Shocking revelation: a handbag dirtier than a toilet seat! |
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Although most women cannot imagine going out without their handbag, this favourite fashion item is a potential microbe bomb which can harm your health at any moment.
How come? A research conducted by British company Initial Washroom Hygiene showed that a large percentage of women never clean their handbag. That is why it accumulates dangerous bacteria and other disease causative agents.
The company reported disturbing results on the basis of the tests carried out on bags women brought to work. They tested the material and the content of the bags – numerous objects women carry.
One in five tested bags turned out extremely dirty in the sense of hygiene. Those bags contained bacteria in concentrations higher than those that can be found on a toilet seat!
Fertile ground for bacteria, fungi and moulds
Peter Barratt from the company that carried out the research told Medical News Today that female handbags are in regular contact with hands and various surfaces from which bacteria and other microbes end up in the interior of the bag.
Once they're inside and if the bag is not cleaned, they turn into an ideal ground for their multiplication.
"You need to regularly wash your hands and clean the objects before you put them in the bag", said Barratt, explaining that it's the first step towards the prevention against the microbes.
The most dangerous surface for the breeding of bacteria are leather bags, the study has shown.
Since leather has a foamy structure, such bags were revealed to contain the highest levels of bacilli.
The most dangerous part of the bag, judging by the quantity of the bacilli, is the belt regardless of the material it was made of.
As far as the objects in the bag, from the microscopic point of view, the hand cream was the dirtiest.
However, harmful microbs were found on mobile phones, keys, lipsticks and mascaras, along with other frequently touched objects.
Handbags have proven fertile ground for various fungi and dangerous mould.
How to "cure" your handbag?
Clean and wash your bag frequently, just as you do with your clothes and shoes, medical experts advise.
Never place it on the floor, especially in hospitals, toilets, waiting rooms and other places frequented by many people.
Never carry fruit in your bag. There it would be surrounded with objects full of microbes which would then easily find the way into your organism.
Note that the bacteria, fungi and mould in the bag can be found on:
- mobile phones
- keys
- wallets
- glasses
- handkerchiefs
- makeup
- notebooks
- agenda
- umbrellas
- pens
You are advised to clean the objects you frequently touch and that are almost always "at hand" and you put them in the bag.
Apart from the handbags, harmful microbes also pile up on keyboards and headphones, which therefore must be regularly cleaned too.
If you haven't created a health-related New Year's resolution, put the clean handbag on the list.
The sources used in this article include:
[url=http://www.medicalnewstoday.com]http://www.medicalnewstoday.com[/url]
[url=http://www.everydayhealth.com]http://www.everydayhealth.com[/url]
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