriers are provided by the skin, mucus membranes of the genitourinary systems & respiratory tract, saliva & tears to prevent bacteria entering the body.  If defences are bypassed, antimicrobial enzymes, gastric acids, white blood cells (leukocytes) and processes such as inflammation & fever are ready and waiting to destroy many types of bacteria by providing a general immune response. This is how your body mounts a general response to microbes and is referred to as ‘Non-specific Resistance’ or ‘Innate Immunity’.

We also have ‘Specific Resistance’ or ‘Adaptive Immunity’ where the body produces antibodies against specific pathogens (antigens), we have something called immunological memory which means if we encounter that same pathogen again we are able to mount a faster and stronger attack each time.

A gut feeling! - The human gut hosts 80% of the body's normal flora and the trillion or so bacteria that live there are made up of more than 400 different species and account for about 3-4 kilos of body weight – that’s a lot of bacteria, but what’s it there for? The ‘normal’ or ‘good’ bacteria improve and assist digestion, produce vitamins, regulate immune function & prevent the growth or ‘bad’ bacteria.

No doubt you weren’t expecting a physiology lessen when you began reading about germs, but it’s important to know what the Pine-O-Clean & Glen 20 ads on TV don’t bother telling you – we don’t need antibacterial products to protect us, not only can we do it ourselves, it is essential that we are exposed to pathogens throughout our lives to build strong and healthy immune systems.

Why should you AVOID antibacterial products?

• Bacteria is required for a balanced ecosystem, even in your kitchen
• Constant use of antibacterial products is causing some bacterium to become resistant, meaning we have stronger forms of bacteria which will require stronger chemicals
• The main antibacterial chemical found in cleaning products (including hand wash), Triclosan is polluting our water supplies, which means it’s ingested by wildlife who rely on the water for life. It also upsets the balance within the ecosystem causing increased growth of blue-green algae. More about Triclosan
• Antibacterial products DO NOT reduce illness in a household, most common illnesses such as colds & flues are viral and antibacterial products have no effect on them at all. They can be effective against some gastrointestinal disorders, but so is washing your hands with soap and water. Also most bacterial illnesses of concern are spread by inhalation rather than touch
• Washing your hands with a vegetable based soap and warm water and then drying them thoroughly on a clean towel will get rid of germs sufficiently to prevent the spread of illness
• Research has indicated that 99.9% of the germs are in fact NOT removed, more than you think are left on your kitchen bench, so they don’t work as well as we are told anyway

It does not mean your home is not clean if it doesn't smell like disinfectant or bleach! Clean actually has NO smell.  

Triclosan is only one of many chemicals in your cleaning products. Many others have a detrimental effect on the nervous & respiratory systems & cause skin irritations. 

"Ironically this obsession with germs is not only exposing our children to tocix chemicals but potentially creating a generation of children with allergies in epidemic proportions" - Nicole Bijlsma, 'Health Home Healthy Family' (Joshua Books 2010)

Why kids should be allowed to get dirty

The amount of evidence produced by research points overwhelmingly to the fact that children who live in extremely clean homes are far more likely to develop asthma or suffer frequent illnesses compared to children who grow up on farms, in larger families, attend day-care, have pets or are simply allowed to ‘get dirty’.

Being exposed to bacteria allows immature immune systems to develop resistance, reducing the likelihood of allergies.

The "hygiene hypothesis" suggests that 20th century advances like indoor plumbing, antibiotics and cleaner homes may have contributed to recent increases in allergy, asthma and eczema by decreasing rates of childhood infection. This doesn’t mean we should all have dirty homes, move to farms, race out and buy a pet or send our kids to day care just for the sake of it, but being a lot more relaxed about allowing our kids to get dirty and saying NO to antibacterial products would go a very long way towards building a stronger, healthier society.

WE are creating the Super Bugs - How?

1. We are too clean! Attempting to kill 99.9% of germs still leaves some to survive, this bacteria now has no competitive inhibition, no eco system where they would usually maintain a healthy balance of bacterial beings! So, the strongest bugs are left to survive and breed.

2. We are too quick to prescribe antibiotics, especially for pathogens that are not in fact bacteria. Not only is our overuse of antibiotics producing stronger, more resistant bugs, but antibiotics kill the 'good' bacteria in the gut, leaving nothing left to compete when an opportunistic secondary bacterial infection actually does enter the body, the foreign pathogen is left to thrive, again without competitive inhibition. If the gut flora is compromised the end result is reduced or hypersensitive immunity leading to recurrent infections or allergies.

So perhaps we need to re-think our strategies in germ warfare and go Back to Nature when it comes to being clean. Find out how to clean your home without chemicals in Naturally Clean - Be Kind to Yourself and the Earth

Bibliography

1.http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/bacteria/bacterialh.html

2.http://www.globalchange.umich.edu/globalchange1/current/

lectures/kling/microbes/microbes.html

3.http://www.thenakedscientists.com/HTML/articles/article/

jemimastocktoncolumn1.htm/

4. http://www.scienceclarified.com/scitech/Bacteria-and-

Viruses/We-Are-Surrounded.html

5. http://www.wellbeing.com.au/article/Greenliving/Features/

DIY-chemical-free-cleaning_164

6.http://www.naturalnews.com/021703.html

7. http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/sections/public_health/