Ellen PhillipsEveryone who knows me accepts that Mrs. Germaphobic is obsessive about germs (well, perhaps not “accepts” but at least they deal with my paranoia).
While I always go the extra mile not to touch the public restroom faucet or door after washing my hands, for example, and always try to look out for other sources of nastiness, Bottom Line Personal presented a lengthy article about other germy situations I now store in my brain for everyday seemingly-innocuous offenders. (Frightening fact: Way too many folks do not wash their hands after using a public toilet. After observing 4,000 people, researchers found that 10 percent don’t wash their hands at all. Of this 400, only one-third used soap but only 5 percent of these
washed long enough to thoroughly remove harmful organisms. And since bacteria and viruses can remain on hard surfaces for a few hours up to several days or longer, we really must beware of the following:
1. Coffee-cup lids – Based upon a University of Arizona study, of the disposable lids placed on cups by coffee shop workers, about 17 percent were contaminated with fecal bacteria.
2. Office coffeepot handles – I’m even guilty of this one; even though I wash out the pot, unless I place it in the dishwasher, I don’t normally wash the handle. No more after reading this article, however!