Everyday Surfaces with the Most Germs

According to the CDC, the flu vaccine usually reduces the risk of influenza by 40% to 60% among the overall population. To prevent the spread of flu and other illnesses, you also need to take extra precautions. Washing your hands is the number one way to avoid spreading germs, especially after interacting with these common germ hot spots.

Money

It’s cringe-inducing to wonder who last handled your cash or coins. A sick drugstore customer buying medicine? A child sticking the quarter in his mouth? A person traveling straight from the bathroom stall to the vending machine without stopping at the sink? In fact, researchers have found that dollar bills carry over 3,000 types of bacteria. Now that’s some dirty money.

Hand and Dish Towels

Washing your hands is a great step in preventing illness, but where you dry them must be clean too. In a recent study, researchers found E. coli and other bacteria on kitchen towels. This not only can aid in the spread of diseases but potentially foodborne illnesses as well. After each use, machine wash towels using warm water for colored towels and hot water for white ones.

Door Handles

Doors get us from point A to point B, and they open our microwaves, ovens, and refrigerators. Due to their frequent use, they are also loaded with germs. The amount of use, the material and the humidity of the surrounding air all factors into the growth of bacteria. Aside from trying to avoid touching handles as much as possible, using disinfecting wipes frequently can reduce the spread of viruses.

Phones and Electronic Devices

Phones, tablets, TV remotes, and gaming controllers all spend hours in our hands, and they’re germy. We pass around TV remotes and video game controllers while stuffing our mouths with food. Our cell phones, which follow us everywhere, contain 10 times more bacteria than you'll find on a toilet handle. It’s a safe practice to clean your phone daily with a microfiber cloth or light cleaning with rubbing alcohol and water. Also, try to avoid bringing it in bathrooms.

Light Switches

We turn on and off our lights with a quick flick, but the light switches are communal locations that everyone touches. Studies show light switches can have as many germs as trash cans. Run disinfecting wipes frequently across light switches to eliminate the bacteria living there.

Keep Your Health Going Strong!

Need to encourage your family or employees to wash their hands? Share our Employee Hygiene and Handwashing Guide along with this article. In need of bacteria eliminators? View our selection of handwashing supplies and disinfectants.