These days, you’d be forgiven for assuming that general cleanliness and hygiene standards had reached almost flawless levels. As a society, we are certainly cleaner, healthier and more proactive than we have ever been, but this doesn’t mean we don’t still live our everyday lives surrounded by unfathomable filth.
So for those with stomachs strong enough to take them, here’s a quick rundown of five undeniably interesting yet rather revolting facts on everyday hygiene:
1 – The average chopping board has 200% more faecal bacteria than a toilet seat
Kicking off with a real eyebrow-raiser, extensive research has shown that the average kitchen cutting board has the potential to be one of the most unsanitary items in the whole home. Particularly disgusting was the revelation that the average board is home to an astonishing 200% more faecal bacteria than a toilet seat! Suffice to say, public health experts insist that this is exactly the kind of finding that should prompt immediate and significant improvements in household hygiene habits. Arm yourself with plenty of antibacterial cleaning products and don’t be afraid to use them!
2 – Mobile phones and remote controls are leading carriers of bacteria
For obvious reasons, your own mobile phone is nothing less than a breeding ground for bacteria. After all, how many times have you taken it in the bathroom with you, without cleaning it with an antibacterial wipe afterwards? Along with mobile phones, remote controls have also been found to harbour 10 times more bacteria than is considered acceptable in a hospital environment. Which is bad enough when it is your own remote control you are using, but what about those in the hotel rooms you stay in that may literally never have been properly cleaned?
3 – Flushing the toilet blasts germs up to 6 feet
It’s not the nicest thing to think about, but each and every time you flush the toilet, a fine mist is released into the air that can carry germs and bacteria up to 6 feet. Which basically means that anything within 6 feet of the toilet could be sprayed with all manner of illness-causing nastiness every time the toilet is flushed. Once again, this is a pretty grim thing to have to think about at home – how about a public bathroom?
4 – Handbags can be spectacularly unhygienic
You might not consider your handbag to be the cleanest thing in the world, but you probably don’t realise that around 30% of handbags tested positive for faecal bacteria in studies. Not only this, but each and every square inch of the average handbag harbours somewhere in the region at of 10,000 bacteria. Something to think about next time you’re worried about how messy it appears on the inside.
5 – 20% of people do not wash their hands
Last but not least, extensive surveys have shown that despite fully acknowledging and understanding its importance, one in every five people almost never wash their hands at all during the average day. Not only this, but only 30% of those who do wash their hands actually get the job done properly. Which is precisely why more than 25% of people’s hands put under the microscope showed signs of both E. coli and faecal matter. Nice!