Can you get mrsa from a dirty house?

When it comes to the cleanliness of our homes, most people want everything spotless. The rise of cleaning products signals that homeowners are keen on getting rid of all the dirt and grime in every nook and cranny they can find.

While everyday activities like eating, sleeping and breathing indoors may seem harmless enough, they could expose you to various kinds of bacteria. And when we talk about bacteria, one area that stands out is Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA).

What Is MRSA?

So what exactly is this organism behind such fear-inducing acronyms? Don’t worry; we’ve got your back! Streptococcus auricularis… wait for it…. MRSA– Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus – is a type of staph infection caused by bacterial strains that have evolved resistance against antibiotic treatments.

Caused by both community-associated (CA) and healthcare-associated (HA) strains, these infections have become exceptionally resistant to multiple antibiotics currently available in pharmacies. Antibiotics served as treatment depend largely on whether patients affected suffered from HA-MRSA or CA-MRSA.

Moreover, since people are prone to picking up germs everywhere they go, there must come some curious thoughts across their minds regarding the possibility of spreading illnesses through dirty homes or shared facilities like gyms or sports venues amongst others. Hence it must be noted here that MRSA spreads quite easily via direct skin-to-skin contact with someone else who has an active infection already set inside them.

How Does One Become Infected With MRSA?

Before deciding if a dirty home increases your chances of contracting this potentially lethal bug known as “superbug” let’s see firstly where you’re more likely than not to pick up MRSA from in real-life situations according to Victoria’s Department Of Health:

Situation	Risk Level of MRSA Infection Exposure
Visiting a friend who is hospitalized with an MRSA infection.	High Risk
Working in close proximity handling and treating patients infected with MRSA.	High Risk
Participating in contact sports like wrestling or rugby that involve direct contact with skin, such as head-to-head bumps or abrasions from rough playing.	Medium to Low Risk depending on level of regular hygiene maintenance and equipment disinfection being enforced by management teams for sporting events/facilities.

So we can see that getting this pathogen does not necessarily depend on owning a dirty home.

How Does Dirty Habitats Affect Our Health?

Neglecting cleanliness within our homes might cause awkwardness when presented as unkept but are they actually life-threatening? Unless it becomes what can be described as outright neglectful (we’ll get to that), living environments which allow bacteria like Staphylococcus aureus-which can grow pretty much everywhere – will lead to infections even before any kind of “deep-cleaning” takes place.

Houses which have plenty of dirt-dust, bacteria, fungi-such elements alongside the germs exposed from external environments outside all act together making us more susceptible for staph-type bacterial outbreaks if there’s broken skin involved during exposure around surfaces (alfresco deck flooring/communal pet feeding areas). This plays out especially where persons within these households are already suffering from weakened immune systems due to pre-existing conditions OR previous antibiotic treatments/

However strange it sounds though; excessive cleaning could also be harmful towards human health if the cleaning agents aren’t chosen carefully enough during purchase since some items may contain chemicals too harmful for humans without proper protective gear.

These numerous factors mean it’s critical to maintain optimal cleanliness levels across any residential space you occupy because whilst clean surroundings cannot protect against pandemic-level illnesses such as COVID-19, they contribute a great deal in preventing MRSA outbreaks.

How To Minimize Exposure To MRSA

Irrespective of your living space’s cleanliness levels, specific preventative measures can be taken to keep infections caused by this bacterium at bay. Here are some tips on how to minimize contact and exposure:

• Use Antibacterial wipes and soap products: These agents give additional protection regarding against combating the spread of bacteria.
• Practice good hygiene by washing hands regularly: A proper cleansing routine covers up nooks of the skin where harmful microorganisms easily build-up along with surfaces you’ve rested upon for prolonged periods.
• Limit exposure yourself around invasively crowded areas: Places like classrooms offer shared spaces between students and hence impossible to avoid all physical contact even after following safety guidelines during COVID-19 pandemic therefore sanitizing always plays an added part when applied daily
• Use Personal protective equipment (PPE): Wear gloves when handling items/items that are potentially contaminated and use a facemask when cleaning so as not to breathe in any airborne pathogens.

By combining these tips alongside maintaining amicable household conditions such as regular change of air filters/lfrequent washing /disinfecting off high-touch items (door handles, tabletops), one can substantially reduce their chances of contracting MRSA within indoor environments.

Final thoughts

So as seen from our discussion today we have learnt that whilst a tidy house is vital – excessive efforts or lack thereof won’t affect your immunity system whatsoever. Instead let’s focus more towards heavier usage of preventive tasks already highlighted proselytising here which guarantees better-improved health overall.