
Can’t Touch This – The 5 Germy Places You Touched Before You Got To Work
It may be unsettling to learn this, but there are actually a greater number of germs in your body than cells that are your own. In fact, germs outnumber our cells 10-1 inside of our own bodies. Luckily for us, of the over 60,000 kinds of germs we come in contact with only about 1% or 2% are dangerous to the average person.
Still, it’s important, especially during flu season, to be aware of all the germ-infested surfaces we come in contact with on a daily basis. In fact, we bet that you’ve come in contact with plenty of surfaces you didn’t even know were unsanitary before you got to work.
1) Your Remote Control
Do you like to check the weather channel or watch the news before you leave for work in the morning? Well, if you picked up the remote to do so, then you touched one of the most germ-covered items in your living room.
See, the problem with remotes is that we touch them all of the time, but no one ever takes the time to clean them. Remotes are a veritable cornucopia of viruses and bacteria. A study completed by the University of Virginia discovered that approximately 6 out of 10 remote controls test positive for cold germs.
Think about how many times you’ve been sick and spent the day in front of the T.V. with the remote. Did you wipe it down afterwards? Probably not. It should be no surprise, then, that your remote is one of the least sanitary places in the house.
2) Your Refrigerator Door Handle
Did you grab something from the fridge for your breakfast this morning? Unless you frequently clean your refrigerator door handle, then you just picked up some germs while you grabbed the milk for your bowl of cereal.
Once again, your fridge’s door handle is a surface that a lot of people touch, but many people forget to regularly clean. Most germs get transferred by people, and any surface that a lot of different people touch is a surface that probably needs to be cleaned often.
The fridge is a particular risk for infection, because any germs you get on your hands while you’re making your breakfast have the potential to go right in your mouth.
3) Your Wallet or Purse
Did you buy some coffee on your way to work? I bet you didn’t know you picked up some germs when you reached into your purse or wallet for the cash to pay for it. It’s well known that currency is about as unsanitary as it gets, but people often forget that the places we put the currency can be just as dirty.
This is particularly true of women’s purses. Many times women store their purses on the ground or floor, and this is an opportunity for the purse to pick up some stray germs. Be especially careful when in the bathroom. Placing your purse on bathroom floor is just asking for trouble.
4) Your Smart Phone
There probably isn’t an item that people come in contact with more times a day then their smart phone. Whether it’s checking your email, playing Candy Crush, browsing social media or taking a selfie, we’ve all probably picked up our phones 100 times before we even get to the office in the morning. And as we’ve already discussed, the more often you touch something, the more likely it has germs on it.
The common theme so far has been that these are items people don’t often sanitize, and your smart phone is no exception. Even if people are aware that their phones are potentially unsanitary, they still don’t wipe them down often enough.
5) Gas Pump Handles
Did you stop to get gas this morning? When you grabbed the pump you probably made some germy friends that you didn’t even know about. It’s an unfortunate reality that surfaces like the handle on a gas pump are some of the dirtiest out there. Hundreds of people come in contact with surfaces like that a day, and the gas station attendants probably don’t have time to wipe them down every half hour.
A study done by Kimberly-Clark showed that 71% of gas pumps were contaminated by animal, vegetable, bacteria, yeast or mold cells. That’s quite the risk to take while pumping your gas.
So, What’s the Solution?
Listen, obviously there’s no way to ever be sure that the surfaces you come in contact with are sanitary. Everyone is bound to come in contact with various viruses and bacteria throughout their day, but this isn’t as terrifying as it seems.
The simplest solution is to be aware of the places that germs live and remain diligent with your personal hygiene. Washing and sanitizing your hands regularly is the best way to fight infection, especially before eating or touching your face. As was stated above, most germs come from people’s hands, so the best way to combat germs is to fight them at the source.
If you’re a business owner who wants to supply his or her customers and employees with ready sanitation, then PJP can provide you with the perfect solution: The new Purell® ES™ Everywhere System.
The Purell® ES™ Everywhere System is designed to fit anywhere you need it. The small, stylish and versatile design will work for any need. The compact size and multiple mounting options make it adaptable for virtually any setting. It’s smaller than the larger dispensers, so it fits unobtrusively into more environments, but it also holds more than an 8 oz. bottle, so it lasts longer than your typical hand sanitizer.
Ask your PJP sales rep for more info.
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