These 20 things are shockingly dirtier than your toilet seat!

Yes, you read it right! Most of us believe that our toilet seat is perhaps the only thing that's filled with millions of bacteria and we don't doubt that even one bit. But how many of you know that there are other things in our immediate surrounding, some which we use every moment of our day, which is playing host to more bacteria and microbes than your toilet seat. Read on to find out 20 things that are shockingly dirtier than your toilet seat. WARNING! You may never look at these things in the same way again!

1. Chopping Board: You use a chopping board every day to slice veggies, fruits and meat. Once used, most people just rinse the board and place it aside. But, did you know a 2014 survey, commissioned by the Global Hygiene Council, revealed that a chopping board can harbour 200% more faecal bacteria than the average toilet seat! Shocking, right? So, next time you're done using your chopping board, don't forget to use a dish soap and a disinfectant to clean the surface properly. 

 

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2. Cleaning Cloth: The good old cleaning cloth is useful for dusting, wiping countertops and even drying washed utensils. Except that the cloth itself is far from being clean. According to Gerba, the humble kitchen cloth is 20,000 times dirtier than your toilet seat. Experts also say that 75% of kitche cloths have traces of E.coli. Hence, it's essential to wash your cleaning cloth at a high temperature everyday to disinfect them.

 

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3. Kitchen Sponge: Don't we all use a souring sponge to wash our dirty utensils? We don't want yo alarm you, but you might as well be washing your dishes with your toilet seat! According to Gerba, there are about 10 million bacteria per square inch on a kitchen sponge. That is, believe it or not, 200,000 times more than your toilet seat. The best way to tackle this is to change your kitchen sponge regularly, preferably once a week.

 

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4. Your Smartphone: Your smarphone is perhaps the last thing you'd think of disinfecting, right? But, you are unlimitedly scrolling on an incredibly dirty surface. A 2018 study revealed that your smartphone is almost seven times dirtier than your toilet seat. A 2011 study by London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine also found that one in six smartphones were contaminated with faecal matter. This actually isn't surprising, when you think about it. Do you wash your hands everytime before touching your smartphone? No, right? In fact we take our smarphones everywhere, including the bathroom! Do use a soft cloth soaked with a disinfectant to clean your smartphone regularly.

 

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5. Computer or Laptop Keyboard: We live in a digital world and most people today work in front of a computer or laptop. If you are someone like that, think about how many times you touch the keyboard. And now think about how often do you clean the keyboard? The answer is practically never. A study by CBT Nuggets reveals that that a computer or laptop keyboard contains on average 20,500 times more bacteria than a toilet seat! You can use a cotton ball dipped in rubbing alcohol to clean your keyboard. While you're at it, ensure you clean the gaps and the device is unplugged.

 

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6. Computer or Laptop Mouse: Although not dirty as your computer or laptop keyboard, the mouse you use every day is incredibly dirty. A study by CBT Nuggets revealed that on an average, a mouse is 45,600 times dirtier than your toilet seat. To get rid of the bacteria and microbes, use a disinfectant wipe to clean your mouse regularly.

 

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7. Pet Food Bowl: Although pets are more resistant to bacteria than us, that's does not mean that you make them eat out of a dirty bowl. A study revealed that pet food bowls are host to an average of 2,110 bacteria per square inch, which is 10 times more than a toilet seat. Our furry friends surely deserve better than this. Ensure you wash their bowl with hot water and dish soap.

 

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8. 'Clean' Clothes: You put your dirty clothes in the washing machine, toss in the detergent and give it a spin. The washed clothes that come out smell great and look clean, but did you know they are far from being bacteria-free particularly if you wash your clothes along with your inner wear. On average, each piece of underwear contains a gram of faecal matter! This means close to 100 million E.coli bacteria could be swimming around in your washing machine that spreads onto your other clothes. So, the next time you do your laundry, don't mix your clothes with your inner wear.

 

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9. Steering Wheel: Every time you take your car out for a spin, you cone into contact with hunreds of bacteria especially through the steering wheel. You may be giving your car a wash from time to time, but humidity and heat provides an ideal environment for bacteria to proliferate inside your car. According to researchers, a steering wheel can contain 10 times more bacteria than your toilet seat. Hence, you must use products specially made for cars to clean the steering wheel and interiors of your car regularly.

 

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10. Restaurant Menu Card: Each time you dine out, the first thing that you check out is the menu card. But have you even for a split second thought about the number of hands that touches one card on a daily basis? According to a research conducted by Times of India, the average menu card has about 100 times more bacteria than your toilet seat. Not at all appetizing, right? So the next time you head out for a nice meal, don't forget to sanitize your hands once you've placed your order.

 

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11. Currency Notes: You've heard the term 'filthy rich'? This is actually very appropriate as currency notes can be covered with upto 200,000 bacteria. This is hardly surprising when you think about how many different people have come into contact with it before. Coins, credit/debit cards and of course ATM machines aren't bacteria-free either. You obviously cannot disinfect them often, but do wash your hands from time to time during the day to ensure you're not a germ carrier.

 

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12. Switch: Each time you flick a switch on or off, you unknowingly transfer a lot of bacteria from your finger tips. Believe it or not, switches around your home can have upto 200 bacteria per square inch and public switches can have even more! So do disinfect your switches and switch board from time to time to avoid accumulation of bacteria.

 

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13. Toothbrush: Would you want to brush your teeth with your toilet seat? Most definitely not. A study by New York University found that when you flush your toilet, tiny particles of the grossly contaminated water can actually splash up to 6 metres away from the toilet! So if your toothbrush is kept open air by the sink in your loo, your toothbrush could be home to over 10 million bacteria. The best thing to do is to keep your toothbrush as far as possible from your toilet and change it every three months, if not more.

 

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14. Remote Control: The humble remote control falls on the ground, gets lost between sofa cushion, everyone around touches it and yet, it's hardly ever cleaned. A recent study revealed that your TV remote control could be up to 20 times dirtier than your toilet seat. To clean your remote control, first remove the batteries & wipe the surface with rubbing alcohol.

 

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15. Carpet: With almost 700 times more bacteria than your toilet seat, the carpet is one of the most germ-ridden parts of your home. According to a research, approximately 200,000 bacteria can be found per square inch of the average home carpet.

 

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16. Shopping Trolley: Trolley handles, especially in large supermarkets, come into contact with other shoppers' germ-ridden hands frequently, making it 361 times more than your toilet seat. According to a 2017 survey by Reusethisbag.com, a budget grocery store cart has 8,112 bacteria colonies per square inch and 75% of germs identified in grocery shopping carts were harmful. So the next time you hit the supermarket, don't forget to sanitize your hands once you're done shopping.

 

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17. Faucet Handles: Believe it or not, your bathroom faucet handle can have 21 times the bacteria of your toilet seat! What's worse is that the kitchen faucet handles can have 44 times the bacteria of your toilet seat. Ensure you disinfect and clean your sink and faucet handles frequently, at least once a week to stay away from harmful germs.

 

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18. Handbag: When British researchers studied 25 handbags, they found that the average handbag is three times dirtier than an office toilet seat. Handbags used regularly were 10 times dirtier. Handles carried the most bacteria. Regularly wash cloth bags when possible and for plastic or leather bags, use disinfectant wipes. Also watch where you place your handbag the next time you step out.

 

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19. Elevator Buttons: Have you ever thought about the amount of germs that could hitch a ride on your hands the moment you press the elevator button? A University of Toronto study found that elevator buttons in public spaces could be harboring more germs than toilet seat. You cannot obviously wipe down elevator buttons, but you can surely sanitize your hands once you've reached your floor.

 

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20. Tea Bags: If you're a fan of tea, then there are high chances that you're sipping away hundreds of bacteria each time you make a cup of your favourite drink made from a tea bag. Tea bags are usually not stored in air-tight containers. thus making it an easy surface for bacteria to breed. Also, our hands are not always clean before we touch them. Hence, store tea bags in sealed containers or leave them in their original pack and open only when you want to use them.

 

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