Caring for your gut through a proper diet helps to boost your immunity level and brings various health-related gainers for all parts of the body and soul. And you thought your home was a bacteria-free environment – a change in the microbiome of your home results in asthma, allergies bad body odor for the occupants, fungus, and dampness in your home.
A good home bacteria is all over to counter the bad ones, diseases causing germs, and not to mention fungus and molds from overgrowing. Here they are – cleaning professionals and scientists – explaining what counts as a good home microbiome, what can throw these off (such as cleaning with harsh chemicals, or living with pets and during building work), the catastrophic consequences that can ensue, and how to prevent it all.
Knowing about the principles for a healthy home microbiome may help you avoid getting sick, and will certainly save you from a behavior that makes mold more likely to grow in your home.
What is a home microbiome?
According to Dr. Jerome Burke, Jr, a medical toxicologist (medical scientist) as well as the medical contributor with Drugwatch, ‘A microbiome is a population of microorganisms such as bacteria, fungi and viruses that live in an environment’. In this case, we are talking of a place where humans, and at times animals, dwell, though sharing the same vicinity as unbelievable quantities of such microscopic germs.
For instance, a student in one research proved that dust on our houses has 9,000 microbe species on average. As Dr. Burke notes, ‘According to the researchers from the University of Colorado at Boulder the types of the bacterial and fungous reinforcements found in 1,200 households across the United States depended on its location, its occupants, and if it’s pets.’
What makes one home’s microbiome different from another?
Indoor relative humidity and temperature directly affect the richness of bacterial populations indoors and within your home. This is why it’s good to ensure that there is proper circulation of air inside your house to avoid cases of growth of mold.
Similar to that, the size of your space and how frequently you are likely to clean it will determine this balance. ‘As could for example the ventilation rate, the number of occupants in the home, the specific materials used one a given building surface,’ contributed Dr Burke.
Dust types can also influence the composition of the makeup of the microbes.
‘For example, mattress dust is mainly composed of species from the user of the mattress, while floor dust includes species from outdoors,’ Dr Burke noted.
This can however be diversified by pets in the home, and therefore, it is necessary to ensure that homes with pet animals remain clean. Content editor Chiana Dickson admitted that dusting had been rather tiresome for her especially when she was using the traditional Sponge and water.
Homes in a farming region are even more contaminated than homes in an urban area and as a recent study revealed to Dr Burke ‘higher dust microbial diversity was recorded in temperate climate compared with tropical climate’.
One research showed that many different types of fungus, which cause allergy, are found more in dust that accumulates in houses, in regions, that are not very wet, necessitating frequent dusting at home, especially, if there is a member of your household, who is an allergy sufferer, or if you reside in the drier part of the USA.
Notably, the types of bacteria identified in the sample of the interior dust for studies in this field depended on the proportion of male and female inhabitants of the house and whether they kept dogs or cats as pets. Dr Burke says that different types of bacteria were identified in women’s homes and in homes in which there were no women.
there are some types of bacteria that are more present in women’s bodies than men’s bodies, for example, and that is noticeable when looking at the bacteria in the house dust. Also, getting a dog or a cat into your home does make a difference to the kind of bacteria that you are likely to notice in your home.
As for the microbes grown in the laboratories from swabs taken indoors, ‘Most of these fungi resemble those that grow outdoors, and therefore these microbes likely came indoors from the outside environment and did not originate from people or pets living in the homes,’ says Dr Burke.
Many factors could potentially affect microbial diversity within homes, but the strength of each factor has not been deeply studied and compared yet. However, according to Dr Burke, a study has proved that scientists could guess the function of every other room in the house by merely analyzing microbial samples, and therefore, microbiomes differ from one room to the other.
‘These predictions became more accurate with increased urbanization,’ he says. ‘And microbial density declined with home architectural period but not with microbial richness, and bacterial composition was substantially different.’
Indeed, the human bacterium from the mouth and gut of Streptococcaceae and Lactobacillaceae families are likely to be present in most homes, thus exposing the house to sickness. Furthermore, proper cleaning of living space followed by proper wiping moistens the bacteria which is a necessity if the highly frequented lavatories are deep cleaned.
’These more human-related microbes might enhance the chances of pathogenic organisms moving between individuals and reduce contact with other, possibly helpful, non-human organisms,’ He explained.
In layman’s terms, this means that the same germs as those found on human skin exist on the surface areas where people live, therefore it is important to have a regular cleaning schedule that people can follow though, as we note later in this article excessive cleaning and use of chemicals could actually harm your home and yourself.
According to Dr Burke, Environmental health researchers investigate how indoor microbiome influences health and well-being and the available literature showed that concentrations of microbiomes inside homes are rising attributed to certain factors, including the type of chemical content in home products, poor airing, increased temperatures, and high humidity.
He says this is even a worldwide concern, both short and long-term exposure have led to health complications like respiratory illnesses, cardiovascular diseases, and poor cognition.
‘Some populations may be affected more than others,’ Dr Burke adds. Any time, children, older adults, patients with health complications, and families with low standard of living are exposed to a higher percentage of microbiome.
He also points out that home microbiomes contained ‘human fecal and vaginal bacteria and those that were on the human skin. Some of the fecal bacteria could have been carried by air currents produced every time toilets are flushed. The fecal bacteria are easily eliminated by bleach cleaning but when used frequently, bleach cleaning also eliminates healthy bacteria within the home.
Any home that can nourish certain bacteria or viruses for extended periods is likely to contribute to the development of a bad home microbiome.
Dr Burke also states, ‘For example, SARS-CoV2 can survive on a fomite with porosity for three days.’ This can go a long way into contracting the disease if there is not a process for cleaning or washing on a regular time schedule.’
More on how to clean when someone is ill should be known to ensure this is contained.
A home microbiome contains bacteria that usually pose little threat to humans and are not pathogenic. However, some bacteria can infect humans and cause illnesses like food poisoning, skin infections, and even toxic shock syndrome, a bacterial infection caused by Staphylococcus. Mistakes made during cleaning could also leave you with flu-like symptoms.
What can go wrong if one’s home’s microbiome is unbalanced?
There are various causes of low-quality home microbiomes. Indoor air comprises the following: Smoke, and other things that may find their way into the house from outside like wildfire smoke, bacterial sources, viral, or allergenic sources, and things specific to a particular house.
As Dr Burke points out, ‘Some studies comparing the prevalence of asthma in western lifestyle countries with developing nations have indicated enhanced risk of getting asthma in the western population. Looking at both cases, it is believed that early exposure to microbes in the environment protects against allergic diseases.’
In contrast, the presence of microbes in a building as a result of w. moisture can cause ill-health effects such as symptoms of black mold among people living in the building.
‘Dr. Burke states that people living in buildings with moisture damage often experience eye irritation, headaches, frequent respiratory infections, and other respiratory ailments. In some cases, they may also suffer from asthma or worsening asthmatic symptoms.
What causes an imbalance of the microbiome in a healthy home?
Seren Grant, Co-Founder at Hellovein Medical insists the health home microbiome is diverse and strong.
Excessive cleaning of facilities, especially when mixing bleach and other harsh chemicals, disrupts the balance by killing all bacteria, including the beneficial ones. Flooding and hoarding rotated wood and fabric items can produce damp surfaces for mold growth, which is detrimental to the respiratory metabolism of tenant clients and staff employees, leading to resultant allergies.
Eliana Coca, owner of E.C House Cleaning responds that ‘strong chemicals, damp or constructions also interfere with microbiome’ Whilst Colin Matei owner of HVAC company Call Clean Air also says that lack of fresh air causes, ‘problems like allergies, asthma or even mold’.
Creating a Healthy Home Microbiome
Dr. Seren Grant advises that if your home has a microbiome issue, such as mold, it should be addressed and fixed at the source. ‘When it comes to mold, look to concerns of moisture and prevention,’ he says, ‘Daily sweeping with green seal approved cleaners and proper ventilation will help put you back on the right track’ Bring more houseplants – research proved that design with greenery can do a positive impact on air quality and thus, the microbiome.
Of course, everyone should know that every house has its own home microbiomes. Oh, there are many things that decide this, but what you want is not a space free of microbes, but a healthy microbial community that is beneficial to the health of that home and its occupants.
HVAC pro-Colin Matei suggests ‘To wean out, use fans, control the humidity, and avoid abrasive cleaning solutions.’ Indoor plants remove indoor air pollutants according to their nature. The majority of well-designed modern homes that have an open living space and centralized system for heating and air conditioning can have sufficient air exchange between the separated living zones.
What to do/not do
Of all the rooms in a home, the bathroom and the kitchen rank among the germiest, primarily because of the inclusion of some of the high-contact surfaces that may harbor germs. However, there are many more subtle factors to consider for high-contact objects like utensils, sharp kitchen knives, phones, TV remotes, and door handles. Your best defense against germs that can live on surfaces is to:
- Wash your hands regularly
- Do not touch the face especially the eyes, nose, or the mouth
- Frequently clean and spray the areas people touch most often.
- Do not contact objects that many people will touch if you can
Eliana Coca of E.C owner of Your Local House Cleaner House Cleaning states that for a healthy bacteria balance one should ventilate, keep moisture in check, and also lightly clean with natural solutions. Fresh air is also provided by houseplants since they also play a part in air purification.
One customer had chronic respiratory problems until we were able to help them balance and circulate their house. Another customer hired us after construction in the vicinity disturbed their microbiome and caused mold issues. We advised them on how to safely re-balance it.’
The key, says Eliana, is to understand how your home works as a whole system. ‘Make small changes to improve circulation and balance, and get expert advice on safely optimizing your home’s unique microbiome.
Indeed, ‘small changes, such as upgrading air filters, servicing HVAC equipment, and controlling moisture sources, have impressively large impacts on well-being,’ said Colin Matei, HVAC professional. He adds that a properly managed home microbiome means fewer problems, lower costs, and an improved quality of life for residents. If you enjoyed this article, then check out our other informative blog Kaz Magazine.