Almost every surface you come into contact with throughout the day is a potential hotbed for germs. The multiple areas and surfaces that you touch are hardly ever disinfected, and in the case that they are, they’re almost never disinfected properly. Germs can live on a variety of surfaces well after a mediocre disinfection and can spread as rapidly as you try to kill them.
Contact with these surfaces can potentially be ground zero for illness outbreaks, which can spread to family and friends. Not all germs can cause an infection right away, however, and in some cases, your body can be a host for microbial colonization. One of the best ways to protect your immune system is to wash your hands thoroughly and numerously throughout the day. The effective way to kill germs is to wash your hands with soap and water for between 15 and 20 seconds, according to the Center for Disease Control. So be sure to wash your hands with care after using the bathroom or coming into contact with multiple surfaces.
However, being reactive is only half the battle; you’ll want to be proactive as well. Knowing what surfaces are home to the most germs can help you protect yourself against illness outbreaks.
Six of the Germiest Places:
- Public bathrooms
- Restaurants
- Office Spaces
- Airplanes
- Hotels and Motels
- Swimming Pools
Many of these places are unavoidable or are frankly someplace you’d rather take the risk. It’s understandable, but in order to protect yourself and your family from the possible risks, you should know the proper methods of surface disinfecting techniques.
There are many products available that are effective means of killing the majority of germs on a surface. When combined with reactive measures such as washing your hands, you stand a good chance of fighting off infections and other risks. Keeping means of personal disinfection on your person can also be an added layer of defense against illness outbreaks. Products such as hand sanitizer can be very potent and competent in fighting off germs.
There are many more places and surfaces home to a variety of germs, and the full list can be found here.
