Germ-fearing homeowners can take heart.
Steel and appliance makers are joining battle against bacteria with antimicrobial doorknobs and coffee makers and there is even a gleaming bug-free house on a hillside near Los Angeles to show what the future may hold.
The 1,022m2 home in Simi Valley is filled with stainless steel and appliances coated with an antimicrobial compound called AgIon, made by New York-based AK Steel Corp.
PHOTO: REUTERS
The compound contains ions of silver that interact with humidity in the air to continually suppress the growth of bacteria, mould, mildew, fungi and other microbes.
AK Steel this month unveiled what it said was the world's first antimicrobial home, a house that in addition to its steel framing, roof and other components incorporates about 15,900kg of the antimicrobial metal.
The specially coated steel is also hard to mar with fingerprints and easier to clean than traditional stainless, the company says.
Owners Ed and Madeleine Landry said their dream home, which took nearly three years to complete, was initially conceived as low maintenance, but architecturally unique.
"We wanted something that doesn't need paint, doesn't burn, won't rot or be eaten by termites," said Ed Landry, a lawyer.
The couple declined to say how much the house cost.
The antimicrobial angle was an add-on.
"The germ thing came from them," Madeline Landry said of the couple's eventual alliance with AK Steel and appliance makers such as Dacor.
"It turns out there are more germs in your kitchen than in a public restroom. Particularly your refrigerator," she said. "I have asthma, so for me not having to worry a lot about sprays and things is a big benefit."
But not everyone is happy with the idea.
"It's an expensive approach to sanitation ... There is no evidence that it would be effective or durable," said Cynthia Sears, a professor of infectious diseases at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore.
Sears said simple hand washing with soap and water has proved to be highly effective at preventing the transmission of microbes.
The Landry's kitchen has germ-resistant stoves and refrigerators, cutting boards and ceiling. Door handles throughout the spacious building are also antimicrobial as is the duct system for heating and cooling.
"The Legionnaires disease that killed all those people would not have grown in this air conditioning system," Madeline Landry said.
She added that AK Steel plans to test the product over 10 years to see how it lasts.
"I think it's great idea for hospitals or hotels -- anyplace where the public gathers," she said.
AK Steel and companies like Marvel Scientific, maker of refrigerators and other products, seem to agree. Marvel said it has installed appliances at hospitals and schools and is close to launching a commercial product.
AgIon can also be combined with other materials for use in clothing, air and water filters or paints.
Eric Welte, applications engineer for AK Steel, said the coating is not "an instantaneous disinfectant. It provides long-term protection...It's a natural antimicrobial."
He said use of the product would add about US$200 to the cost of a household appliance like a stainless steel refrigerator.
Some medical researchers have warned that heavy use of antimicrobial products could contribute to a new breed of hard-to-kill superbugs as germs tough enough to survive soaps become stronger and more resistant to microbe-killers.
Only time will tell whether the Landry home, which also has features like a voice alerting residents to the exact location of an exterior door opening, will remain germ free.
For now, however, the couple are thrilled with their new home, even if there are some exceptions to its antibacterial theme.
"The bathrooms aren't antimicrobial," said Ed Landry.
Still, they do have disposable hand towels.
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