60% of Indians think toilet is worst area when it comes to harbouring viruses

New Delhi: About 60 percent of people in India think that the toilet is the worst offender when it comes to harbouring viruses, while 42 percent allow their pets on their sofas, unaware of the fact that they leave dander around the home consisting of tiny flakes of skin, fur, or feathers that they naturally shed, which can harbour viruses and other allergens, a new study said on Tuesday.

While the rest of the world saw a significant decrease in the number of people keeping a regular cleaning schedule, India saw a significant increase in cleaning motivation as a result of increased virus awareness, according to the global consumer electronics firm Dyson’s Global Dust Study 2023.

One in two Indians are aware of the virus’ presence in dust and express deep concerns but only 32 percent prioritise cleaning to eradicate viruses from areas such as their living room, bedroom and kitchen.

“This significant increase in the number of people only cleaning when they spot visible dust is a cause for concern, as many dust particles – including bacteria, house dust mite feces, and pollen – are microscopic in size and not visible to the naked eye,” said Monika Stuczen, Research Scientist in Microbiology at Dyson.

While 45 percent of Indians believe viruses live in the kitchen, more than 70 percent are unconcerned about removing viruses while cleaning their kitchen.

In 2022, only 31 percent of respondents considered cleanliness a top priority, however, this year 61 percent of participants expressed concerns about dust and dirt accumulation in their homes.

About 42 percent of individuals are only motivated to clean when visible dust or dirt is present on the floor.

Moreover, the report said about 61 percent of people feel that vacuums are the most effective ways to clean dust; therefore, vacuum cleaner ownership has increased over the last year, from an average of 1.1 to 1.7.

“The best way to remove dust is by using a vacuum cleaner with effective filtration and sealing technology, to ensure that whatever you vacuum remains trapped and is not expelled back into the home,” Stuczen said.

In addition, the report said that the age group between 25 and 44 exhibits the highest awareness of dust-related allergens.

About 43 percent of air purifier users in India use their air purifiers all year round to clean the air in their homes, with Mumbai (51 percent) and Pune (50 percent) topping the list.

Nearly 41 percent strongly believe that household dust contributes to illnesses like asthma.