Where are the top 10 places where cold and flu germs as well as other germs like to hide?
I heard that kitchen sink sponges and dishcloths should get most of the blame. Computer keyboards are supposedly more dangerous than toilet seats. Doorknobs seem like another prime suspects. Anything else?
What is your view on the subject in general? Too much hype perhaps. Your experience with avoiding certain forms of contact? Any secret tips?
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12 Answers
Telephones, dish towels, remote controls, cups, glasses, hand shakes, car doors, books, papers, store carts, stair railings, anything that lots of people are touching. When we travel, I carry antibacterial wipes with us. I put the remote control in a plastic bag. Tons of people handle those things. Ugh!
#1 Daycares or any places with lots of children. They still don’t know proper hygiene, so every surface a kid can reach in that environment would be contagious.
the grips on scary rides at theme parks, Bathroom doors, baby kisses, (I have a cold right now and I know it was those baby kisses that did me in!)
I have made it through most of my grand babies cold unscathed by washing my hands often when they’re sick. This time they were going through the family trauma of loosing their other grandma and I really didn’t care. I just wanted to hold them tight.
I always think about germs on the equipment and the lockers when I go to the gym.
Public doorhandles, gas pumps, cash machine pens and keypads, and anything involving children are the big ones that come to my mind.
Anything your hands touch, your hands carry so many germs. That’s why hand washing is so important. Another thing is to not rub your eyes or touch your face alot, people do those things out of habit and that’s an easy way to get sick.
As a project in a science class I used to teach, we had the kids culture swabs from places all over the school that might harbor germs- drinking fountains, toilet seats, doorknobs, keyboards. We used a pretty crude but easy to interpret measuring system- the surface area of crud that grew in a Petri dish in a specified amount of time.
The keyboards always were the filthiest things; no contest.
@crisw – I’ve heard this very often. Is there a rational explanation why keyboards are more affected than other obvious places? Do fingertips transfer more germs than a hand touching a doorknob?
@mattbrowne
At least at our school, the teachers spray down the doorknobs with disinfectants on a regular basis; they don’t do this to the keyboards. And fingertips are dirtier, from eating and unwashed hands.
Telephones and remotes in hotel rooms.
Grocery cart handles are alleged to be more contaminated than public toilet seats. Our store provides wipes to use on them before shopping.
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