Quiz: How Much Do You Know About Cleaning Your Home?​

Home & Family Family & Relationships Grace Cary/Getty Images Quiz: How Clean Is Your Home?

Test your knowledge of germs and cleanliness

"DISPATCH_CUSTOM", "payload": { "event": "SHOW_QUIZ_QUESTIONS", "payload": "", "target": "NEW_PAGE", "modal": "", "modalId": "", "url": "", "element": "", "accordion": "", "seeMore": "" } }

Quiz: How Clean Is Your Home? 0 100 0 [ { "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" :

""}, { "q

uestion" : "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

househo

lds 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" : ""} ] Quiz Progress 0 Correct

0 Incorrect Caption for quiz image Credit for quiz image Submit { "type": "DISPATCH_CUSTOM", "payload": { "event": "", "payload": "", "target": "", "modal": "", "modalId": "", "url": "",

"element": "", "accordion": "", "seeMore": "" } } NEED A HINT? CLOSE HINT CORRECT INCORRECT Answer: Next Question { "type": "DISPATCH_CUSTOM", "payload": { "event": "", "payload": "",

"target": "", "modal": "", "modalId": "", "url": "", "element": "", "accordion": "", "seeMore": "" } } Get Results { "type": "DISPATCH_CUSTOM", "payload": { "event": "", "payload": "",

"target": "", "modal": "", "modalId": "", "url": "", "element": "", "accordion": "", "seeMore": "" } } Quiz: How Clean Is Your Home? 0 Correct 0 Incorrect Score: Oops...something went wrong.

Please log out and log back in to continue. See Full Results { "type": "DISPATCH_CUSTOM", "payload": { "event": "", "payload": "", "target": "", "modal": "", "modalId": "", "url": "",

"element": "", "accordion": "", "seeMore": "" } } Hide Results { "type": "DISPATCH_CUSTOM", "payload": { "event": "", "payload": "", "target": "", "modal": "", "modalId": "", "url": "",

"element": "", "accordion": "", "seeMore": "" } }

​​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.

"answerLabel" : "Answer", "hintLabel" : "NEED A HINT?", "closeHintLabel" : "CLOSE HINT", "scoreLabel" : "Score", "questionLabel" : "Question", "yourAnswerLabel" : "Your Answer",

"correctAnswerLabel" : "Correct Answer", "seeDetailsLabel" : "See Details", "seeLessLabel" : "See Less"}

AARP NEWSLETTERS

%{ newsLetterPromoText  }%

%{ description }%

Privacy Hub

ADVERTISEMENT

AARP Membership- Limited Time Offer

Memorial Day Sale! Join AARP for just $11 per year with a 5-year membership Join now and get a FREE gift. Expires 6/4

More on home-family

Don’t let viruses and bacteria spread or make your family sick

7 Spaces to Clean in Your Kitchen, Bedroom and More
 The dirtiest things in your house might surprise you { "maxItems":6, "itemsPerRow":"3", "rows":"4", "loadMore":"6", "adsNum":"0",

"resultsLength":"2" } ADVERTISEMENT

"customContainerId" : "" "limit" : "5" "paginationLimit" : "5" "replyLimit" : "2" "paginationReplyLimit" : "5" "sort" : "" "featuredTabActiveThreshold" : "5" }

AARP VALUE &

MEMBER BENEFITS

See All

MEMBERS ONLY Restaurants Denny's

15% off dine-in and pickup orders

{"hideCategory":false,"useAlternateLanguage":false,"headlineIconAltText":"","listItems":[{"categoryTitle":"Restaurants","categoryUrl":"/membership/benefits/restaurants/","categoryDeeplinkParam":"restaurants","isLimitedTimeOffer":false,"offerJson":{"dbr_offer_id":"e03efdb50831c9b6711f553d8fdfb915","source_name":"Denny's","offer_title":"15%

Off Your Check","offer_description":"

Members save 15% on their checks every day—including diner classics and breakfast items. Maximum discount not to exceed $10.

orders","category_list":"restaurants","subcategory_list":"","tags":[{"tagID":"dbr:restaurants","title":"Restaurants","name":"restaurants","deeplink_url":"/membership/benefits/restaurants/","deeplink_param_value":"restaurants","get_offers_url":"/etc/aarp/dbr/ws.api/offers/restaurants.json","sub_tags":[]}],"vertical_image_url":"https://aarp.widen.net/content/rdyvmbt7gq/jpeg/258x334-dennys-all-american-grand-slam-breakfast.jpeg?position=c&color=ffffffff&quality=99&u=qgu0ow&title=Denny's&alt=scrambled

eggs, cheddar cheese, bacon strips, sausage links, hash browns, 4 pieces of white bread

toast","image_url":"https://aarp.widen.net/content/rlnotzmm7w/jpeg/1140x641-dennys-all-american-grand-slam-breakfast.jpeg?position=c&color=ffffffff&quality=99&u=qgu0ow&title=Denny's&alt=scrambled

eggs, cheddar cheese, bacon strips, sausage links, hash browns, 4 pieces of white bread

toast","advertisement_flag":"","advertisement_sort_order":"","merchant_phone":"","merchant_phone_label":"","offer_deeplink_url":"/membership/benefits/restaurants/dennys/","howto_redeem":"Learn

More","howto_redeem_url":"https://www.dennys.com/#aarp-members","howto_redeem_expired":"Renew to Learn

More","howto_redeem_expired_link":"https://appsec.aarp.org/mem/renew","howto_redeem_non_member":"Join to Learn

More","howto_redeem_non_member_link":"https://secure.aarp.org/applications/membershipChallenge/showChallengeForm.action?appName=account","howto_redeem_anonymous":"Join to Learn

More","howto_redeem_anonymous_link":"https://appsec.aarp.org/mem/join?campaignid=UASMBP1&intcmp=EWHERE-MBCHAE-LP-MMA-JOIN","howto_redeem_desc":"

To redeem this offer, present your AARP membership card with your check, or mention your AARP membership number over the phone for pick-up

orders.

terms, conditions, and policies apply.","dbr_offer_type":"discount","restrictions":"

AARP commercial member benefits are provided by third parties, not by AARP or its affiliates. Providers pay a royalty fee to AARP for the use of its intellectual property. These fees are

used for the general purposes of AARP. Some provider offers are subject to change and may have restrictions.

Available only to current AARP members and at participating restaurants. Excludes alcoholic beverages, Everyday Value Slam, Super Slam, merchandise, gift cards, and orders made online. Not

stackable or combinable with Original Grand Slam promotions or any other offers or promotions. Maximum discount not to exceed $10.00.

Please check