Washing your hands after using the bathroom might be a common practice to stop the spread of germs, but not many women may wash their hands after they put them in their purse.
But, according to a study conducted by the company Initial Washroom Hygiene, perhaps they should.
Researchers with the hygiene and washroom services company swabbed handbags to find the dirtiest parts. Twenty percent of handbags swabbed had levels of bacteria-related contamination which could potentially cross-contaminate other surfaces — and contained more germs than the average toilet flush, CBS New York reported.
While Dr. Sorana Segal-Maurer, an infectious disease specialist with New York Hospital-Queens, said to CBS New York this week that it’s highly unlikely someone would get sick from their handbag, people should still take precautions to stop the spread of germs.
The items inside the purse didn’t fair well either. Swabs revealed that face or hand cream were most-bacteria ridden items, followed by lipstick and mascara.
One item that may have spread bacteria to the purse is none other than the cell phone.
“We don’t want to put it down. It goes into the bathroom with some people — not a good idea,” Segal-Maurer said. “You really need to wipe it down.”
Leather handbags were the most likely to contain the most bacteria, because the spongy material is a perfect….
Read the rest of this article on CBS News: Handbags May Contain More Germs Than Average Toilet Flush
