When you think about it, you probably touch over a dozen things in a minute. Whether it be your phone, doorknob, face, stair rail or hair, you are possibly transferring germs. Now I do not want to freak you out and make you feel like you need to live in a bubble. Here are just a few objects and places in public areas to caution, for they can carry a lot of germs.
- Restaurant Menus: A recent study in the Journal of Medical Virology reported that cold and flu viruses can survive for 18 hours on hard surfaces. If it’s a popular restaurant, hundreds of people could be handling the menus and passing their germs on to you. Never let a menu touch your plate or silverware, and wash your hands after you place your order.
- Lemon Wedges: According to a Study in the Journal of Environmental Health nearly 70 percent of the lemon wedges perched on the rims of restaurant glasses contain disease-causing microbes, including E. coli and other fecal bacteria on some of the examined lemons. Tell your server, for your own health, to hold the fruity accompaniment on the side of your beverage.
- Restroom Door Handles: Sure the people around you may think you are a germa-phobe when you grab the restroom door handle, a breeding ground for germs, with a paper towel when exiting, but you will be preventing a major move of bacteria on a bathroom trip.
- Condiment Dispensers: Although restaurants work to keep their establishments as clean as possible, very few restaurants bleach their condiment containers. The even worse reality is that many people do not wash their hands before eating. So although you may be a diligent diner and make sure you wash your hands before squirting some ketchup on your fries, the guy before you may not have been. To be safe, just squirt hand sanitizer on the outside of the condiment bottle or use a disinfectant wipe before you grab it.
- Soap Dispensers: A recent study at the University of Arizona, Tucson found that about 25 percent of public restroom soap dispensers are contaminated with fecal bacteria. Soap that harbors bacteria may seem ironic, but the recent study found that, “Most of these containers are never cleaned, so bacteria grow as the soap scum builds up.” Now I am sure that you will scrub your hands every time you wash your hands in the bathroom, or pray that there is an automatic soap dispenser.
- Grocery Cart Handles: Those disinfectant wipes at the front of the grocery store are there for a reason; so use them! Nearly 2/3 of all grocery carts carry bacteria, and the last thing you want to do is touch your cart handle and then touch fresh produce that you plan to eat. So before you start your groceries trip, make sure to wipe down your grocery cart handle.
- Doctor Offices: Unfortunately, we may get sick or have to go to the doctor’s, a paradise for bacteria. There are, however, ways to limit your exposure to germs in a doctor’s office: take your own books and magazines to read in the waiting room, pack your tissues and hand sanitizer, keep at least two chairs between you and the person next to you if possible to reduce your chances of catching whatever they have.
- CELLPHONES: Your cellphone is like an appendage of your body. You take it everywhere that you go: class, on the T, into the bathroom, in the kitchen, out to eat. All those places are subject to germs, which easily carry over to your cellphone. Considering the proximity of the cell phone to your face and mouth, there are numerous chances the germs can end up there and make you sick. The easiest way to prevent this is to wipe down your cell phone with a disinfectant wipe. It also would probably help if you don’t take out your cellphone in the bathroom and try not to share it with others.
With cold season creeping up, it is important to stay healthy. By making sure you are not transferring the germs from these objects to you, you are taking preventive steps to have a happy and healthy semester! I, like your mother too most likely, cannot emphasize enough to wash your hands vigorously, wipe down hard surfaces, and cover your mouth when coughing.
Article Sources:
http://www.livescience.com/22822-cell-phones-germs.html
http://www.foxnews.com/health/2013/06/14/8-germiest-public-places/
Photo Sources:
http://kswpgoodfriends.files.wordpress.com/2009/09/germs.gif
http://abcnews.go.com/Health/C…
http://www.veebistro.com/home/…