British company Initial Washroom Hygiene states that handbags and purses carry more germs and bacteria than toilet flushes and seats.
For most women, the handbag is their most prized possession and it goes everywhere they go. While many women fuss about using toilets they're not sure about, a new study conducted by the British company Initial Washroom Hygiene found that a lady's handbag contains more germs and bacteria than an average toilet seat or flush.
"Handbags come into regular contact with our hands and a variety of surfaces, so the risk of transferring different germs onto them is very high, especially as bags are rarely cleaned," technical manager at Initial Hygiene, Peter Barratt, said. "Once these germs get on the bags, they can easily be transferred via hands onto other surfaces. Regular hand sanitization is essential to prevent the presence of bacteria in the first place and thorough cleaning of bags is recommended to prevent the build-up of contamination."
Leather handbags in particular carry more germs as their spongy interiors are ideal for bacteria. Though, the findings of the study stated that nearly everything in a handbag is covered with germs, handbag cream bottles are the dirtiest and carry the most number of bacteria.
Many women seldom or never clean their hand bags, which creates even more favorable conditions for these bacteria to survive. Officials at Initial Washroom Hygiene suggest that women should wash their handbags regularly and clean them often. By doing so, bacteria are kept to a bare minimum.
Researchers of the study also found that apart from bags, kitchen worktops and computer keyboards have dangerously high levels of bacteria on them.
