Well Now What?

MSNBC put together a health study on the 12 germiest places in your life. I guess it does not take rocket science to figure out that public things are generally the worst. My problem is that I find too many things on the top 12 list really strike me personally.

#12: The Hotel Room TV Remote. Fantastic. Usually the first thing I grab when I get into my hotel room (an average of 5 nights a week by the way). The hotel remote had an average of 22,000 germs per square inch. That's disgusting. Just what I wanted to know. They say that house keeping usually does not clean things like remotes, door handles, light switches, and clock radios. The suggestion: keep alcohol wipes with you and clean those surfaces first!

#11: The Public Telephone

#10: Your Bathtub

#9: Gym Equipment I guess not everyone is nice enough to clean the equipment with the alcohol provided after they are done using it. When tested, over 65% of machines and exercise mats tested positive for a strain of staph infections. Just one more reason to sleep in I guess...

#8: Playground Equipment

#7: Women's Handbags / Purses. Although this one is not for me, I think my wife would find it good to know that the average purse had traces of E. Coli, Staph infections, and salmonella. The bigger, the dirties, the worse off you are.

#6: ATM Buttons Well, I am hosed. I don't think I have been inside an actual bank in months. I do everything online or at an ATM. These buttons are reported to have more germs per inch than the average public bathroom.

#5: Shopping Cart Handles I knew there was a reason that my wife always pushes the cart!!!

#4: Public Drinking Fountains

#3: A Load of Wet Laundry This one I never would have guessed. I would have thought that although the clothes are wet, they are clean. Not correct. The suggestion is to run your washer at at least 150 degrees F. Also to transfer the clothes to the dryer within 10 minutes of being done in the washer. Every minute the wet clothes sit in a washer, the germs are multiplying. Oh, and wash underwear separately. Why you ask? Even on the cleanest pair, there is an average of 1 gram of feces. Aren't you glad you asked?

#2: The Airplane Lavatory I guess I am surprised that I am not dead already then. Although I don't use them during flight, I do use them on the ground, as we generally don't even have enough time to go into the terminal on our stops. Traces of E. Coli covered the faucets and door handles. Fecal matter covered the bathroom because of the "Volcanic flush of the commode tends to spew particles into the air, coating the walls and floor with whatever had been swirling around in it." Surprisingly, the toilet seats were the cleanest part of the airplane bathroom --- although I guess that gives a grim picture of how dirty the bathroom tends to be. The suggestions to stay clean: lower the lid before you flush, and use hand sanitizer or alcohol wipes rather than washing your hands.

#1: The kitchen Sink

Well, I now must go scrub every inch of skin with sandpaper to ensure all the bacteria is gone.