Love the Bugs! Your life depends on them..

Every day, countless advertisements remind us that we are in danger of being overrun by harmful germs. Our only salvation, it would seem, is the vast range of antibacterial cleaners that line our supermarket shelves.


But is there is any scientific research to suggest that using these products to clean surfaces in your home will reduce illness?

Infectious diseases expert Dr Michael Whitby says no 'reputable research' has found that using antibacterial products to clean surfaces – such as bench tops, bathroom sinks and toilets – will cut sickness. (Much of the research into bacteria in the home is funded by the companies that make the antibacterial products.)

"I'm not saying that inanimate surfaces don't spread disease. What I'm saying is that in the close relationship of a household, a lot of it [disease] is spread person to person, and cleaning the inanimate surfaces with an antibacterial cleaner is not going to help," Whitby says.