10 of the dirtiest things we encounter in our daily lives

Have you ever stopped and thought about just how many germs are hiding in everyday objects, be it at home or out in public?

According to MSN Lifestyle, these are the dirtiest objects you encounter in your daily lives:

1. Sponges and dish cloths – Kitchen sponges are believed to be dirtier than a toilet seat!

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2. Sinks, taps and handles – Research at NSF International found coliform bacteria – a family that includes both Salmonella and E.coli – in a whopping 45 percent of kitchen sinks. After much testing, it was proved that kitchen sinks were much dirtier than bathroom sinks. Another thing to be wary of are shower heads which are known to frequently home pathogens called Mycobacterium avium, which may cause pulmonary disease.

3. Toothbrushes and their holders – A lot of people, after brushing their teeth, return the toothbrushes to the holders and they remain wet. This then enables germs to settle faster. Another thing is for all those who have bathroom sinks right next toilets, when you flush the toilet while the lid is still up, the water sprays out within a five to six foot radius. So basically ‘aerosolised faecal matter’ is being sprayed onto anything nearby.

4. Refrigerator handles – There are known to be considerable amounts of germs on fridge door handles including yeast and mould.

5. Cutting boards – Kitchen chopping surfaces, according to several ‘experts’, can have anything from 50 to 200 times as much bacteria as anything else in the household. It could have everything from E.coli to Salmonella.

6. Remote controls – Coliform bacteria and mould were two of the major germs found by the NSF International on 14 percent of household remotes. On hotel room remotes there was an average of 67.6 colony-forming units of bacteria per cubic centimetre.

7. Cellphones – The thing that most people carry with them every day, a smartphone, also carries several germs on it including Staphylococcus aureus, which can cause skin infections, pneumonia or even food poisoning. Studies have even deduced that cellphones can carry more germs than public toilets.

8. Handbags/purses – When was the last time you cleaned your handbag? There are so many objects that get thrown in there on a daily basis ranging from money to make-up, sweets and more.

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9. Trolleys – You never know who’s been touching your trolley and what has been placed in there, such as contaminated food. If you see those sanitary wipes nearby, use them to wipe the trolley handles before actually taking one to use. Also make sure that you wash your hands after pushing one.

10. Keyboards – There are so many germs that get in-between the keys on your keyboard. Examples of these germs are Staph, Coliform, yeast, and mould.

(Source: MSN Lifestyle)

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