You have the basics down: doing laundry, keeping the bathroom clean, wiping the kitchen countertops — but dirt and grime have a bad habit of collecting in the strangest places, including the ones you don’t think to look. Here are some spots around your house you should consider cleaning more often, if you clean them at all, because they’re probably pretty filthy.
一些基本的家务事对你来说不在话下:洗衣服,保持卫生间的清洁,擦拭厨房台面——但灰尘和污垢有个坏毛病,喜欢聚积在最奇怪的地方,其中包括你根本想不起去看上一眼之处。如果你想要彻底清理房子的话,看看下文列出的家中一些你应该考虑更频繁清理的地方,因为它们可能相当肮脏。
Right out of the gate, we should point out that you should clean these spaces not because they’ll make you sick or anything, but because they’re probably pretty gross and collect dirt and dust easily. They may accumulate bacteria as well, but there’s no reason to be a germaphobe about them.
我们先要说明一点,你应该清理这些地方并不是因为它们会让你身体不适之类的,而是因为它们可能很脏,容易藏污纳垢。它们也许还会聚积细菌,不过我们没必要害怕得不行。
People with immune disorders or who are prone to sickness may want to pay closer attention than others, but in many cases, your cleaning efforts are just a good way to keep them in good working order for a nice long time.
自身免疫失调或容易生病的人,或许应该比其他人更留心,但你的清洁工作便是让它们在很长一段时间里保持良好工作状态的好办法。
Doorknobs and handles
门把手
You probably don’t think to clean off the doorknobs and handles around your home very often, but they’re worth a quick wipe the next time you’re cleaning in the same room. When you think about how often we touch the door knobs and handles in our homes, especially with dirty hands or on the way in or out of the bathroom, you may even choose to make a habit of it.
你可能没想过要非常频繁地清洁家中各处的门把手,但下次打扫同一个房间时,有必要顺便擦拭一下它们。鉴于我们会非常频繁地触碰家中的门把手,尤其是在手很脏或进出洗手间的时候,也许你还应该把这种做法变成一种习惯。
Whether it’s the handle to a kitchen cabinet, the doorknob to the bathroom or just the front door to your home, give it a wipe down from time to time, if for no other reason than to keep them free of debris and pleasant to use.
不论是厨柜上的手柄,还是洗手间的门把手,抑或你家前门的把手,都要时不时地好好擦拭一下,这样一来至少可以让它们干干净净,用起来也舒服。
You’ve probably heard that door handles — especially bathroom door handles — can be home to all sorts of nasty germs that can make you sick, but the risk from bacteria on doorknobs is likely heavily overstated. While it can be an issue in bathrooms that experience heavy use, the risk at home is minor, and the benefit to keeping handles clean has more to do with no one liking to touch a sticky or dirty doorknob than a health issue.
你或许听说过,门把手——尤其是卫生间的门把手——可以成为种种令人厌恶的致病性细菌的温床,不过门把手上的细菌所带来的风险可能被严重夸大了。在被重度使用的卫生间里,这会成为一个问题;但在家里,其风险微不足道,与保持把手清洁的好处更为相关的不是健康问题,而是没有人愿意触碰黏糊糊或肮脏的门把手。
Your smartphone
你的智能手机
For something we use for hours every day, when’s the last time you did more than just wipe off your smartphone’s screen when it was too smudged to see through? In reality, considering how often we use our phones, and where we use them (yes, that includes checking Facebook on the toilet), our phones deserve a more thorough cleaning from time to time.
智能手机是我们每天都会长时间使用的物件,但你最后一次因为手机屏幕脏到啥也看不清而擦拭它是什么时候?事实上,考虑到我们使用手机有多频繁,又是在什么地点(没错,我们会坐在马桶上查看Facebook上的信息),我们真应该时不时更加彻底地清洁一下自己的手机。
Sure, a little grease from your hands isn’t the end of the world, but that array of pretty foul bacteria thriving on your phone shouldn’t make you happy. Plus, keeping your device clean works in your favor in other ways too — it keeps your screen clean and easy to read, and it keeps dust and grime out of speaker grates, away from charging ports and out of headphone jacks (if you even have one of those anymore).
当然了,来自你手部的一点儿油脂并不能毁灭世界,但一堆肮脏的细菌在你的手机上欣欣向荣地生长,绝不是令人愉悦的事。保持手机的清洁还会带来其他好处——这样做能让手机屏幕清清爽爽,方便你查看信息,能让尘埃和污垢远离扬声器格栅、充电端口和耳机插口(如果你的手机上还有这些东西的话)。
If you plan to sell the phone in a few months or years to help fund the latest and greatest model, keeping yours clean now will make sure it stays free of scratches and dings for the long haul. Luckily, we have a complete guide to cleaning your phone, tablet and other gadgets to get you started.
如果你打算再过几个月或几年就卖掉旧手机,用所得款项贴补购置最新最棒的型号所需的费用,那么现在就开始保持手机的清洁吧,以便确保它在很长时间里远离划痕和小坑。幸运的是,我们有一份清洁手机、平板电脑以及其他设备的完全指南,可以帮你行动起来。
Start with a microfiber cloth to pick up grease and dust (avoid paper towels and other materials that’ll just push it around). For those stubborn spots or anything that won’t come up, reach for some isopropyl alcohol. Mix a solution of 1 to 1 alcohol and water, then moisten a microfiber cloth and gently rub those spots and stains away. For more tips, check out this step-by-step from Greenbot.
先用超细纤维布除去油脂和灰尘(避免使用纸巾以及其他材料,它们只会把脏东西推得到处都是)。遇到顽固的污点,或弄不掉的任何东西,可以来点儿异丙醇。把异丙醇和水以一比一的比例混合,将超细纤维布润湿,然后轻轻擦去污渍。如需更多提示,请查看来自Greenbot的这个分步教程。
Your computer keyboard
你的电脑键盘
When you’re not using your phone, you’re probably using a desktop or laptop computer, which means your fingers are constantly in contact with your keyboard. And considering many of us snack or take lunch at our desks, drink over our computers, or even spill beverages on them, you can imagine the gross, grimy world living just below those keys.
如果没在用手机,那你可能在用台式电脑或笔记本电脑,这意味着你的手指会不断触碰键盘。鉴于我们很多人会在桌旁吃零食或午餐,在电脑上方喝东西,甚至把饮料撒得到处都是,你可以想象那些按键底下存在着一个多脏的世界。
And while there’s certainly no shortage of bombastic headlines trumpeting that your keyboard is dirtier than a toilet seat (a bit of a misconception, as toilet seats tend to be fairly clean compared to other bathroom surfaces), so-called high-touch surfaces like keyboards really can harbor and grow harmful bacteria if left uncleaned.
诚然,很多新闻标题都颇为耸动,说什么你的键盘比马桶座圈还脏(这其中存在一点儿误解,与卫生间里的其他表面相比,马桶座圈往往相当干净);但如果不经常清理,键盘之类所谓的高接触频率表面,的确会成为有害细菌藏身和生长的温床。
On the bright side, cleaning a keyboard isn’t too difficult to do, as this extremely thorough guide from tech site How-To Geek explains. You may be startled by what you find beneath those keys, if you go so far as to pull the key caps up and clean out the dirt, grime, hair and crumbs that likely lurk underneath.
好消息是,正如来自科技网站How-To Geek的这份极其详细的指南所阐述的,清洁键盘并不太难。如果进行深度清洁,拆掉键帽,把可能隐藏在下边的灰尘、污垢、头发和碎屑清理出来,你或许会震惊于那些按键底下竟然藏着那么多东西。
Even if you don’t, flipping the keyboard upside down and shaking the debris out, then using a small hand-held vacuum cleaner or can of compressed air will do the job as well. Then a quick wipe down with cleaning wipes, cotton swabs or a microfiber cloth moistened with that same 1:1 alcohol-to-water solution we mentioned earlier will take care of the parts you actually touch.
即便不这样做,你只要翻转键盘,把碎屑摇晃出来,再用小型手持真空吸尘器或罐装压缩空气处理一下,也可以达到很好的效果。然后用清洁纸巾、棉签或前文提到的以浓度为50%的异丙醇溶液润湿的超细纤维布,仔细清理你每天真正触碰的部分。
Your remote control
你的遥控器
Be honest: Have you ever cleaned your remote control? Whether you use the one that came with your TV or something complicated that came from your cable company, odds are you pick it up every time you flop down on the couch to Netflix and chill. But you’ve never even so much as wiped the grime and dirt from the valleys between the buttons, have you?
请老实回答:一直以来你清理过遥控器吗?不论用的是普通的电视遥控器,还是更复杂的来自有线电视公司的那种,每当你倒在沙发上,大约都会拿起它调台,然后放松一下。但你擦拭按钮间的污垢和灰尘的频率绝对没有那么高,对吧?
That grime can add up, if you think about how many times you’ve likely snacked in front of the screen. Whether your preference is popcorn, chips or full-blown meals, your remote is likely filthy — and again, while it’s unlikely you’ll get sick from that crusty, grimy thing, it certainly isn’t doing anything for the life of the gadget you rely on to relax after a long day of work.
污垢会越积越多,想想你在屏幕前吃过多少次零食就知道了。不论你偏爱爆米花、薯片还是更丰盛的餐食,你的遥控器都有可能变得很脏——同样,那些顽固的脏东西不大可能导致你生病,但肯定对你在工作一整天之后赖以放松的设备的使用寿命全无裨益。
In reality though, remote controls, especially the ones in hotel rooms that are often used by a rotating crew of people without ever being cleaned, are pretty gross with bacteria. While we can make the case that you might use a disinfecting cleaning wipe on the one in your hotel the next time you travel, there’s no reason to wait until you leave home. Grab a wipe and give the one you use every day a good wipe down, and try to make it part of your cleaning routine. It probably won’t make you healthier, but it will prolong the life of your remote, and that’s enough for us.
实际上,遥控器非常脏,布满细菌,尤其是酒店房间里那些常常被不同的人轮番使用却从未被清理过的遥控。我们或许可以认定,下次旅行时你会用消毒清洁纸巾擦拭酒店里的遥控器,但为什么非要等到离家在外呢。请拿起一张纸巾,好好擦拭一下你每天都在使用的遥控器,并设法将其变成日常清洁工作的一部分。这么做或许不会让你变得更健康,却可以延长遥控器的使用寿命,这就够了。
Your pillows
你的枕头
You may not know it, but most pillows are designed to be machine washable. You’ll have to fluff them when they come out of the washer (or the dryer, if the manufacturer suggests drying them), and you don’t want to wash them too often or they’ll lose their shape.
你或许不知道,但大多数枕头都被设计成了可机洗产品。把枕头从洗衣机(或干洗机,如果生产商建议干洗的话)里拿出来的时候,你必须抖一抖它们,让它们变得蓬松;不要洗得太勤,以免变形。
And it’s a good thing too, considering pillows tend to be exactly where dead skin, dust, drool and in many cases, dust mites love to hang out. For most people, that’s not a huge deal, aside from the fact that they’re putting their face on a gross, dirty pillow at night to sleep. For people with compromised immune systems or who have allergies, they can be an irritant that makes for sleepless nights, skin irritation and sinus congestion.
洗枕头也是好习惯,因为枕头往往是死皮、灰尘、口水的聚居地,常常还有很多尘螨出没。对多数人来说,这没多大关系,除了晚上睡觉时他们的脸得和脏兮兮的枕头贴在一起。对免疫功能不全或有过敏症的人来说,就是麻烦事了,可能引发失眠,刺激皮肤,或造成鼻窦堵塞。
Luckily for all of us, whether you have allergies or you just don’t like the idea of a gross pillow under your head while you sleep, the solution is easy: a trip through the washing machine on the delicate cycle, then tumble dry low or air dry. If you like, take things a step further and invest in a quality pillow protector.
我们都很幸运,不论是有过敏症,还是单纯地不喜欢在夜里枕着脏兮兮的枕头睡觉,办法都很简单:让枕头在调成轻柔洗模式的洗衣机里溜达一圈儿,然后低温烘干,或在室温下晾干。如果愿意,你可以更进一步,入手高品质的枕套。
While you’re at it, consider cleaning your comforters if you haven’t recently, and some other household textiles mentioned in this list of home products you probably don’t clean as often as you should, from Wirecutter, the New York Times’ product review site. Then you can breathe easy while you rest.
洗枕头时,不妨考虑一下清洗被子——如果最近没洗过的话——以及《纽约时报》旗下产品评论网站Wirecutter的一份清单提到的其他一些家用纺织品,这份清单列出了你或许应该更频繁清洁的家居用品。然后你休息时就可以更畅快地呼吸了。
作者:Alan Henry
翻译:李琼
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