The Germiest Places in America

We call them the dirty dozen. It’s our laundry list of the germiest places you’re likely to encounter during an average day. Sure, there are outbreaks of microbes and viruses across the country, but these buggers are where you live. In the office, at home, at the gym, on your vacation. “It’s enough to make even the least germophobic person a little worried,” says Dr. Germ, a.k.a. Charles Gerba, PhD, a professor of environmental microbiology at the University of Arizona. After all, some of these germs lurk where you least expect them, he says: “People are more worried about the trash can than the kitchen sink, when it should be the other way around.”

Dr. Germ and a panel of other experts helped us identify the dirty dozen and devise ways for you to keep clean. After all, the fight is in your hands. Literally. Eighty percent of infections are spread through hand contact. So wash up, people, and get ready to wage a bit of germ warfare of your own.

1. Your Kitchen Sink
2. Airplane Bathrooms
3. A Load of Wet Laundry
4. Public Drinking Fountains
5. Shopping Cart Handles
6. ATM Buttons
7. Your Handbag
   
8. Playgrounds
9. Mats and Machines at Health Clubs*
10. Your Office Phone
11. Your Bathtub
12. Hotel Room Remote

* At Main Event Fitness we are cognizant of this fact. We therefore work diligently to keep our gym as clean as possible! Our cleanliness is so important to us that we devote a significant portion of our budget to its implementation.

by Ginny Graves, Health, October 2007