Dr Primrose Freestone, associate professor of Biological and Biomedical Sciences at the University of Leicester, has revealed her extreme daily home cleaning routine designed to eliminate bacterial risks. Dr Freestone told the Daily Mail that her professional knowledge of microbiology shaped her strict hygiene habits. She explained that after discovering what grows in and on human bodies, her initial reaction was "yuck."
To maintain personal hygiene, Dr Freestone begins her morning with a shower. She noted that while the body technically only needs to be washed once every other day, having a good wash every day is necessary for those who are precious about their hygiene.
Her bathroom routine involves strict laundering rules. Towels are used only once before being washed at 60°C (140°F). Shower mats are laundered weekly on a hot wash, while the shower head is scrubbed weekly using antibacterial hand wash. Dr Freestone warned that the shower head gets colonised by everything that is in tap water, adding that getting Legionella in your shower head is not a good idea at all.
Toothbrushes present another significant contamination risk due to damp conditions, soft bristles, and food particles. Dr Freestone said she took her toothbrush into the lab to examine what was growing on it. Following her findings, she washes her toothbrush with antibacterial hand gel after every use and holds it under a hot tap for 30 seconds to ensure germs are not transferred into the mouth.
Dietary Risks and Yoghurt Avoidance
During breakfast, Dr Freestone wipes down her television remote control with antiseptic spray before relaxing. Her food preparation habits are equally disciplined, including an absolute refusal to eat live yoghurt despite spending considerable time cooking and baking.
Dr Freestone stated that she does not like yoghurt because live yoghurts can cause blood poisoning if they enter the circulation. Specifically, the Lactobacillus Bulgaricus bacteria present in live yoghurt can trigger inflammation of the pancreas, which has been known to kill otherwise healthy people. She cautioned that anything entering the blood that is not supposed to be there can cause severe illness, adding that an average person who has a tooth extracted at the dentist and subsequently eats yoghurt may end up with a bacterial infection in their immune system.
Workplace Hygiene and Daily Floor Maintenance
At her office at the University of Leicester, Dr Freestone applies her microbiological research expertise to locate reservoirs of infection. She regularly sanitises her office telephone and computer keyboard with antibacterial spray. She washes her hands roughly eight times a day, increasing the frequency when baking, and carries antibacterial spray, hand sanitiser, and wipes at all times.
Dr Freestone expressed frustration that her office carpet is vacuumed by cleaning ladies once a week, which is seven times less than at home. Her rigorous home cleaning routine originally began when her mother underwent chemotherapy and had a very weak immune system. Although her mother has fully recovered, those extreme cleaning habits stuck, reinforced by her mother having hay fever.
To manage household dust and pathogens, Dr Freestone hoovers her home carpets every day, despite admitting that carpets only really need to be vacuumed weekly. Non-carpeted floors are mopped daily using disinfectant, and carpets are shampooed once a month. She explained that floors can harbour anything feet have walked through, including E. coli, Listeria, Salmonella, Staphylococcus from skin cells, and fungi, especially Aspergillus. She noted that Listeria is particularly good at surviving in extreme environments.
Despite these floor contamination risks, Dr Freestone maintains a shoes-on household. She explained that she would not want to ask people to take their shoes off and walk on floors that might not be clean.
Kitchen Safety and Food Preparation Standards
In the kitchen, Dr Freestone applies her research specialism in food contamination and food poisoning risks. She uses dish sponges only once before throwing them into the bin, and tea towels are thrown into a hot wash after a single use.
Dr Freestone avoids plastic implements and bowls where possible because scratched and pitted plastic surfaces create grooves where bacteria can fester and grow. The few plastic bowls she owns are scrubbed with four lots of antibacterial washing up liquid and left to dry in the oven so heat can drive out bacteria. Additionally, every bowl and dish in her kitchen has a specific use so that raw meat does not contaminate vegetables or baked goods.
Dr Freestone completely avoids chopping boards, stating that she thinks chopping boards are pretentious. She explained that the grooves left when chopping actually lodge bacteria and fungi, making them difficult to sanitise. Instead, anything that needs to be chopped gets cut on a scratch-proof glass plate. After cooking, any food that is prepared is promptly refrigerated and kept for a maximum of two days.
Bedroom Sanitation and High Temperature Laundry
Managing laundry requires significant daily effort in the Freestone household. In addition to daily washing for towels, bathmats, and tea towels, Dr Freestone wears fresh pyjamas, pants, and socks every day, washing them at 60°C (140°F). Bed sheets are changed twice weekly in the summer and once a week in the winter. She explained that sweat builds up in bed sheets overnight, providing food for bacteria and fungi that flourish in warm, dark environments, which can cause bad odours and skin irritation.
Dr Freestone also hoovers her bed mattress once a week to keep house dust mite numbers under control. Having taken samples and examined them under a microscope, she stated that sneezing upon getting into bed is caused by faecal matter from house dust mites. She noted that house dust mites are present throughout the house whether people like it or not, making daily hoovering and mopping essential.
Once clothes and sheets are washed, Dr Freestone hot steam irons every item, including tea towels, pants, socks, bed sheets, and towels. She explained that the blast of heat and hot steam helps kill off remaining bacteria that survived the wash, ensuring no germs are festering in the laundry before she goes to sleep.
Food Poisoning Prevention Guidelines
To reduce food poisoning risks, standard hygiene advice emphasizes maintaining clean kitchen surfaces and washing hands, as germs survive across all kitchen surfaces. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends keeping raw meat, poultry, seafood, and eggs separate from ready-to-eat foods by using separate cutting boards, plates, and refrigerator storage.
Using a food thermometer is the only sure-fire way to confirm that internal cooking temperatures reach levels high enough to kill harmful germs. Perishable foods should be refrigerated within two hours of purchase in a refrigerator set below 40°F. Consumers should not rely solely on expiration dates, but should discard food that smells or looks unusual. Finally, frozen foods should never be thawed on the counter where bacteria multiply quickly in outer layers, but should instead be thawed in the refrigerator, in cold water, or in a microwave.
