The yucky, shocking truth: You’re surrounded by stuff that’s a lot dirtier than your toilet

If you’re a hygiene freak you’re probably extra-cautious about keeping your toilet bowl spotless. But look at all the unlikely places where more bacteria and other icky stuff lurks. It’s shocking and will make you go ‘ewww’.

Cellphone

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It spends a good amount of time nestling close to your cheek. Well, that’s the equivalent of rubbing your face in the toilet bowl, given the concentration of bacteria on the surface of the average cellphone.

Keyboard

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You eat, drink and drop stuff on the keys and don’t always wash your hands before and after using your laptop. This is why researchers have found that computer keyboards contained 7,500 bacteria per swab – much more than an average toilet seat, which has 5,400. Cleaning the keys with the right products is one way to reduce bacteria count on your keyboard.

Ice

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Ice is a notorious haven for bacteria. Studies across restaurants have shown that the ice is often dirtier than water from the toilet. Think about that before you knock back that mojito the next time.

Chopping board

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These kitchen essentials are known to be far dirtier than your toilet is. Raw meat carries a very high level of fecal bacteria so you should be extra cautious while working with meat. It’s also a good idea to keep a separate chopping board for raw meat and to keep it scrupulously clean and disinfected.

Toothbrushes

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Here’s a truly disgusting fact: germs from your toilet bowl can travel up to 6 feet and most land up on your toothbrush. The only solution is to keep your toothbrush away from the bathroom. Also, change toothbrushes frequently.

TV Remote

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That thing you fight over is a potential health hazard.  Yes, TV remotes, constantly held in grimy hands, are breeding grounds for bacteria and other germs. Disinfect, from time to time.

Door knobs

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There’s a reason why people with OCD are scared of these things. Door knobs are germy places, especially in public toilets and the like. Hand sanitizer helps, after you’ve handled a dirty door knob.

Scrubbers

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The verdict is out: the kitchen scrubber is the dirtiest thing in any house in any part of the world and has some 10 million bacteria per square inch, making it far filthier than a toilet. The thing to do is to change them as often as possible. What, you forgot when you last changed the thing?

Currency notes

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They say filthy lucre for a reason, we guess. Currency notes which change hands all the time are teeming with bacteria. So, reach for the hand sanitizer when you’ve been handling lots of cash.

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