Here are the 50 unhealthiest things that you touch every single day. Read on—and to ensure your health and the health of others.
Viruses are everywhere—literally—including in the headlines, as the coronavirus spreads across the planet. The only way to avoid coming into contact with disease-causing bacteria, parasites, and other germy items is living in complete isolation (which obviously isn’t realistic). There are many everyday things you still have to come into contact with them. Read this post to know how to protect yourself and others.
1. Restaurant Pagers
Those plastic gizmos you are given which the host uses to tell you your table is ready may be handy, but they are also, well, touched by many hands. “Restaurant pagers are handled by innumerable people whose hands were likely not clean,” points out Stephen C. Schimpff, MD MACP. “Their cold or flu becomes yours!”
2. Menus
When the server hands us a menu, most of us aren’t thinking about just how many hands have touched it. “Not to get everyone frantic, but menus are rarely cleaned,” Dr. Schimpff points out. When they are, they are usually just wiped down—not disinfected!
3. Self-Checkout Kiosks
When the lines are long, it can save time to check yourself out—but you also may be checking in with germs, warns Thanu Jey, DC, Clinic Director at Yorkville Sports Medicine Clinic. “Studies have found that self-checkout kiosks can be covered in germs, especially ones used in fast-food restaurants and airports,” points out Dr. Jey. “Since kiosks are used by many people in succession, in areas that follow food and washroom usage, this makes them a bed for germs.” Because they are used constantly, there is no possible way to clean them in-between uses.
4. Gas Station Pumps
Most of us are worried about getting gas on our hands at the gas station when we should be worried about germs. “Gas station pumps and their screens are used in continuity by people that drive, which makes for an easy way to facilitate the transfer of bacteria and germs,” Dr. Jey points out. Since the pumps are difficult to sanitize, make sure you do a good job of cleaning your hands after use.
5. Your Pet
We love our pets. They are living, breathing creatures who love us unconditionally. However, they are also animals who run around outside, step in, and sometimes even eat, poop. Therefore, touching them can contaminate you with everything from foodborne illnesses to parasitic worms, per the CDC.
6. Animals at Petting Zoos
Sure, it’s fun to pet adorable little animals at petting zoos, fairs, aquariums, and even that school pet. However, according to the CDC, animals sometimes carry germs that can make people sick. From 2010-2015, about 100 outbreaks of illness in people linked to animals in public settings like zoos, fairs, and educational farms were reported to public health officials. To avoid becoming a statistic, always wash your hands with soap and water directly after touching an animal or use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer.
7. Your Phone
When was the last time you washed your screen? Exactly. Use water and a lint-free, scratch-resistant cloth in soft strokes.
8. A Sponge
Multiple studies have found that the germiest item in your home is a sponge, due to the warm, moist environment it provides. One study found that in just one square inch of a sponge, a whopping 200 million bacteria are present.
9. Dishtowels
For similar reasons, kitchen hand towels are also riddled with dangerous bacteria.
10. Cutting Boards
Because cutting boards touch everything from raw meat to fruits and vegetables, it’s incredibly easy for them to become contaminated with germs. In fact, 18 percent of them host dangerous bacteria.
11. Your Kitchen Sink
Most of us toss our dirty dishes in the kitchen sink and then take them out to clean them. But according to one study, a staggering 45 percent of kitchen sinks are contaminated with coliform bacteria— which includes Salmonella and E. coli.
12. Your Toothbrush Holder
You might be surprised to learn that one of the ickiest things to touch in your bathroom is actually your toothbrush holder. One study found that 27 percent of toothbrush holders were tainted with coliforms.
13. Your Pet’s Toy
Think about everything your dog’s mouth touches—and then all the places they may drop their toys. That will give you somewhat of an idea about how germy that toy or ball that belongs to Fido or Fluffy actually is. One study found that in 23 percent of households, staph, a MRSA indicator, was detected on pet toys and that these items were more likely to carry it than any others in the home.
14. Pet Bowls
The same study found that pet bowls were also one of the germiest things in the home.
16. Your Remote Control
How often do you clean your remote control? Many of us fail to disinfect the gadget, despite the fact that we use them daily and touch them directly after coming into contact with other germy items.
17. Your Computer Keyboard
For the same reason our remote controls are germy, so are our computer keyboards.
18. Pens
Consider this: 14 percent of household pens tested positive for staph. When you use a pen you find in public—like at the bank, work, or school—that has been touched by numerous people, think about the germ potential.
19. Your Coffee Machine
The inside of your coffee machine is one of the germiest places, hosting 548,270 normalized microorganisms per 10 sq. cm.
20. Reusable Grocery Bags
You may be saving the environment by using reusable bags, but they might be covered in germs. According to a 2010 study, many were contaminated with E. coli, due to the fact that they come into contact with contaminated food.
21. Money
Most of us love to get our hands on money. However, your hard-earned cash could be making you sick. One 2017 study found the average dollar pill hosted hundreds of species of microorganisms—ranging from ones that cause acne and skin bacteria to vaginal bacteria, microbes from mouths, DNA from pets, viruses, and even drugs.
22. The Office Coffee Cup
The office coffee cup may seem harmless. Despite the fact that many different people use a certain mug, it is washed between uses. However, one study found that up to 90 percent of mugs in office kitchens are covered in germs, and, brace yourself—20 percent can carry fecal matter. This is due to the fact that most office sponges are completely filthy.
23. Your Laundry
Sure, you know your dirty clothes aren’t exactly clean, but you probably have no idea just how gross they are. In fact, even your clothes fresh out of the dryer are harboring dangerous bacteria, due to imperfect cleaning methods. One study found that the average pair of clean undies has at least 0.1 grams of feces and up to 10 grams.
24. Your Purse
Most of us don’t clean our purses, yet they go everywhere with us, hold numerous items that leak, touch other contaminated items, sit on dirty bathroom floors, and have our children’s dirty hands pawing through them. Does that give you an idea about how germy your handbag is?
25. The ATM
In addition to money being dirty, so is the dispensary where we get it. One recent study found that ATMs in New York City were significantly more contaminated than public restrooms.
26. Shopping Carts
How many people have wheeled around the grocery cart you are using since the last time it was cleaned? The answer is, likely a lot. One study found that the average grocery cart hauls around over 360 times more bacteria than a bathroom doorknob.
27. Your Gloves
Many of us wear gloves to avoid touching germs, but the second your hand touches your glove, it is likely to be contaminated. Think about all the things your gloves touch—paired with the fact that most of us don’t wash them daily.
28. Light Switches
When we clean our homes, we usually focus on areas like the bathroom, kitchen, and bedroom. We may even wipe down the television, windows, or other areas that look dirty. But most of us don’t think to disinfect every light switch—despite the fact many dirty fingers touch them daily.
29. Your Makeup Brushes
Even if you are tossing out your makeup by the recommended dates and regularly cleaning your makeup brushes, you are exposing yourself to dangerous bacteria. Byrdie conducted a recent study, testing makeup brushes that had been regularly cleaned. Guess what? Most of them contained harmful bacteria.
30. Your Water Bottle
Reusable water bottles are crucial in helping save the planet. But keep in mind that harmful bacteria lurking inside and outside your water bottle. Think about all the places you set your water bottle down on, and the potential germs it could be picking up. One study found that 83 percent of used plastic bottles at gyms were contaminated with bacteria. Make sure to wash your water bottle thoroughly in between uses—both inside and out!
