1. Shopping cart
Chuck Gerba, an environmental microbiologist at the University of Arizona in the United States, took samples from shopping carts in supermarkets and found that the carts were full of bacteria. Even 80% of shopping carts have E. coli. This is a fecal bacteria that is usually transmitted through contaminated hands. Gerba’s team also found some bacteria and viruses that can cause typhoid, flu and diarrhea. In addition, a recent study showed that putting children in shopping carts also increased their risk of contracting Salmonella bacteria.
If you want to avoid bacteria when shopping in the supermarket, you’d better disinfect the handles of shopping carts. If you want to put your children in the cart, you’d better wipe the seats, or remember to wash your hands after shopping. Gerba suggested that it’s better not to leave the children in the car. If you have to do this, then put a disposable product on the seat instead of cloth products such as towels, which will only be contaminated with more bacteria.
2. ATM and touch screen
The next time you use an ATM or self-service machine, remember to wash your hands. Gerba’s research team found that most public touch-screen machines or keyboards have E. coli, as well as many other common bacteria and viruses. Some touch screens even have methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), which has strong resistance to several antibiotics. MRSA can cause some serious skin infections and sometimes death.
Gerba recommends minimizing the use of self-service machines. Gerba’s inspection of the ATM screen found that those machines that were kept outside all the year round had fewer bacteria in hot and dry environments than those that were kept indoors in cold and humid environments. You can wipe the screen with a sterile wet paper towel before using this type of touch screen machine, or wash your hands after using it.
3. Toothbrush
When you brush your teeth, you will wipe off some mucous membranes in your mouth. Gerba said, “I won’t even share a toothbrush with the people I kiss.” blood borne diseases, such as hepatitis B, hepatitis C and AIDS, can be transmitted through toothbrushes, but these diseases are unlikely to be transmitted through kissing. You may even catch respiratory diseases or other diseases, such as typhoid fever or flu, from sharing a toothbrush.
4. Comb
When you spend the night at a friend’s house, you may want to borrow a friend’s comb. In fact, combs are also something we can’t share. Gerba said, “bacteria on the skin and peeling dander will stick to the comb.” He also found MRSA and other bacteria on his comb.
What about the comb used by the stylist in the hair salon? Make sure they disinfect their combs every day to minimize the spread of bacteria.
5. Pen
You may meet an interesting colleague at the meeting and want to exchange contact information. Should you accept the pen she / he lent you? Private pens are easy to breed bacteria, because many people will have the habit of biting the pen tube. Gerba said, “with such pens, you can easily catch respiratory viruses and oral infections.” Gerba’s research found that teenagers’ pens carry the most germs.
Surprisingly, the pens on the shop front desk contain far less germs. This may be because they are scrubbed every day, and no one puts these pens in their mouth. Gerba suggests that people should bring their own pens, or wipe them with sterile paper towels when using other pens.
6. Mobile phone
There are many pollutants attached to mobile phones, which people seldom notice or even clean. Gerba’s research found that MRSA and other bacteria, including influenza virus, can breed on mobile phones.
Women’s mobile phones are dirtier than men’s. Because cosmetics are easy to carry germs, or in fact, there are more women catching colds than men every year. “According to statistics, women get colds about three times a year,” Gerba said. When you borrow your mobile phone, you’d better wipe it with a sterile paper towel, or remember to wash your hands after use.
7. Razor
Razors can’t be shared. Shaving sometimes causes wounds and cuts. No matter whether you see the blood marks on the razor or not, germs will always spread when you shave. Gerba said, “you will always scratch your skin, so be careful.” When you forget to take your razor with you when you stay at a friend’s house overnight, never borrow another’s razor. Don’t even use your parents’ razor. Blood borne diseases cannot be underestimated. A person may carry a certain disease (such as hepatitis B) all his life, and he may not even know it.
8. Cosmetics
When you go shopping and want to mend your makeup, you’d better use your own cosmetics instead of trying them out at the counter. A two-year study found that most cosmetic samples in pharmacies or shopping malls had high bacterial content. Among them, the pollutants found range from Staphylococcus aureus to Escherichia coli. The cosmetics samples tested were from Friday, Saturday and Sunday. The study found that there were more bacteria in cosmetics samples on Sunday than on Friday.
9. Remote control
If you are staying in a hotel or watching TV in a neighbor’s house, you’d better wipe it with a sterile paper towel before using the remote control. TV remote control is rarely cleaned, so it carries a lot of germs. Gerba said, “the dirtiest thing in the house is the remote control.” TV remote control is easy to be contaminated with bacteria, because people are lazy to wash their hands after using the bathroom. Gerba has found viruses, E. coli and other bacteria on remote controls in hotels, homes and hospital wards.
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