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With crime, pollution, terrorists, even every day stressors like our jobs and high gas prices, we look to our homes as the one place where we are safe and protected. It's no wonder that we spend up to 90% of our lives there. But, unbeknownst to us, our homes can be dangerous to us, posing sneaky health risks to our families. Most of the culprits can be broken down by the most common living spaces of our homes.

THE KITCHEN

Our kitchens are one of the worst culprits when it comes to places in our homes that can make us sick. There are various types of bacteria lurking around the nooks and crannies of this "heart of the home." The worst of them are the food borne bacterium, E. Coli and salmonella. Both of these can make you violently ill and even cause death in those with weakened immune systems or the very young or very old. These nasty germs mostly hang out on our cutting boards because they are transmitted through raw beef and produce (E. Coli) and poultry (salmonella). You can protect yourself and your family from their wrath by always preparing these items on separate cutting boards and always using separate utensils for them. For example, never use the same knife for lettuce that you used for raw chicken without washing it in hot, soapy water first. And, never put cooked meat back on the same surface you used to prepare it when it was raw unless it's first been washed with hot, soapy water.

Staph, a bacterium that lives on just about every surface of our homes is also highly prevalent in our kitchens. The floppy folds of our mops can harbor a high volume of this germy fella. It normally lives on our skin as well, but it can cause nasty infections if it gets into our eyes, mouths, cuts or scraps. To kill staph on your mop, wash the head in hot water with detergent often. Or, replace it with disposable heads every few weeks.

And, if you have pets, their dishes are likely in the kitchen and can be an attractor for pests of all kinds, a sure health hazard. Keep your eyes peeled for roaches, mice and rats. All of these pesky little guys can bring germs into your home. Your pets can also track germs through your house on their paws, especially near the doors that they most frequent.

THE BATHROOM

We all know that there are icky things in bathrooms. No one has to remind you what you do in there. But, there are health hazards that you probably haven't thought too much about that have nothing to do with the germs that are obvious.

Mold is the biggest health hazard in the

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