OUR LEAST-FAVORITE CHORES _ Nearly a full day every month (21 hours) is devoted just to home-related tasks, while even more (32 hours) goes into keeping the yard looking fresh. Our most disliked chores, in order:
• Pulling weeds
• Cleaning the bathroom
• Edging the lawn
• Laying mulch
• Mowing the lawn
• Washing dishes
• Laundry
• Tending to the garden
• Vacuuming
• Outdoor cleaning (yard/patio)
DON’T BOTHER CLEANING YOUR KITCHEN SPONGE _ Kitchen sponges have been picked out as bacterial magnets for quite a while, though that hasn’t stopped new studies from surfacing. The most recent came from a team of researchers in Germany who used genetic sequencing to compile the most comprehensive list of sponge bacteria to date. The results weren’t surprising. Looking at 14 different used kitchen sponges, the researchers found up to 54 billion bacteria per cubic centimeter, spanning 118 types. Many of these pose no harm to humans, but some are. The study also came with another, more provocative claim: cleaning sponges doesn’t seem to help at all. Based on previous studies, conventional wisdom held that microwaving or boiling sponges helped to kill off bacteria. When they attempted to replicate these findings with their sponges, the researchers found very little difference in bacteria numbers between sponges that had been cleaned and those that hadn’t.
GUESS WHO FEELS THE BEST ABOUT HOW THEY LOOK? _ We may think we fear signs of aging — like wrinkles or thinning hair — but a poll shows that we’ll actually feel more attractive when we’re older. According to 85,000 interviews, seniors are more confident in their physical appearance than any other adult demographic. Two-thirds of Americans 65 and older reported feeling good about their appearance, rating their confidence level at a four or five on a five-point scale. 61 percent of 18 to 34-year-olds reported feeling great about the way they look. Confidence in physical appearance dipped most in the 35- to 64-year-old bracket, where only 54 percent of respondents reported feeling confidant in their physical appearance.
