by: Michelle Castillo / CBS News
Washing your hands after using the bathroom might be a common
practice to stop the spread of germs, but not many women may wash their
hands after they put them in their purse. But, according to a study
conducted by the company Initial Washroom Hygiene, perhaps they should.
Researchers
with the hygiene and washroom services company swabbed handbags to find
the dirtiest parts. Twenty percent of handbags swabbed had levels of
bacteria-related contamination which could potentially cross-contaminate
other surfaces -- and contained more germs than the average toilet
flush, CBS New York reported.
While Dr. Sorana Segal-Maurer, an infectious disease specialist with New York Hospital-Queens, said to CBS New York
this week that it's highly unlikely someone would get sick from their
handbag, people should still take precautions to stop the spread of
germs.
The items inside the purse didn't fair well either. Swabs
revealed that face or hand cream were most-bacteria ridden items,
followed by lipstick and mascara.
One item that may have spread bacteria to the purse is none other than the cell phone.
"We
don't want to put it down. It goes into the bathroom with some people
-- not a good idea," Segal-Maurer said. "You really need to wipe it
down."
Leather handbags were the most likely to contain the most
bacteria, because the spongy material is a perfect breeding ground,
according to the study..
"Handbags come into regular contact
with our hands and a variety of surfaces, so the risk of transferring
different germs onto them is very high, especially as bags are rarely
cleaned," Peter Barratt, technical Manager at Initial Hygiene, said in a
press release. Once these germs are on the bags, they can easily be
transferred via hands onto other surfaces. Regular hand sanitisation is
essential to prevent the presence of bacteria in the first place and
thorough cleaning of bags is recommended to prevent the build up of
contamination."
Segal-Maurer suggested never putting your handbag
on the bathroom floor and using anti-bacterial wipes to clean the
bottom of the bag and handles. Also, never carry fruit in your purse.
"Number
one, you're probably not going to wash your hands before you go
reaching for it, and number two, it's floating around next to all the
other stuff in your bag and then you want to put it in your mouth --
it's not a good idea," Segal-Maurer said.
Thank you to CBS3 for sharing this very informative article!
Original Source: http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-204_162-57585093/handbags-may-contain-more-germs-than-average-toilet-flush/
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