Table 2 Characteristics of the dishwashers in relation to the mean numbers of different bacterial species isolated
From: The dishwasher rubber seal acts as a reservoir of bacteria in the home environment
Characteristic | Specific | Mean bacterial species per dishwasher |
|---|---|---|
Water hardness (mmol/L CaCO3) | Hard (2.0) | 7.8 |
Moderately hard (1.6) | 9.6 | |
Slightly hard (1.0) | 9.0 | |
Soft (0.5) | 4.5 | |
Type of cleaning | None | 8.9 |
Chemical | 8.5 | |
Mechanical | 11.0 | |
Temperature of washing (°C) | 50 | 10.3 |
60 | 9.1 | |
65 | 8.9 | |
70 | 2.0 | |
Frequency of use (per week) | < 7 | 9.2 |
7 | 7.9 | |
8–14 | 11.0 | |
Age of dishwasher (years) | 0.5–1.0 | 10.9 |
1.1–2.0 | 9.8 | |
2.1–3.0 | 7.8 | |
3.1–6.0 | 8.3 | |
6.1–8.0 | 7.7 |