Warning: Even if you’re a mild germaphobe, the following information may make you shudder.
Some of these things you touch all the time are teeming with bacteria.
We’re not just talking about toilet seats because believe it or not, those are cleaner than the things listed bellow, as per the World Health Organization.
So grab your favorite sanitizer because it’s time to dive in and get our hands dirty.
Sponges
Scrub-a-dub-dub! The very items you use to clean your hands and dishes are among the filthiest objects you encounter, according to the WHO, with as many as 10 million bacteria per square inch.
A research in one study said that sponges have E.coli and Salmonella.
Cellphones
It goes with you everywhere — even into the bathroom. As a result, it could be up to 10 times dirtier than a toilet seat.
Your smartphone is caked with countless types of bacteria—including ones whose names alone might make you feel phantom symptoms as often as you feel phantom vibrations. Among them is Staphylococcus aureus, which can cause skin infections, pneumonia, and food poisoning, among other awful conditions.
Remote Control
Everyone touches it — even the neighbor’s kid, who picks his nose nonstop.
Sorry, channel surfers, but your clicker’s covered with germs—Coliform bacteria, mold, and potentially even the infection-causing Staphylococcus aureus, which NSF International found on 14 percent of household remotes. So maybe put on some gloves before grabbing the remote.
Computer Keyboard
You eat lunch over it at work. The kids log on at home and wipe their runny noses while they play their favorite games.
Staph, Coliform, yeast, and mold are among the tasty treats likely to be hiding in the crannies of your favorite QWERTY keyboard. And on that note, if you’ll excuse us, we need to go wash our hands a few dozen times.
Toothbrush Holder
How can this be? Your toothpaste kills germs, doesn’t it? Yes! But a lot of them stick to the bristles and drip onto the holder. This spot has one of the highest bacteria readings of anything you touch.
First, most of us leave our toothbrushes wet when we’re done—a lovely place for nasty-sounding stuff like Serratia marcescens, which can cause meningitis.
Second, our toothbrushes tend to be close to our toilets—and if you flush the toilet with the lid up, everything within 5 to 6 foot is getting sprayed with aerosolized fecal matter. So shut that lid.
Money
You grab it all the time with your germy hands. So do other people.
Researchers found that most dollar bills are covered in 3,000 types of bacteria — everything from the germs that cause acne to microbes from people who lick their fingers when they count out bills.
Your Purse
You stick your hands in it all the time. So do your kids. But you rarely clean it.
When’s the last time you cleaned your purse? The answer is probably “not recently enough.”
A 2012 swab test done by Initial, one of the leading providers of hygiene essentials in the UK found beaucoup bacteria in handbags, with germs lurking everywhere from the handles to the items inside (especially those related to makeup).
In light of the recent Covid-19 pandemic that strikes the world, let’s practice good hygiene and remember to stay clean. /bmjo