Take 5: 5 Germ Hotspots in Your Daily Routine

Do you ever wonder what are the most common germ hotspots you come in contact with each and every day? Here are ten germ hotspots to keep on your radar, and our tips for habitual healthy living: 

Cell Phone

Our phones go everywhere that we go, but do they get disinfected as often as we wash our hands? A study found more than 17,000 bacterial gene copies on the phones of high school students - 10x the amount of bacteria on most toilet seats! We recommend disinfecting your phone as part of your nightly routine. 

When cleaning your cell phone, make sure your phone is unplugged and remember to never spray a cleaning solution directly onto your device. 

Keyboard

If you don’t regularly disinfect your keyboard, your midnight snack might still be lingering on a few letters. Much like your cell phone, your keyboard has also been named one of the top five gadgets in your home that harbor more germs and bacteria than your toilet seat. 

Sanitize your computer’s keyboard with a disinfectant wipe or a soft cloth dipped in isopropyl alcohol. Be mindful of moisture and make sure you’re never saturating the keys. 

Car Interior

Germs might be hitching a free ride in your car. The steering wheel is the dirtiest part of your car, swiftly followed by your keys and any buttons or controls. 

Keep a container of disinfectant wipes in your center console to clean up after a fast food frenzy and remember to use hand sanitizer after pumping gas or running errands to minimize transferring bacteria between your destinations. 

Gym Equipment

Whether you frequent group fitness classes, your apartment gym, or ride solo on your living room Peloton, workout equipment can easily become a germ hotspot. Handlebars on ellipticals, treadmills, bikes, and weight machines are the largest germ culprit at the gym so don’t touch your face or any open wounds, especially after using these machines. 

Disinfect your equipment with wipes, typically provided by community facilities, before and after your sweat sesh and promptly wash your hands after completing your workout. 

Shoes

You’ve buttoned up your jacket, laced up your shoes, but forgot your phone upstairs. A quick dash around the house in your “outside” shoes can welcome the more than 421,000 different bacteria on the soles of your shoes into your home. Don’t believe us? A study found that 90-99 percent of what we pick up on our shoes directly transfers to our floors. 

Make a habit of never wearing shoes beyond a reasonable threshold in your home and regularly disinfect floors near your entryway as part of a weekly cleaning routine.