I mean, it is no secret that there are plenty of disgusting places that you want to steer clear of, but what if I told you that some of these are right in your own home, or that you use them everyday? You may be surprised how many germs your hands come in contact with on the daily. According to the Center for Disease Control, 80% of diseases and infections are spread by touching. So listen up and wash up, people, and get ready to put bleach to use!
The sink in your kitchen is probably dirtier than your bathroom. Research says that there are usually more than 500k bacterial spores per square inch just in the drain alone! And please don’t forget about that gross sponge you’ve been meaning to replace, but continue to use, or that basin you’ve had since you moved in! Let’s not forget the countertops and faucet handles that are a germaphobe’s nightmare!
Risk-Reducing Tips:
Think all you’re doing is sprinkling spices on your food? You might also be transferring — or picking up — bacteria on your hands as you handle those jars of cumin, paprika or chili powder. A study published in the Journal of Food Protection last year found that as people cook, they often spread bacteria to spice jars. As part of the study, researchers asked people to prepare a meal of turkey patties and a salad.
After the meal was cooked, researchers detected bacteria from the turkey on 48 percent of the spice containers, making the jars a key vehicle for cross-contamination. To prevent this, make sure you wash your hands before cooking and after handling any raw meat. And you can use a hot, soapy cloth or disinfectant wipes on spice jars for a clean slate.
READ: Germ Hot Spots: The Plane Edition
Did you know that almost every time wet undies are moved from the washer to the dryer, you get E. coli on your hands? All it takes is one soiled, sexy panty to spread bacteria amongst your entire load of clothes and even the machine!
Risk-Reducing Tips:
It doesn’t matter if you are making coffee at home or in the office; both can be a problem. Dark and damp, the reservoirs of coffee makers are perfect breeding grounds for microorganisms. Fifty percent of the reservoirs swabbed for the study had mold and yeast, and nine percent had coliform bacteria.
Cleaning tip: Read the instruction manual. One good cleaning technique is to add four cups of vinegar to the reservoir, let it sit for 30 minutes, and then brew that vinegar. Then run two or three cycles of fresh water through the coffeemaker until the smell is gone.
Shopping cart handles carry it all: saliva, bacteria, fecal matter, you name it! This is yet another place that is at the top of the charts on the dirty scale. Shopping cart handles are touched daily by several individuals handling foods, produce, and any personal germs they are carrying.
Risk-Reducing Tip:
Cash is not the only thing you get when you go to the ATM. These machines and their buttons often have more germs and dirt than the public bathrooms! I mean, how often do you see anyone cleaning the ATM machine (yikes!)?
Risk-Reducing Tips:
Recent studies have shown that a woman’s purse can carry millions of bacterial spores inside. There were even oftentimes bugs like pseudomonas, salmonella and E. coli.
READ: Do You Know Where That Lipstick Has Been
Risk-Reducing Tips:
Germs can get onto hands if people touch any object that has germs on it because someone coughed or sneezed on it or if it was touched by some other contaminated object. When these germs get onto hands and are not washed off, they can be passed from person to person and make people sick.
While you can’t visually see the germs on someone’s hands, it’s a good practice to assume that hands are not always perfectly clean and to prioritize good hand hygiene, such as frequent and thorough handwashing, to protect yourself and others from the spread of infections.
Visit the BlackDoctor.org General Health center for more.
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