If you want to get rid of the germs and bacteria in your home, it helps to know where they are living. Many of us use sanitizing products like Clorox disinfectant spray, Clorox trash bags, and floor cleaners like Pine-Sol household cleaner to keep our houses clean. But before you shop cleaning supplies, you should know what actually needs to be cleaned. Here is the 5 places germs and bacteria thrive in your home:

1. The kitchen
The kitchen is a haven for germs and bacteria because of all the food waste that accumulates in sinks and on sponges and dish cloths. It is best to buy drain cleaner to make sure your drains don’t clog as well as frequently buy new sponges and dish cloths as these items get dirty fast and hold a ton of germs. Another place that gets dirty fast in the kitchen is knobs and handles. So, be sure to clean your microwave door handle, oven handle, and cabinet knobs frequently to avoid germ and bacteria build up. Also, don’t allow food waste to pile up. Ensure your surfaces are clean of cooking waste. Instead of buying just any large trash bags, purchase Clorox trash bags for added protection against food borne bacteria and odors.

2. The bathroom
It might not surprise you that one of the germiest places in the bathroom is the toilet, and that it should be cleaned frequently with a toilet bowl cleaner. What might surprise you is one of the germiest surfaces in the bathroom is the light switch. The light switch gets touched on your way into the bathroom so touching it on the way out makes your hands dirty again. It’s best to clean surfaces you touch—such as cabinet knobs, door knobs, bathroom counters, the light switch or and taps and sink knobs frequently. The shower head also is a haven for mold and soap scum build up, and should be cleaned with some vinegar.

3. Electronic devices
Did you know that according to research, the surface of your phone is actually dirtier than the surface of a toilet seat? This is because you touch your phone throughout the day as well as put it up to your face to talk into it. This leads to a large buildup of bacteria and germs that need to be wiped off frequently with a lint-free cloth slightly dampened with soap and water. Don’t spray your phone directly with soap and water. Another device that gets dirty fast are laptops and computers. There is often a build up of dirt, crumbs, and germs in the keyboards and on the mouse, so you should clean the parts you touch more frequently.

4. Bedding in the bedrooms
As you sleep through the night you lose dead skin cells, you sweat, and maybe even drool and get saliva on your pillow. All of these things together lead to a ton of bacteria and germs building up on your pillows, sheets, and blankets. Because of this it is important you put your bedding through the washing machine often, to ensure cleanliness.

5. High use surfaces
High use surfaces in your house, such as door knobs, coffee tables, kitchen tables, light switches, and furniture often get germier faster and need to be cleaned more often. This is because of how frequently we touch and use these surfaces. Door knobs and light switches get touched by our hands which get all kinds of bacteria on them throughout the day. Furniture like couches, chairs, and desks also get a build up of dead skin cells and germs from our bodies and hands and should be cleaned frequently.