Experts: Our Dishwashers Contain Dangerous Fungi

In today’s developed countries, it is hard to find a house without such an appliance as dishwasher. Most of modern housewives use this simple device to help relieve housework load, use water in a more economical manner, and increase the quality of cleaning and disinfecting dishes. Dishwashers are very popular, and for very long time these kinds of appliances were considered quite safe type of devices. However, according to the findings of one of the latest studies, using dishwashers can actually be linked to one very serious potential danger to our health. The report about a related research by a group of American scientists was published this week in the journal Medical Mycology. The study has shown that every two of three dishwashers in modern houses are filled with very dangerous fungi and bacteria which impose our general health to a serious risk of catching infectious diseases caused by these microorganisms!

During the study, the scientists took samples and analyzed the content of a huge number of dishwashers. Certainly, the samples were takes from the devices from various places, locations, and countries of the world. To a great surprise of the researchers, the analysis has demonstrated that about 62 per cent of dishwashers contain plenty of fungi and bacteria, most of which should be considered very harmful to our health. Those included very common species of fungi, Candida parapsilosis, a yeast type fungus which is very often found in human body and always causes quite serious problems. In addition to that, plenty of other dangerous species of fungi and bacteria were found on the walls of dishwashers. Two of those, Rhodotorula and Exophiala, are considered the most harmful: if inhaled by people, these kind of fungi can get into human lungs and cause very serious lung infections, most of which are, unfortunately, very hard to fight against, even using the latest developments of modern medical science.

The scientists are convinced that it is the environment in dishwashers, dump and warm, which favors growth and development of various fungi and bacteria. Further analysis has shown that those are the walls and especially rubber elements like seals used in this type of appliances which are the areas populated the most with dangerous fungi and bacteria. Besides, we all use salt for dishwashers to work properly, and high concentrations of salt can be considered another great factor for many species of fungi and bacteria to develop. The scientists came to the conclusions that for many people who are using dishwashers, especially those with common health conditions like weak immune system, various symptoms of allergies, cysts and other common minor skin problems, as well as people with type 2 diabetes can be extremely vulnerable to the negative effects found and explained during this study, and such people can easily catch the mentioned types of infections.

Fortunately, the researchers offer a few quite effective ways to protect ourselves from negative effects of fungi and bacteria in our dishwashers. All we need to do is use such simple substances as vinegar or baking soda for cleaning our appliance. Those who want a better cleaning and guaranteed results can also use bleach. One of the easiest ways suggested by the researchers is mixing a half cup of vinegar with two cups of warm water, and then scrub the walls and especially the seal of the dishwasher. Also, it is highly recommended to place a small cup of vinegar and run the device on high temperatures. The same procedure can be repeated with some amount of baking soda placed to the floor of the dishwasher. A good idea can be removing the racks from the dishwasher and disinfecting those in a high temperature, then drying and wiping down the walls of the appliance. The researchers are convinced that applying such easy solutions once per 1-2 months can help us substantially lower health risks linked to bacteria found inside of out dishwashers.

Author Info: Hi! My name is Carla and I am a 5th year medical student at HYMS. I am interested in alternative medicine and I have done months researching the topic of herbal medicine. Besides, I like interviewing people and learning more about their experiences with one or another type of herbal treatments. I am willing to contribute to this site with my knowledge, and I would be happy to help you out to the best of my ability with any specific questions or problems related to alternative medicine.

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