Washing your hands until they’re flaky and raw? Welcome to the club.
It’s Club Corona, the hottest ticket in town. You have to be a certified germaphobe, scrubbing obsessively almost to the point of bleeding to get past the velvet rope.
But is all that hand washing enough? NOPE.
Your hands are only as clean as what they touch. Touch something covered in germs, and your hands will get contaminated all over again. And those gross surfaces aren’t just in stores and public places.
They’re in your home, too.
A startling new study reveals how even if you keep a tidy home… wiping down surfaces regularly… it’s likely NOT as clean as you think. Chances are ugly bugs such as viruses, bacteria, and fungi could still be lurking in some unexpected spots.
Yep, one more thing to obsess over here in Club Corona.
But don’t worry, this is a problem we can fix. Give THESE hidden germ magnets a little extra attention and say goodbye to those sickening bugs.
The invisible germs all around you
The new study was conducted in an animal clinic. Scientists crept in every night for six weeks and “tagged” surfaces with a special dye to simulate germs.
The fake contamination was special for two reasons …
- It’s easily cleaned.
- It’s invisible to the human eye but can be seen with special equipment.
The researchers returned with a blacklight at the end of each day to see how much dye was left. And, as you may have guessed, A LOT of it was hanging around.
Only HALF of the surfaces were adequately cleaned in any given 24-hour period. And, of course, the clinic is a place where they’re CONSTANTLY cleaning.
Now, none of us live in an animal clinic, of course, So you might think you’re in the clear because those germ-covered surfaces have something to do with the animals.
But here’s the thing. The areas where the animals spent time were CLEANER than other spots that were tagged. They were regularly scrubbed down because they were the OBVIOUS areas for germs to collect.
The surfaces used by pups, kitties, bunnies, gerbils, snakes, and – who knows – maybe even the occasional pet snail were more germ-free than the surfaces used and touched by the people.
By FAR, the dirtiest spots in the room… the places cleaned the least since they still had plenty of those dye markers on them 24 hours later… were some of the same surfaces we all have in our own homes.
Two of the worst offenders? Computer mice and keyboards. When was the last time you cleaned yours? Yeah, me too… but that’s changing right now.
The 5 filthiest spots in YOUR home
And this isn’t the first time researchers have called us out on our not-so-clean habits. A 2013 study of homes found our KITCHENS tend to be covered in far more germs than our BATHROOMS.
The kitchen was ground zero for the top ten dirtiest spots in the home, including…
- sponges
- sinks
- stove knobs
- countertops
- coffee makers
And that was compared to just two germ magnets in the bathroom… toothbrush holders and countertops.
Hand washing is vital to stop the spread of germs like viruses. Especially right now. But don’t stop with scrubbing the hands. It’s clearly just as crucial to clean all the surfaces your hands have touched and will touch too.
To zap those germs, experts recommend alcohol wipes, Clorox, soap, and/or 3 percent hydrogen peroxide, depending on the surface and cleaning instructions.
Latest posts by Alice Jacob (see all)
- The TRUE dangers of mail-order meds revealed - January 15, 2021
- This common HIDDEN toxin could worsen COVID-19 - January 15, 2021
- The SECRET FAT that can SAVE your heart - January 14, 2021
