A lot of us have heard the old idea that the toilet bowl isn’t the dirtiest surface in every building. The highest germ count places may be somewhere you never thought of, a common one being the cutting board in the kitchen. And it may turn out the things and places you were trying to avoid may not be as useful as you think. When it comes down to it, the main thing one needs is just washing of hands, especially before touching others or eating.
Some of the germiest areas are that which comes into contact the most in public. A big one is cash, and a part of that is that wallets and purses tend to become far more dirty because of that fact. The purses are made infinitely worse when you constantly set them down on the ground, and then pick them up and put them right next to you. Wallets are constantly touched right after touching public areas, and come into contact with cash constantly. Coins, especially copper, silver and zinc are great at fighting microbes.
Other public things that are notoriously dirty, are those touched constantly and that can’t be removed. Buttons are touched directly and can’t be detached, meaning ATMs, elevators, thermostats, light switches, and vending machines are terrible. Using your knuckles is a good compromise. But for keeping it clean, using a cloth and small amounts of cleaning products should do the trick, as long as you keep it dry. Shopping carts, especially the wheels and handles are also bad, which is why many stores now provide wipes. Water fountains are absolutely terrible for the fact that you are spreading germs that may otherwise not be able to be transferred except for orally. Which provides a unique issue compared to other materials.
Remote controls are also notoriously dirty because they tend to, just like cash, be touched by tons of people and are almost never washed. There is a reason that hotels have started to buy washable remote controls that can be washed the same as a coffee mug, ran under soapy water then through the dishwasher.
If you want to avoid getting infected from these surfaces, as mentioned earlier, always wash your hands, and do not put your hands in your mouth without cleaning them first. As well, just generally do not put things in your mouth that are dirty, or expose your open wounds to dirty areas. There is some truth in the things we do for health, but they need context. Things like masks however, won’t help you stay healthy, but may stop you from spreading the disease to others. Using a paper towel to open the door is only helpful if it is thrown away immediately after. Wearing gloves is the same in concept, the gloves do not stop germs at all, but can in fact stop the germs from touching your hands. The gloves can be helpful though if it is understood that the germs will simply be on the surface of the gloves.
For more information on keeping clean and staying healthy in public and workplace areas, visit Business Hygiene in San Marcos, TX.
