According to the staff of the British Initial Washroom Hygiene organization, there are more bacteria in women’s purses than in a toilet.
The tests have shown that one in five women’s handbag is a haven for bacteria that pose a threat to health. And the dirtiest thing in the bag is the hand cream (a lot of bacteria accumulate on the tube, and it is more dangerous than the toilet seat). The next dirtiest things are lipstick and mascara. The experts recommend that women should wash their hands regularly and clean the bag with antibacterial wipes or gel to avoid cross-contamination.
A handbag is in constant contact with the hands and different surfaces, so the risk of transmission of microbes is very high, if the bags are cleaned rarely. It is especially important for those women who put bags on the floor in public places. According to Peter Barratt, as soon as the bacteria get to the bag, they will be found on your hands very quickly after that. So without regular hygienic hand washing and cleaning the bag, one can do nothing with the bacteria.
In addition, Peter Barratt said that work areas of the kitchen are also dirty to a dangerously high level. They are inhabited by coliform bacteria (they usually live in feces) that cause outbreaks of diarrheal diseases. Also, more than one-quarter of dryers have bacteria levels exceeding the safe rate by four times. The bacteria are found on the handles of refrigerators and the buttons of microwaves, and, of course, they have been found on our hands – however, another research showed that women’s hands were dirtier than men’s hands.
