You’ll hear loads of individuals talk about the horror of using a public bathroom. If that isn’t convincing, you’ll notice the tissue paper toilet-seat covers in public bathrooms. This is because of the bacteria and germs that reside in toilet seats. After all, that’s where we all go to relieve all the waste from our body.
However, here’s where the misconception comes. You might just be among those people that believe that your toilet seats are the dirtiest place ever. Well, you’re mistaken. No doubt, your toilet seat is one of the dirtiest places in your home. Still, it’s far from the dirtiest place in your home.
In fact, various reports have established that your toilet seats aren’t the dirtiest place. When you compare it to another place, you’ll realize that your toilet seats are relatively neat. And we’re talking about things outside your toilet, things you use daily, and those you hardly suspect.
10 Common Things That Are Dirtier Than Your Toilet Seat
So, what are these places? In this article, we’ll tell you 10 common things that are dirtier than your toilet seats. By the way, get ready for a shower after this article. Now dive in.
1. Your Beards
Yes, your beards are far dirtier than your toilet seats. We bet you’re most likely in a state of shock. Well, you shouldn’t. It’s just pure fact.
No doubt, beards have become quite common among men. Today, it’s even more of an expression of masculinity among men. However, that doesn’t take anything away from how gross, and dirty beards can be.
In an experiment, some beards were swabbed and examined for the number of bacteria present. Well, the results would shock you. It showed that some beards housed considerable dirt in them that would warrant a shut down if it was in any water system.
So, yes, your beards are extremely dirty and home to millions of bacteria, if not more. If you’re one who has been carefree about your beards, you might want to pay more attention to them.
2. Your Smartphone
Another item that makes it to our list of common things that are dirtier than your toilet seats is your cell phone. And while you almost need to doubt it, it’s just the reality.
Now, think about it. You take your cell phone with you everywhere you go. You use your phone when eating and when you’re in bed. Even more, some of us even using it while we’re in the toilet, although it’s not the best practice.
So, you can see why it’s one of the dirtiest places around. So, when next, the thought of pressing your smartphone against your face crosses your mind, think twice. It would be best if you didn’t.
In case you’re still in doubt, get the facts straight. Your smartphones are significantly dirtier than your toilet seats. The University of Arizona claims most cellphones have ten times more germs and bacterial than toilet seats.
Still, that shouldn’t stop you from using it. All you need to do is clean it regularly. You can use disinfectant wipes to achieve this. Alternatively, you can use a paper towel and add castile soap to wipe your smartphone daily.
3. Your Cutting/Chopping Board
Next up is your cutting or chopping board. We bet you’re wondering how that’s possible. After all, you’ve been using it in your kitchen where you eat daily. Well, the reality is just that your chopping board is extremely dirty.
Various research reports have suggested that your chopping board has as much as 200 times more fecal bacteria than your toilet seat. And this isn’t far from the fact that you cut your meat here.
Usually, your meat comes with various internal organs. These organs have fecal matter. Now when you cut your meat on your cutting board, it gets transferred to your board.
So, yes, your chopping board is home to more dirt than your toilet seat. Now, when next your vegetarian friend refuses to use your meat chopping board, you know why.
Regardless, this doesn’t mean you should stop using your chopping board. All you’ll need to do is clean your cutting board vigorously after using them. You can soak them in a bleach solution to achieve this.
4. Money
We sure can’t do without money in our lives. Even more, the popular saying, money makes the globe go round becomes more compelling. However, the world isn’t the only thing money makes go round. Unfortunately, money also makes germs and bacteria go round.
According to New York University, every dollar bill holds as much as three thousand bacteria types on its surface. In case you’re wondering why it’s quite simple. This is because of the large number of people that touch the money.
Now, think back to how many people might have touched your money. In some cases, hundreds of people. You can’t even tell if they are in their thousands. More, consider how many bacteria-covered and filthy hands were part of those hundreds or thousands. So, you can see why money comes off as dirty.
So, yes, money is quite dirty, if not dirtier than your toilet seat.
5. Clean Laundry
This will perhaps be one of the most shocking discoveries for you. After all, you believe you’ve just washed your cloth, and it should be free from germs. However, the reality is that it encounters more germs and bacteria in your washing machine.
Now, you ask why this is the case. Well, it’s quite simple. Ask yourself the number of things that enter your machine. You’ll realize that you have your dirty underwear also going into your machine.
In case you didn’t know, this underwear carries significant fecal matter and other bacteria. Unfortunately, when you wash between 30 and 40 degrees, you can hardly kill those germs. In turn, these fecal matter and bacteria remain on your cloth after you complete washing.
Even worse, if you’ve got a front-loading machine, water typically settles on your machine’s bottom. This can then serve as a breathing ground for a large proportion of bacteria. Now, when you consider that your toilet seat is usually dry, you see how much more risk your washing machine poses.
Regardless, don’t let this stop you from using the washing machine. All you need to do is clean your washer regularly, a minimum of twice a month. You can use bleach and warm water to do this. Then, wipe dry using a towel. You can also wash your underwear separately.
6. Your Work Desk
Next on our list of common places that are dirtier than your toilet seat is your work desk. And don’t let this shock you. Your work desk isn’t just dirtier. It’s at least 100 times more than you’re your toilet seat.
We bet the next question on your mind is how come. Well, it’s quite simple. The reality is that you hardly clean your desk surface. Yet, various items get there. You’ve got a daily load of paper there. Sometimes, you even place money on your desk. Other times, you place food items on it.
Now, these various items contribute over time to leaving bacteria on your desk. And since you’re more concerned about your toilet seats than your desk, you hardly clean your desk. The result is a significant increase in germs that makes it dirtier than your toilet seats.
While this sounds gross, you can easily avoid these germs. All you need to do is use disinfectants on your desk at least once each week. This will help you keep it in good shape and free of germs and dirt.
7. Fast Food Ice
Each time you step out to eat outside, one thing you can’t avoid getting is a drink. Now, with each drink, you most likely want ice with it. However, just before that, you need to know that fast food ice makes our list of items dirtier than your toilet seat.
We bet you’re already getting worried that this makes our list. However, it’s no ruse. The reality is that ice from most fast food contains more bacteria. In fact, a study shows that 70 percent of ice from fast foods holds more bacteria and germs than your toilet seats.
In case you’re wondering why, it’s straightforward. The reality is that most restaurant hardly cleans their machine. In turn, this gives enough room for bacteria to grow. Also, various waiters pick up your ice using your cup. This makes the ice more susceptible to bacteria.
So, don’t doubt it. There’s significant exposure to bacteria from ice in fast foods. Your best bet is to avoid ice.
8. Your Keyboard
Another item that comes off as dirtier than your toilet seat is your keyboard. However, this shouldn’t be surprising anymore. Just as with your work desk, you hardly clean your keyboard.
Unfortunately, your keyboard sees loads of action daily. In fact, we hardly clean our hands when using our keyboards. The reality is that loads of dirt leave our hand and make it to our keyboard. Then, when you fail to clean the board, the dirt accumulates.
Typically, this host of bacteria can last for days following the first contact. From food crumbs to dust and various other substances, this gets your keyboard far dirtier than your toilet seat.
Regardless, you can’t possibly give up on using your keyboard. All you need to do is constantly clean up your keyboard. You can do this by turning over your keyboard so all crumbs can come out. Then, you can disinfect it with a wipe to kill all germs.
9. Your Game Controller
You’ll probably feel like avoiding this if you’re not a game lover. However, it concerns you where you’re not, but you’ve got a partner or a child who loves the game. This is because a game controller contains significantly more germs than your toilet seat.
It’s okay to wonder why. The fact is that just like your keyboard, you spend a considerable number of hours on it. And in most cases, your hand isn’t entirely free of dirt. Now, after extending the bacteria to your controller, you wash your hand but fail to clean the controller.
This is how it gets all dirty. In fact, your game controllers hold five times more bacteria when compared to your bacteria seat. As such, you want to disinfect it regularly.
10. Carpet
Don’t be shocked; your carpet houses more germs than your toilet seat. In fact, it has as much as four thousand times the number of germs you’ll find on your toilet seat. This is due to the high number of walking and activities that occur there. As such, you want to vacuum your carpet regularly, at least once a week.
Conclusion
Your toilet seat isn’t always the dirtiest item in your life. We have identified various other items that are even as dirty. We have also shown you how to clean them. So, get right to it and keep yourself safe.