Keeping hygiene? See where the real germs are.

Here’s a household myth: The toilet is the dirtiest place in the house.


Not true. Toilets, in fact, have only 50 fecal bacteria per square inch, according to a study by Dr. Chuck Gerba, a microbiology professor at the University of Arizona.


“It’s one of the cleanest things you’ll run across in terms of micro-organisms,” Gerba told BBC News. “It’s our gold standard – there are not many things cleaner than a toilet seat when it comes to germs.”
But there are a whole lot of things that are germier than you thought. Here are surprising places and objects that frequently contain large amounts of bacteria that could make you sick.

1. Cutting Boards: They have about 200 times more fecal bacteria than toilet seats, coming from raw meat, particularly animal insides where fecal bacteria originates. To clean, run plastic cutting boards through the dishwasher. Make sure you let wooden boards dry completely before storing. (Check out these three effective ways to clean your cutting board.)

2. Kitchen Sponge: This must-have cleaning tool has 10 million bacteria per square inch, and its dishcloth cousin has 1 million per square inch. You can clean them by running them through a dishwashing cycle or placing a wet sponge in the microwave for two minutes.

3. Pillows: The place you rest your head each night is contaminated with many types of fungi, which you breathe in when you sleep. This is especially significant to people with asthma, sinusitis and compromised respiratory systems. Be sure to wash your pillows in hot water.

4. Make-up and Face Creams: In order of most to least contaminated, according to a study of bacteria in beauty products: Face creams (70% of those tested), mascaras (37%) and eye shadows (23%). Changing beauty products every three months will cut down on contamination.

5. Bathroom Air: Your toilet may be clean enough to eat off, but the air around the toilet after you flush is filthy with viruses and bacteria. When you breathe and swallow, you can become infected.

6. Contact Lens Cases: After you wash our lens, don’t forget to wash your case with solution – never water – to keep it germ free. After three months, toss and replace.

7. Cell Phones: It’s not hard to believe that your cell phone, which you breathe and spit on, is a bacterial playground. Once a week, clean with alcohol-free disinfectant wipes.

Read more: http://www.care2.com/greenliving/7-things-that-are-germier-than-your-toilet.html#ixzz3G5vcBXwU