Bacteria is on everything we touch from kitchen counters in the home to keyboards at the office and tabletops at restaurants.

Not all of bacteria is bad.

Some bacteria is good, but the key is keeping it at bay and not letting it grow to levels that can make you sick.

Dr. Krishna Urval said, "You can inhale bacteria and some can cause infections and you can touch them and have skin infections."

He said high numbers of germs are lurking inside your home.

People use sponges for cleaning, but sometimes they can be harmful.

News9's Chandi Lowry went to a lab, put on gloves and tested a sponge to uncover what's deep inside.

Whatever is on the sponge will show up on a Petri dish.

After being in an incubator for a week, she discovered bacteria was living on the sponge.

The kitchen isn't the only place that can make you sick.

The bedroom is allergy enemy number one.

That's because of microscopic dust mites that live in places like mattresses and pillows.

They are relatives of spiders and ticks and every home has millions of them and an overload can agitate allergies, but the mites that don't bite aren't what you need to worry about.

Urval said, "What you are allergic to is not the dust mite itself but it's the feces of the dust mite and the body parts of the dust mites once they are dead."

Dust mites live in vacuums too, so if a person doesn't change the bag or filter they are just reinfesting the area.

Biology professors said something as simple as flushing a toilet in a bathroom leaves a person open to E. coli.

Biology professor Stephanie Vance said, "If you leave your toothbrush sitting in a cup, bristle part up, it's going to collect anything in the air."

Also, make sure the chemicals you use in your house are stored properly because if they leak, the products pollute the air and over a long period of time can cause respiratory illnesses. For More Information

Mayo Clinic Website Can Help

Center For Disease Control