‘Ah boy, Ah Girl, be careful what you touch ha, always wash your hands!’ This might be the classic quote that our lovely mom always remind us to do since we were from a young age. You know what, mommy was right! We probably touch hundreds or even thousands of surfaces on a daily basis, some of them might be the dirtiest surfaces that have become breeding grounds for germs without our notice. In this article, let’s discover what are the 5 dirtiest surfaces we touch every day and how we can protect our hands effectively.

The Dirtiest Surfaces In Our Daily Life

1. Mobile Phones & Tablets

Let’s be honest, we carry our phones with us everywhere even to the restroom. A study of young adults conducted by Nottingham Trent University (2015), suggests that people use their smartphones for an average of five hours a day – about a third of the time they are awake – and check them about 85 times a day (and they don’t even know they’re doing it). Therefore, our smartphones are obviously harboured with numerous types of germs – including ones named as E.coli that may cause us symptoms such as diarrhoea, nausea or fever. Some studies even believe that our smartphones might be 10 times dirtier than a toilet seat. Hence, it’s crucial to avoid taking our phones with us to the restroom and shall clean them with alcohol-based disinfectants frequently to avoid getting sick.

2. Gas Pump Handles

Well, we shall understand the fact that nobody will clean the things that we are going to touch on a daily basis. Gerba’s study discovered that “71% of the gas-pump handles that were analysed were ‘extremely contaminated’ with sorts of microorganisms most highly associated with illness and disease,” according to CleanTechnica. This is because a lot of people put their hands on them—and they may grab them without washing or sanitizing their hands first.

3. Dish Sponge

Surprise! Every house probably owns one to scrub the dishes. Do you know that it is actually soaking up all your leftovers and is potentially carrying food-borne bugs like Campylobacter, E. coli and salmonella, which come from raw chicken and beef? These bugs can cause nausea, diarrhoea, chills and fever. Hence, it is crucial to replace your kitchen sponge every few weeks, especially when it smells mouldy or like food.

4. Toothbrush & Toothbrush Holders

A toothbrush supposes to clean your pearly white teeth. However, it is also one of the dirtiest surfaces in your home because we usually leave our toothbrushes wet when we’re done, and it takes a while to dry. Hence, the toothbrush and the holder have become a lovely incubator for moulds, fungus, and even Serratia Marcescens, which can cause meningitis, to settle (Raphael, 2017). Therefore, you shall replace your toothbrush every three to four months, and wash your toothbrush holder regularly as well with hot soap and water every week to minimize your chances of getting sick.

5. Doorknobs

No matter entering your home or workplace, the doorknobs are the thing that gets touched by numerous people over and over again by hands and is rarely sanitised. These handles can carry staph, short for Staphylococcus aureus, a common bacterium which can be harmful if it enters your mouth, eyes, cuts, or scrapes. Due to the pandemic, people starting to realize the importance of sanitizing the doorknobs frequently as the coronavirus can also get on the doorknobs and last up to 72 hours. Hence, a good swipe of the doorknob with antibacterial wipes or disinfectant spray daily is essential to keep staph and other harmful microorganisms at bay.