Hand-washing dishes could prevent allergy development in children

If your home doesn't have a dishwasher, it could actually have health benefits for your children.

A new study published in the journal Pediatrics found that children whose families hand-wash their dishes are likely to have fewer allergies. Researchers believe that many children's environments are actually too clean, which harms the development of their immune systems.

Scientists at Queen Silvia Children's Hospital in Sweden surveyed the parents of 1,029 Swedish children ages seven and eight. They found that in households where families hand-washed their dishes, the children were less likely to have allergies. Twenty-three percent of children whose parents hand-washed dishes had a history of eczema, compared with 38 percent of children whose families used dishwashers.

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The researchers believe that hand-washed dishes may have more bacteria on them, so exposing children to more germs at an early age can help strengthen their immune systems.