Health Hazard Alert: Germs!

From Health Magazine

Germ alert! What are you more worried about, touching the trash can or touching your kitchen sink? If you said the trash can – you’ve got it backwards. Here are some of the germiest things you encounter every single day.

• Your kitchen sink: There are typically more than 500,000 bacteria per square inch in the drain! The faucet handles are also crawling with germs, and don’t even get me started on that sponge. So, here’s your best defense: Clean your kitchen counters and sink with an anti-bacterial product after you prepare or rinse foods, especially meats, fruits and vegetables. They carry a lot of potential dangers, like salmonella and E. Coli. That’s the word from Dr. Philip Tierno, author of The Secret Life of Germs. He says you should also sanitize sponges by running them through the dishwasher’s drying cycle, which kills 99.9% of bacteria. Additionally, nuking it in the microwave on high for one minute. Doing that kills virtually all bacteria, yeast, and mold. Just make sure the sponge is wet first or it might burn up in the microwave. Also, clean your sink twice a week with a solution of one tablespoon chlorine bleach, and one quart water. Scrub the basin, then pour the mix down the sink.
  
  
• Your office phone: It has about 25,000 germs per square inch! Experts say phones are pretty gross – they get coated with germs from your mouth and hands. In fact, your desk area in general is pretty bad. Dr. Charles Gerba – also known as Dr. Germ – calls desks “bacteria cafeterias” because of all the food particles he’s found there from desktop diners. Simply cleaning your desk, phone and keyboard with a disinfecting wipe once in the middle of the day will kill 99.9% of bacteria and viruses.
  
  
• Protect your kids on the PLAYGROUND. There’s no delicate way to put this: children tend to ooze bodily fluids and spread them around. Blood, mucus, urine – it’s all there. Since kids put their fingers in their noses and mouths more than the rest of us, they need all the help they can get. So, carry alcohol wipes and clean everyone’s hands a couple of times during park visits. Pick warm days for playground trips. The sun’s ultraviolet light is an effective disinfectant. Most bugs won’t survive long on surfaces that are hot and dry.
  
  
• The airplane bathroom. The experts at Health magazine agree that the cramped and overused bathrooms on airplanes are one of the most bacteria-filled places on earth. Much worse than your average public restroom. There are often traces of eColi and fecal bacteria on the door handles because it’s hard to wash up properly in those tiny sinks. The volcanic flush of the toilet spews particles into the air, coating the floor and walls with microscopic bacteria. To wage germ warfare: Use a paper cover on the toilet seat. Afterward, put the lid down before you flush. If there is no lid, turn your back to the commode. Then, wash and dry your hands properly and use a paper towel to handle the sink tap and doorknob.
  
  
• Another one of the most germy places on earth? Your load of wet laundry. Any time you transfer underwear from the washer to the dryer, you’re getting eColi on your hands. Just one soiled undergarment can spread bacteria to the entire load and machine. How’s this for a disgusting statistic: There’s about a gram of feces in every pair of dirty underwear. To wage germ warfare: Run your washer at 150 degrees. If you don’t know the temperature, you can check it with a candy thermometer. Wash your whites with bleach – which’ll kill 99.9% of bacteria. Wash underwear separately, and don’t let your wet stuff linger in the washer. Transfer it to the dryer asap and let it tumble for 45 minutes. Wash your hands after handling the laundry.
  
  
• Public drinking fountains – especially school drinking fountains. They have anywhere from 62-thousand to 2.7 million bacteria per square inch on the spigot! You need only 10 salmonella or 100 E. coli germs to make you sick. To wage germ warfare: Carry your own beverage with you – and some hand sanitizer.
  
  
• Push-buttons. They’re on everything from elevators to ATMs, and they’re not cleaned regularly. So, use your knuckles to push public buttons. This way you won’t spread the germs to every surface you touch. Just remember to wash your knuckles well when you hit the restroom.
  
  
• Purses and wallets. Ladies, the outside of your handbag picks up bugs from anything it touches - so keep it off the ground and floor. Guys, the heat from keeping your wallet in your pocket is like an incubator for germs. So, after you handle the contents of your wallet, wash your hands. If you like to jingle the change in your pocket, don’t worry. The metals - particularly those made of nickel - kill many of the bacteria.
  
  
• Cutting boards. There are 200 times more bacteria on a cutting board than a toilet seat! Why? Because people disinfect their toilets, but usually just give their cutting boards a quick rinse. So, mix an ounce of bleach with a quart of water and wipe down your cutting board and countertops before and after cooking.

Which Place Has More Germs?
From Ediets.com:

Here’s the dirty truth on germs! Some objects like porta-potties give anyone the creeps. However, did you know that picnic tables have more germs than portable toilets? When scientists put common objects in a head-to-head competition, they found harmful bacteria in some surprising places.

• Garbage can vs. bathtub. A recent study found that you’re FOUR TIMES more likely to get an infection from a bathtub than a trashcan. It’s a breeding ground for germs because it’s a moist environment. So, use a disinfecting cleaner in the tub every week and scrub! With bathtubs, elbow grease counts. Since germs love moisture, you’re not done until you dry with a clean towel.
  
  
• Airplane vs. the Office. This one’s a tie. A British study found that the odds of catching cold in an office are one in a thousand. That’s the same as they are in any enclosed space. So, no matter where you are, wash your hands often and disinfect anything you have to touch. That means armrests and trays on airplanes and keyboards, desktops, and phones at work.
  
  
• The ATM machine meets the public restroom door handle! This one’s an upset! ATM’s consistently show higher concentrations of germs than restroom doorknobs. It may seem awkward, but wear gloves or use a paper towel when you hit a cash machine. Or use some hand sanitizer after your ATM transaction before you touch your nose, mouth or eyes.