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Quiz: How Clean Is Your Home?

Test your knowledge of germs and cleanliness

Michelle R. Davis

AARP

En español

Published August 17, 2022

8 Questions

94e7793a-a072-47b4-af56-9eea35b3ebb1

Quiz: How Clean Is Your Home?

[ {
  "question" : "It’s often said that the kitchen sponge is one of the germiest things in a home. Researchers have found how many types of bacteria on a kitchen sponge?",
  "answers" : [ {
    "answer" : "362",
    "correctAnswer" : true
  }, {
    "answer" : "1,722",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  }, {
    "answer" : "32",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  }, {
    "answer" : "278",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  } ],
  "multiSelect" : false,
  "explanation" : "In one 2017 study from Furtwangen University in Germany, researchers found 362 different species of bacteria and 45 billion bacteria per square centimeter on sponges. A 2022 study from Duke University found that sponges are better incubators for bacterial growth than petri dishes. ",
  "hint" : "",
  "hintLink" : "",
  "questionImgCaption" : "",
  "questionImgCredit" : ""
}, {
  "question" : "When people do “spring cleaning,” what part(s) of the house do they typically prioritize?",
  "answers" : [ {
    "answer" : "Bathrooms",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  }, {
    "answer" : "Garage",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  }, {
    "answer" : "Basement or attic",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  }, {
    "answer" : "Kitchen",
    "correctAnswer" : true
  }, {
    "answer" : "Bedrooms",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  }, {
    "answer" : "Family room",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  }, {
    "answer" : "Closets ",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  } ],
  "multiSelect" : false,
  "explanation" : "According to the American Cleaning Institute’s 2022 survey, 64 percent of people prioritize cleaning kitchens when they do spring cleaning. Sixty-one percent prioritize bedrooms and 59 prioritize bathrooms. ",
  "hint" : "",
  "hintLink" : "",
  "questionImgCaption" : "",
  "questionImgCredit" : ""
}, {
  "question" : "What household item is often contaminated with E. coli and other fecal bacteria?",
  "answers" : [ {
    "answer" : "Toilet",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  }, {
    "answer" : "Underwear",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  }, {
    "answer" : "Cellphone",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  }, {
    "answer" : "Reusable grocery bag",
    "correctAnswer" : true
  }, {
    "answer" : "All of the above",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  } ],
  "multiSelect" : false,
  "explanation" : "Reusable grocery bags, which are rarely cleaned, can be tainted by leaking meat juice and then sit for hours in a hot car — the perfect breeding ground for germs. “In a lot of these reusable bags, we found more E. coli and fecal bacteria than you do in your underwear,” Charles P. Gerba, a microbiologist and professor at the University of Arizona, told AARP. Gerba suggests using cloth bags and washing them regularly in hot water. ",
  "hint" : "",
  "hintLink" : "",
  "questionImgCaption" : "",
  "questionImgCredit" : ""
}, {
  "question" : "What household products are not recommended as safe cleaners by the Environmental Protection Agency?",
  "answers" : [ {
    "answer" : "Bleach plus ammonia for cleaning clothing stains",
    "correctAnswer" : true
  }, {
    "answer" : "Vinegar and water for a greasy stove top",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  }, {
    "answer" : "Borax plus lemon juice for stainless or porcelain sinks",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  }, {
    "answer" : "Baking soda plus water for scrubbing toilets",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  } ],
  "multiSelect" : false,
  "explanation" : "The EPA warns that bleach plus ammonia generates toxic chloramine gas. The agency says the other household cleaners are safe for use. ",
  "hint" : "",
  "hintLink" : "",
  "questionImgCaption" : "",
  "questionImgCredit" : ""
}, {
  "question" : "Like most activities, cleaning burns calories. Which of the answers below does not reflect the calories burned by a 150-pound person for one hour of the activity noted?",
  "answers" : [ {
    "answer" : "Dusting, 136 calories",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  }, {
    "answer" : "Mopping or scrubbing floors, 273 calories",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  }, {
    "answer" : "Sweeping, 245 calories ",
    "correctAnswer" : true
  }, {
    "answer" : "Washing dishes, 136 calories",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  }, {
    "answer" : "Washing windows, 273 calories�",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  } ],
  "multiSelect" : false,
  "explanation" : "The Calorie Control Council calculator says sweeping burns 136 calories per hour. The council provides these calorie-burning estimates but notes that the calculations are based on a person doing moderate and not vigorous exercise, and that estimates change based on a person’s weight.",
  "hint" : "",
  "hintLink" : "",
  "questionImgCaption" : "",
  "questionImgCredit" : ""
}, {
  "question" : "What area of the bedroom did researchers find contains more germs than a chimpanzee bed?",
  "answers" : [ {
    "answer" : "Laundry hamper",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  }, {
    "answer" : "Mattress",
    "correctAnswer" : true
  }, {
    "answer" : "Windowsills",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  }, {
    "answer" : "Sock drawer",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  }, {
    "answer" : "All of the above",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  } ],
  "multiSelect" : false,
  "explanation" : "A 2018 study published in Royal Society Open Science compared the number of bacteria found in chimpanzee beds to the number found in human beds. The chimpanzees maintained cleaner sleeping environments, with just 3.5 percent of bacteria coming from their skin, saliva and feces, compared to more than 30 percent in human beds.",
  "hint" : "",
  "hintLink" : "",
  "questionImgCaption" : "",
  "questionImgCredit" : ""
}, {
  "question" : "What percentage of households typically do spring cleaning every year?",
  "answers" : [ {
    "answer" : "84 percent",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  }, {
    "answer" : "60 percent",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  }, {
    "answer" : "27 percent",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  }, {
    "answer" : "78 percent",
    "correctAnswer" : true
  } ],
  "multiSelect" : false,
  "explanation" : "Seventy-eight percent of households typically do spring cleaning annually, according to the American Cleaning Institute’s 2022 survey. ",
  "hint" : "",
  "hintLink" : "",
  "questionImgCaption" : "",
  "questionImgCredit" : ""
}, {
  "question" : "Some cleaning products release volatile organic compounds — gases that can be toxic or that can interact with other chemicals to cause cancer. What cleaning supplies does the American Lung Association warn may contain volatile organics or other toxic substances?",
  "answers" : [ {
    "answer" : "Aerosol cleaning products",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  }, {
    "answer" : "Air fresheners",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  }, {
    "answer" : "Rug and upholstery cleaners",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  }, {
    "answer" : "Furniture and floor polish",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  }, {
    "answer" : "Oven cleaners",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  }, {
    "answer" : "All of the above",
    "correctAnswer" : true
  } ],
  "multiSelect" : false,
  "explanation" : "The American Lung Association warns that these types of cleaners may contain harmful chemicals. ",
  "hint" : "",
  "hintLink" : "",
  "questionImgCaption" : "",
  "questionImgCredit" : ""
} ]

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Michelle Davis covers home, family and auto stories and is a features editor for AARP. Previously, she was the senior writer and social media strategist for EdWeek Market Brief and a senior correspondent at Education Week.