The toilet is often seen as one of the dirtiest objects we come into contact with daily but toilets are usually cleaned more often. Things we handle everyday, like phones, toothbrushes, and doorknobs are usually contaminated with much more bacteria than a toilet. Here are 10 unexpected items we think are clean but are actually really filthy.
Gas Pump
Hundreds of people touch the handles at the gas pump daily and they never get cleaned, so it’s no surprise that 71% of gas pump handles are contaminated with germs that can spread disease.
Restaurant Menus
Another one of those things that are touched by many people but are rarely cleaned, restaurant menus are filled with germs. Clean your hands after ordering and don’t let the menus touch your silverware or plates.
Keyboards
If you eat while you type at your computer, you might want to stop doing that. Keyboards can have 200 times more bacteria than a toilet.
Office Desk
Office desks have 400 times more bacteria than a toilet seat.
Cellphones
In a study at a Northern Ireland Hospital, almost all phones had evidence of bacterial growth with 15% of phones contaminated with bacteria known to cause infection. In another study, 16% of phones are contaminated with fecal matter.
Kitchen Sponge
The moist and porous material of sponges are perfect homes for germs. The kitchen sponge is 200,000 times dirtier than a toilet seat making it one of the most dirtiest objects we handle daily. To kill the germs, wet the sponge and microwave it.
Handbags
Handbags are commonly contaminated with fecal bacteria you normally find on the floor of a bathroom, bacteria that can cause skin infections, viruses that cause colds, and viruses that cause diarrhea.
ATM
An ATM is contaminated to the same level as public toilets with bacteria that can cause sickness and diarrhea.
Toothbrush
When you flush your toilet, it releases an aerosol spray of dirty water over six meters. So if you leave your toothbrush near the vicinity of a toilet, it most likely contains microscopic droplets of fecal matter.
Money
Studies show that a majority of U.S. bills are contaminated with cocaine, carry more germs than a toilet, and can transport a live flu virus for up to 17 days.
