{"id":4430,"date":"2008-01-16T13:09:26","date_gmt":"2008-01-16T13:09:26","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/reformedchicksblabbing\/2008\/01\/the-germiest-places-in-america.html"},"modified":"2008-01-16T13:09:26","modified_gmt":"2008-01-16T13:09:26","slug":"the-germiest-places-in-america","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/reformedchicksblabbing\/2008\/01\/the-germiest-places-in-america.html","title":{"rendered":"The Germiest Places in America"},"content":{"rendered":"

When I read this list <\/a>it made me queasy.
\nSome of the places are pretty obvious, but did you know that a woman’s purse was…<\/p>\n

Dirty? Yep. Think petri dish. When University of Arizona professor of environmental microbiology Charles Gerba, PhD, and his team tested women\u2019s purses not long ago, they found that most had tens of thousands of bacteria on the bottom and a few were overrun with millions. Another study found bugs like pseudomonas (which can cause eye infections), and skin-infection-causing staphylococcus bacteria, as well as salmonella and E. coli. Your makeup case is every bit as bad, as are your guy\u2019s wallet and personal digital assistant.
\nReduce the risk: Instead of slinging your bag on the floor, hang it on a hook whenever you can\u2014especially in public bathrooms\u2014and keep your bag off the kitchen counter. Stick with leather or vinyl purses, which are typically cleaner than cloth (less-porous surfaces are more impervious to germs). And wipe your bag down every few days with a mild soap or disinfectant, then let it air dry. Brand name, alas, makes no difference.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

I vow, from now on if there is no hook on the back of the bathroom door, which happens often, I am going to hang my purse around me neck. This just grosses me out.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

When I read this list it made me queasy. Some of the places are pretty obvious, but did you know that a woman’s purse was… Dirty? Yep. Think petri dish. When University of Arizona professor of environmental microbiology Charles Gerba, PhD, and his team tested women\u2019s purses not long ago, they found that most had…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":120,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[397],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4430","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-social-issues"],"yoast_head":"\nThe Germiest Places in America - Reformed Chicks Blabbing<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/reformedchicksblabbing\/2008\/01\/the-germiest-places-in-america.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The Germiest Places in America - Reformed Chicks Blabbing\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"When I read this list it made me queasy. 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