6 Things You Own As Dirty As Harvey Weinstein
Warning: there are things almost as gross as Harvey Weinstein in your hand as we speak.
The greatest filth-offenders in our lives are not actually the obvious suspects - decent humans are pretty conscientious about cleaning the toilet and the kitchen sink! The really gross things are the ones that cruise below our radar and rarely get the attention that they deserve. After reading this, you should totally go clean them.
Now.
1. CLOTHS AND SPONGES
The very items you use to clean your hands and home are among the filthiest objects you encounter, according to numerous heebie-inducing studies: kitchen sponges are the worst, with as many as 10 million bacteria per square inch. This is about 200,000 times more than your friendly neighbourhood toilet seat, and all the more reason to clean them properly every day and replace them regularly.
2. HANDLES
This actually depends on how vigilantly people in the home wash their hands. From the basin facets to the bathroom door handles, the places you go to get water could do with a thorough scrubbing. The kitchen is worse than the bathroom, because food particles are a great place for gunk to grow, but both can be covered with all kinds of disgusting bacteria.
3. TOOTHBRUSHES
Say “aaaaaaah YUCK!”… that brush you trust with your pearly whites probably has more germs than the dog’s mouth. The reason isn't what's in your chompers but rather what's on and around your enamel-polishing apparatus. First, most of us leave our toothbrushes wet when we're done - a lovely place for nasty stuff like Serratia Marcescens, which can cause meningitis, to settle.
Secondly, our toothbrushes tend to be close to our toilets, and if you flush with the toilet lid up, everything within a 5- to 6-foot radius is basically getting sprayed with aerosolised fecal matter. So clean that bowl!
4. REMOTE CONTROLS
Sorry, channel surfers, but your clicker is covered with germs! Give it a good wipe over (not with that cloth, please) at least once a week, and be conscious of handling it after eating, patting the dog, cleaning, and going to the toilet. Your laptop keyboard is in pretty much the same category.
And if you think your home remotes are bad, guess what scientists have detected on hotel remotes: an average of 67.6 colony-forming units of bacteria per cubic centimeter. For perspective, that's more than 13 times the maximum acceptable level recommended for hospitals. So maybe put on some gloves before changing channel.
5. PHONES
Incoming message: Your smartphone is caked with countless types of dirt, and we aren’t just talking about your ex’s number. Think about when last you were sitting on the toilet, eating your lunch, waiting in the doctor’s room - what did you have in your hand? And what did you not wipe down, like, EVER? That’s right. Ick ick ick.
6. HANDBAGS
Our handbags go everywhere with us, and to make matters worse they are often in the worst spot: on the floor. Whereas the floor gets washed occasionally, when's the last time you cleaned your bag? The answer is probably "not recently enough." Empty it out once a month and you might find those missing earrings too!
On that note, if you'll excuse us, we need to go wash our hands a few dozen times.
- Georgina Roberts
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