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0Erinome:Hello dear friends, and welcome back to our show! This is Erinome.
Enceladus:And this is Enceladus. Today, we have a really interesting, and maybe a little scary, topic.
Erinome:That's right. We are going to talk about things in our daily life that seem clean but are actually very, very dirty.
Enceladus:Oh, this sounds like a topic that will make me nervous. Haha. But I want to know! Where do we start?
Erinome:Let's start with some daily habits. Enceladus, do you fold your blanket right after you get up in the morning?
Enceladus:Of course! My mom taught me to do that. It makes the room look tidy.
Erinome:Well, actually, that's not a very good habit. You know that?
Enceladus:What? Why? I thought it was a clean habit.
Erinome:Because when we sleep, our bodies sweat. If you fold the blanket right away, the sweat is trapped inside.
Enceladus:Oh no. So the blanket becomes wet and warm?
Erinome:Exactly. And that's a perfect place for germs to grow. It's better to leave the blanket open for about 10 minutes to let it dry.
Enceladus:Wow, I never knew that. Okay, I will change that habit starting tomorrow. What's next?
Erinome:How about drying your dishes? After you wash them, do you use a towel to dry them?
Enceladus:Yes, sometimes. It's faster than waiting for them to air dry.
Erinome:Well, the tap water is usually clean. But the towel you use might not be. Towels can have a lot of bacteria on them.
Enceladus:So when I use a towel to dry a clean bowl, I'm actually putting bacteria back on it? That’s terrible!
Erinome:It’s called 'secondary pollution'. It's better to just let them dry by themselves.
Enceladus:This is so surprising. Okay, let's move from habits to things in our house. What's the first dirty item?
Erinome:Your pillow. When was the last time you changed your pillow? Not the pillowcase, the pillow itself.
Enceladus:Um, honestly? I can't remember. Maybe a few years ago? I wash the pillowcase often.
Erinome:That's what most people do. But think about it. Every night, your sweat, oil from your skin, and dead skin cells go through the pillowcase and into the pillow.
Enceladus:Sad. So my pillow is full of... stuff?
Enceladus:Yes, and it becomes a paradise for dust mites and bacteria. It's suggested to change your pillow once a year.
Erinome:Once a year! Okay, I need to buy a new pillow this weekend. So what about the kitchen? What's dirty there?
Erinome:Let's talk about the cutting board. Especially wooden ones. Do you have one?
Enceladus:Yes, I love my wooden cutting board.
Erinome:You need to check it for any black spots. Those spots are mold.
Enceladus:Mold? I know mold is bad. But how bad is it?
Erinome:It's very bad. One small black spot can have millions of bacteria. They say a moldy cutting board can be dirtier than a toilet seat.
Enceladus:That is so disgusting! Can I just wash it with hot water?
Erinome:That’s the scary part. There is a special kind of mold, called Huangqu meijun. It is very hard to kill, even with 280-degree heat. And it can cause cancer.
Enceladus:Oh my god. So if my cutting board has black spots, I should just throw it away?
Erinome:Yes, you must. And it’s best to change your cutting board every year. Also, use different boards for raw meat and for vegetables.
Enceladus:Good advice. I will check my cutting board as soon as I get home. Anything else in the kitchen?
Erinome:Yes. The sealing rings. You know, the rubber rings in your food containers or rice cooker lid.
Enceladus:Oh, those things. They are hard to clean.
Erinome:Right. Food and water get stuck in the small gaps. And then, mold grows there. It turns black.
Enceladus:I think I have seen that before. It's really gross.
Erinome:It is. And that mold can touch your food every day. So you should take them off and clean them very carefully after using them. If they turn black, throw them away and buy new ones.
Enceladus:Okay, that makes sense. You are making me want to clean my whole kitchen right now! Haha.
Erinome:Haha, I feel the same way. Let's talk about something else. What kind of bowls do you use?
Enceladus:Just normal ceramic bowls. Some of them have colorful patterns on them. They look pretty.
Erinome:You should be careful with those. Especially if the color is on the surface. It's called 'you shang cai'.
Enceladus:What's wrong with that?
Erinome:The paint used for these patterns can have heavy metals, like lead. When you use the bowl, especially with hot food, these bad things can get into your food.
Enceladus:Seriously? But they are sold in stores!
Erinome:Yes, but some small factories might use cheap and bad materials. It's safer to use plain white bowls, with no patterns on the inside.
Enceladus:Wow. I will definitely pay attention to that when I buy new bowls. This is all very useful information.
Erinome:Now, let's move on to food. Some foods are delicious, but they can be dangerous.
Enceladus:Oh no. What foods? I love eating.
