Well, it’s that time of year – Germy Season. I suppose that with 2 kids in preschool, our lives are full of germs year round, but there are certain times that seem more germy than others. Fall and winter definitely top that list. Both girls have already managed to get sick this year, and with a newborn in the house, I’ve been terrified that he’s going to get sick. Because, let’s face it, following a sick child around the house with a bottle of disinfectant is much easier said than done.
So when Bounty approached me with a way that I could decrease the amount of germs in my house, I immediately signed on. Who wouldn’t want to do that?
As part of the program, Bounty sent me a dishcloth to use for 3 days; I was to use it normally, just as I would any other dishtowel in my house. So for a weekend (Friday through Sunday) I used it to clean up after meals, dry dishes and baby bottles, and kept it handy in case of the occasional spill – all the duties I expect my normal dishcloth to perform. On Monday morning, I rinsed it out, folded it up, put it into a ziplock bag with a freezer pack, and sent it back to my friends at Bounty via overnight mail.
Three weeks later, I got the startling results. My dishcloth that looked so clean when I sent it back to Bounty was actually an icky, germy mess. The exact level of ATP, or adenosine triphosphate, found on my dishcloth was 6961 (measured in RLUs). Sure, that looks like a big bad number, but let me put it into context for you – 300 is the standard for clean. When you go to a restaurant, you want the ATP levels in their kitchen to be at or under 300. You want your kitchen to be at or under 300. Anything more than that has the potential to spread germs. My dishcloth was a little over 23 times the standard of clean…in a bad way. Simply put, the “ick” factor on my dishcloth was huge. Gulp. I dried my baby bottles with that thing.
And if you think my results are bad, according to studies, the average dishcloth measures somewhere between 15,000 and 20,000 (and on a somewhat “ick-y” sidenote, a hotel comforter is typically in the range of 7,500 to 10,000. Guess who’s traveling with their own comforter from now on? This girl right here.). But here’s the thing, I only used the dishtowel Bounty gave me for 3 days. While I regularly try to clean my dishtowels, my normal towel probably gets used for more than 3 days before being switched. Eeek. My kitchen dishcloths are probably closer to that 15,000 to 20,000 figure instead of my measured 6961 figure. And just think about it, anything over 300, the standard of clean, has the potential to spread germs, leading to an unclean kitchen and potential illness.
With this information in mind, Bounty developed the DuraTowel, a paper towel that cleans like cloth. It’s cloth like design makes it strong enough to tackle everything from scrubbing baked on messes to wiping down countertops to cleaning kitchen appliances, and everything in between. And because it’s disposable, you start each job with a fresh, new sheet free from fear that you are going to spread or redeposit germs on surfaces. In fact, it’s clinically proven to leave your kitchen surfaces 3 times cleaner than a germy dishcloth. Fewer germs mean a cleaner kitchen and a healthier family. This mom loves that idea!
So think about it, how often do you clean your dishcloth? What do you think your results would be? If you shudder at the thought, consider switching to DuraTowel and reduce the amount of germs residing in your life (and kitchen). You can find the DuraTowel at most grocery stores, along with Kmart, Wal-Mart, Target, and many others.
Bounty exposed my dirty dishcloth and showed me the cleaner way to clean with Bounty DuraTowel, the only cloth-like, durable paper towel that is clinically proven to leave surfaces three times cleaner than a germy dishcloth.* Find out more here!
*1tsp spaghetti sauce, 10 mls. coffee, ⅛ tsp creamer on laminate countertop
This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Bounty. The opinions and text are all mine.
