How to make your house dirtier to avoid top killer diseases

Many of us feel as though we spend our lives scrubbing and vacuuming, but few stop to think that at least some degree of grubbiness is essential to maintaining a healthy household. Just don't tell your kids.

While it's certainly important to keep things fresh, there's also been growing awareness in recent times of the importance of introducing a range of germs to your home, within reason, of course.

A number of experts swear by exposing yourself and your family to a broader range of microbes, which you could well be missing out on if your kitchen floor is a little too sparkling. Exposure to most microbes is reportedly completely harmless, or even beneficial, helping to support a robust immune system, which is vital for a little one's development.

With an improved immune system, you can expect better protection against respiratory illnesses, including colds, flu and bronchitis. It's thought that microbial exposure could also shield against developing certain allergies and autoimmune diseases, such as asthma, hay fever, eczema and even multiple sclerosis

Less mopping and fewer sniffles sounds like a win, but how do you begin setting up a suitably dirty home without taking things too far?

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Hearing from experts, The Washington Post advised that building up a collection of eye-catching house plants could do wonders.

Not only will this help create a homely look, but your indoor garden can help diverse microbial communities thrive. Opening a window, as long as you live somewhere with good air quality, and don't suffer from pollen allergies, could also do the trick, especially if you live within 500 feet of a diverse range of plants.

In news that will no doubt be music to the ears of animal lovers, pets - and in particular dogs - have the power to "alter and diversify" the microbiome inside your home, simply by being their loveable, mucky selves.

Experts linked this with dogs "running around outside and getting dirty, then tracking microorganisms into the house". It is, of course, up to you whether or not you let your canine companion hop up on the couch to get things really messy.

Interestingly, the way your building is designed could have a significant effect on influencing your microbiome, with experts Samuel J. White and Philippe B. Wilson telling The Conversation that buildings could be built to "naturally support a healthy microbiome".

This could be working by implementing natural materials into the building process, such as wood, which can host healthful microbes. Ventilation systems focused on enhancing microbial diversity may also be hugely beneficial.

According to White and Wilson, another great idea would be "living walls" teeming with plant and microbial life, or materials "embedded" with bacterial spores that can then be "activated when needed".

It's probably not a great idea to chuck your dustpan and brush out just yet, but those of us who've been meaning to do a deep clean for a while can at least now say we're putting this off in the name of healthy living...

Do you have a story to share? Email me at julia.banim@reachplc.com