Brush 
Clothing 
Deadly 
Dish-Cloths 
Care of 
Plumbing 
106 HOUSEHOLD BACTERIOLOGY 
much as possible, cold and dry as feasible, to retard 
the growth of the micro-organisms present. All foods 
eaten raw should be thoroughly cleaned, especially 
those that have been exposed to dust, those grown in 
or near the earth or those watered by house slops. 
Clothes should be well brushed, out of doors if pos¬ 
sible ; those which can be should be washed frequently, 
boiled and sunned. All should be kept dry to prevent 
mildew, which we know is mold. 
That dish cloths and dish towels be kept clean is as 
necessary for health as for clean, bright tableware. 
The. greasy dish cloth furnishes a most favorable field 
for the growth of germs. It must be washed with 
soap and hot water and dried thoroughly each time. 
All such cloths should also form a part of the weekly 
wash and be subjected to all the disinfection possible 
with soap, hot water, and long drying in sunshine 
and the open air. Beware of the disease-breeding, 
greasy, and damp dish cloth hung in a warm, dark 
place! Indeed, no damp article should ever be stored 
in the dark. The ordinary sink cupboard is a warm, 
dark and usually a damp place, which even the plumber 
denounces as an unclean spot. 
All waste and overflow pipes, from that of the 
kitchen sink to that of the refrigerator, become foul 
with grease, lint, dust, and many organic compounds 
that are the result of bacterial action. They are 
sources of contamination to the air of the entire house 
and to the food supply, thereby endangering health. 
