- There are more germs on an office desk than a public restroom toilet seat.
According to the study, the dirtiest spots in the office are:
- telephones (usually the worst, by far)
- desktops
- water fountain handle
- microwave door handles
- computer keyboards
- Money is completely contaminated with germs.
Paper money is dry so germs don’t have the chance to thrive on it. What is found on paper money is usually similar to what is found on our hands at any given time. And the metal in coins is an anti-bacterial agent so they are even better. But both items, like anything that gets touched regularly, does have germs on it so be proactive.
- Airplane air makes you sick.
False. The air on planes is as good as fresh air. Most commercial airplanes have HEPA air filters that remove up to 99.9% of bacteria and viruses. And the air is recirculated every 3-5 minutes. If you do catch a cold when flying, chances are it is from someone coughing or sneezing in your immediate vicinity, not from the recirculated air.
- Makeup is full of disease spreading bacteria.
Any bacteria on your hands and face that touches the makeup will contaminate it. The common results are pimples (caused by bacteria trapped in pores) and pinkeye. Washing your hands before applying makeup and cleaning your applicators once a week will reduce the incidence of infections.
- You can get a cold by kissing someone who has a cold.
False. Very few cold viruses exist in saliva. Ear and nose fluids carry the virus.
- You’ll catch a cold by going outside with wet hair.
False. But if a cold virus lands on your hands and you rub your eyes, it doesn’t matter if you are soaking wet in a blizzard or dressed in a half dozen layers, including an electric blanket – you’ll probably get sick.
- Sponges harbor more germs than other cleaning supplies.
True. Sponges are common microorganism carriers as they stay damp, an environment in which germs thrive. They tend to be the most contaminated object in the home. One sponge can be home to billions of bacteria. Drying kills a lot of germs so rinse sponges well between uses and leave them out to dry. You should also replace them frequently.
- Cleaning a sponge in the dishwasher removes all germs.
Putting a dirty sponge through a cycle in the dishwasher with detergent does get rid of many germs but not all. The microwave may be the most effective way to clean a sponge – two minutes should kill most of the germs. That or boiling the sponge for a few minutes.
- My pillow is a playground for nasty germs.
Your pillow will wear out before it becomes germ-infested. As long as you use a pillowcase, the worst you’ll find on your pillow are the harmless bugs that live on your skin. Wash your pillowcases regularly and your pillows occasionally.
- I’m sleeping with millions of bedbugs in my sheets and mattress.
Besides our spouses, there are two critters in bed with us – dust mites and bedbugs. Dust mites are our friends as they remove the dead skin cells we constantly shed. Unless you are allergic to mites, they are harmless. You can remove them by washing your bedding. The pesky bedbugs are harder to get rid of. That requires a professional cleaning at extremely high temperatures. The bedbugs feed on blood and live in mattresses, box springs, and the area around the bed.
- Washing machines are full of bacteria and mildew spores.
True. Dr. Gerba swabbed 100 washing machines and found 44 of them contained fecal bacteria. Avoid this by running a cycle of hot water and bleach once a month. Leave the lid up between loads to dry out the machine.
- Hotel rooms are full of nasty germs.
Viruses can survive on surfaces for days. If the last guest to stay in your hotel room had a cold, chances are some of the viruses may be on the light switches, the remote control, door knobs, handles, pens, the phone, the alarm clock, etc. Bedding isn’t as great a concern as cloth dries out germs so they are less likely to survive. You can always ask how the rooms are disinfected between guests.
- Antibacterial soap is better than plain soap and water.
False. One of the problems with washing with antibacterial soap is that it kills the good bacteria on our skin that protects us from disease-causing bacteria and viruses. Antimicrobial soaps kill all bacteria outright. For the general public, experts consider plain soap and water adequate. For the last few years, the President of the Alliance for the Prudent Use of Antibiotics, Dr. Stuart Levy, has called for the ban of antibacterial soaps in healthy households and says that instead they should be reserved for use in hospitals and homes with very sick people that are at greater risk for bacterial infections.
- An overuse of antibacterial products will spawn the era of super germs.
It is estimated that half of antibiotic use is unnecessary and contributes to the growth of “superbugs”. Used properly, penicillin and comparable drugs are great germ fighting tools but, when overused, antibiotics breed superbugs. The more we use antibiotics, the less power they have and the stronger the germs become. Antibiotics are only effective against bacterial infections and have no effect on viral infections whatsoever.
The most effective thing you can do in the battle against germs is wash your hands before eating and after using the bathroom. This, above anything else, will help keep you healthy.
Toby Welch - Toby is a full-time freelance writer who specializes in magazine articles, online writing, e-books, and manuscript editing.
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