No home can ever be completely germ free; nor do we actually want it to be. Studies suggest that the high rate of allergies in western cultures may be due, at least in part, to too much cleanliness - children aren't being exposed to enough germs to build up their immune systems. For most of us that isn't an issue. We want our homes to be clean but aren't willing to devote our entire lives to cleaning.

Following are some cleaning tips for a healthy home.

Change or clean the filter on your furnace regularly. If the filter's dirty, you're recycling dust and any other cleaning you do is being undone by the furnace.

Vacuum regularly, again cleaning the filter every time you vacuum or replacing the bag frequently. Bagless vacuum cleaners can be easily cleaned after each use, preventing the redistribution of dust that takes place when air is being drawn through a vacuum bag. Use the dusting brush on your vacuum cleaner to dust carved furniture, venetian blinds, electronic equipment and the tops of door and window frames.

If you don't have carpets, reserve the vacuum for cleaning drapes and upholstery. Instead of vacuuming hard-surface floors, use a broom to sweep up the big stuff, followed by a Swiffer-type floor duster that holds the finer dust instead of just moving it around. Wipe with a damp mop every few days even if the floor doesn't look dirty. If a pet has an accident, or someone walks in with doggy poo on his shoes, clean the floor with a disinfectant cleanser.

Wipe the table with a clean cloth or a disposable wipe before each meal, and wipe all food preparation surfaces before and after cutting food. Surfaces that have come into contact with raw poultry should be wiped with bleach to prevent salmonella bacteria from growing. Cut meat on a plastic cutting board, rather than wood, so that it can be washed at high temperature in the dishwasher.

If dishes aren't going to be washed right after a meal, at least rinse them to get the surface food off so that greeblies don't have anything to grow on. Use dish detergent in your wash water and a little bleach in the rinse water to sanitize your dishes. Let dishes air dry rather than wiping them dry.

Scrub the bathroom regularly with a disinfectant cleanser, starting at the top of the room and working your way down, leaving the toilet till last and then disposing of the sponge or cloth that you've used. If you can see that the toilet needs cleaning, you should have done it yesterday! Use a toilet brush to scrub inside the toilet bowl and under the rim. This job can be simplified by keeping a toilet-cleansing block or tablet in the toilet tank so that some cleanser is released each time the toilet is flushed.

Wash bedding in hot water at least weekly. This will kill the dust mites that live on the microscopic bits of skin that our bodies shed constantly. The same thing can be accomplished by hanging your quilts and pillows outside for a few hours at -30 degrees. The bugs don't like vicious cold any better than you do!

Rinse bottles, cans and milk cartons that are being recycled. Take out the garbage before it gets smelly. Clear food storage shelves and drawers and wipe them regularly. It's surprising how quickly a little spilled flour will attract insects, so imagine the microscopic organisms that grow on crumbs.

Make regular, common-sense cleaning a constant habit and you'll seldom have to give up a Saturday morning for housecleaning.

Learn more about this author, Roberta Velyn.
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