10 of the dirtiest things you touch every day

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WE can’t see them, but they’re everywhere. Inside your house, in your food, even in your pocket. Bacteria are generally considered the bad guys, but they are actually good for us – normal amounts that is.

Bacteria and viruses can survive up to 18 hours on an object, and adults touch up to 30 different objects in a minute, thus allowing bacteria and germs to crawl onto the skin.

• Toothbrushes: After a toilet flush, bacteria can travel and linger in the air for up to 2 hours and hence, land on toothbrushes.

• Kitchen: Sponges have almost 10 million bacteria per square centimetre, followed by the kitchen clothe, with approximately 1 million bacteria per square centimetre, and of course the kitchen sink which is just crawling with germs. Did you know there are 200 times more bacteria on a cutting board than on the toilet seat?

• Lemon slices in cocktails: Whenever you order a drink and the bartender serves it with a twist, the slices of lemon or orange on the rim of the glass can be filled with bacteria. Owing to the manner in which they are handled, they are rarely washed and bartenders touch numerous glasses both clean and dirty. There are 26 living microorganisms on that slice of lemon, but thanks goodness alcohol kills bacteria. Best you keep sipping those Mojito’s in the Empangeni heat.

• Soap: Approximately one fourth of all liquid soaps in public toilets are contaminated because they are stored in containers that are not cleaned on a frequent basis, even though dirty hands touch them all the time. After applying the soap, make sure you rub carefully for 15 to 20 seconds, and do not touch the container again.

• Money: Just imagine the hands money has exchanged! There can be up to 135,000 bacteria on a single note – not forgetting between the breasts of the much-loved mama selling chappies on the side of the road or the homeless man on the corner of Main Road and Turnbull Street.

• Toilet seat: While the lid may not be as dirty, housing an average 50 bacteria per square centimetres, it is the upper white china surface that is more concerning, where there can be up to 250 different species of bacteria per square centimetre.

• Office desks: A study conducted revealed that office desks have 400 times more bacteria than a toilet seat and influenza viruses are most common on office desks.

• Cell phones: Mobile phones are known to have 10 times more bacteria than a toilet seat. I’m talking about 13,000 bacteria per square centimetre! So, who else do you want to call now?

• Shopping carts and baskets: Hundreds of hands and pounds of food come into contact with those trolleys each day. They get cleaned once every week, so wipe the handle with an antibacterial tissue before touching it, and wash your hands with soap as soon as you get home.

• Restaurant menus: Often the least cleaned items and hence have a huge number of bacteria on them. When compared to a toilet seat, they have 10 times more bacteria that may or may not be harmful.