Nothing slows you down in the workplace like getting sick. Productivity goes right out the window when you have the sniffles or a sore throat. If you can be more cautious with the spots below, you just may avoid your next sick day. Trust me, you'll be washing your hands by the time you're finished with this list!
1. Cell Phones
In a recent study at a Northern Ireland hospital, nearly all cell phones and office desk phones had evidence of bacterial growth and 15% of phones were growing bacteria known to cause infection. Another study found that 16% of phones have traceable fecal matter on them. Go ahead, answer that text - just use had sanitizer afterwards!
2. Gas Pumps
As if the price of gas weren't painful enough, 71% of gas pump handles are contaminated with germs that can make you ill. These studies cited by Dr. Gerba of the University of Arizona, whose colleagues call "Dr. Germ," had me thinking twice about filling up! Keep wet naps in your glove compartment, and cover the handle before you pump.
3. Restaurant Menus
Headed to the most popular restaurant in town? Think about the hundreds of people that have touched the menu you're about to handle. Think about it - have you ever seen anyone wipe down those menus? Never let your menu touch your silverware or plate, and wash your hands after you place your order.
4. Lemon and Lime Wedges
Researchers ordered 21 drinks at different restaurants. After recovering from the hangover, the researchers for the Journal of Environmental Health found 25 different microorganisms on those lemons and limes, including E. coli. Lemon and lime are great for you but NEVER as a garnish.
5. Condiment Dispensers
Like menus, ketchup bottles and salt shakers are almost never cleaned and pass through the hands of hundreds of people. According to public health researcher Dr. Kelly Reynolds (and my own observations,) most people don't wash their hands before eating. Dr. Reynolds also said napkins won't help; they're too porous, microorganisms go right through them. Hand sanitizer is the best way to go.
6. Restroom Door Handles
If you're diligent and wash your hands before each meal, you still need to avoid bathroom door handles. A 2005 study found that 82% of people DO wash their hands, but those 18% are the ones you want to avoid. My bathroom technique is to touch as few things as possible. Flush the toilet with your foot and after washing your hands, open the door handle of the restroom with paper towel - they're more substantial than napkins and help avoid contract with gross surfaces.
7. Grocery Carts
The Journal of Medical Virology reports that cold and flu viruses can survive for 18 hours on hard surfaces. Combine that with carts used by hundreds of people who are handling food and you have a breeding ground for bacteria. In fact, so many people have gotten ill form this that some grocers are starting to provide antibacterial stations at the front of the store because it is such a concern. Take two seconds and grab a handful of foam before and after you shop.
8. Airplanes
By spending hours with random people all breathing recycled air you're 100 times more likely to catch a cold on an airplane, according to a recent study from the University of Florida. Researchers have also found E. coli on surfaces all over the airplane, including faucets and doorknobs in the bathroom. Some of us laugh at people who wear respirator masks, but the reality is that there's a method behind the madness - the masks do cut down on cold and flu symptoms! If your ego won't allow you to do that, boost your immune system by eating extra immune fighting foods before and after traveling such as berries, kale and broccoli. Adding green tea can also help build your defenses.
9. Free Food
Think about all the places your hands go: your mouth while coughing and sneezing, your menu, your grocery cart. Now put that hand into a bowl of mixed nuts at the bar. While the rumor that urine is often found in the nuts is unproven, studies by the Minnesota Department of Health cite that hand-to-food is one of the most common ways to spread illness. Communal free food is a catch-all for germs! Even if you use your hand sanitizer, think of all the people who don't and it will be much easier to say no thank you to all those extra calories!
10. Escalators
One study of handrails on New York escalators found more than three million counts of pseudomonas putida, dirt bacteria, per swab analyzed. While common in the environment, these bacteria can cause respiratory infections in anyone who's immune system isn't running 100%. "Any public transportation or public spot is only as clean as the last person to touch it," said a research scientist at EMSL Analytical in New Jersey who analyzed the bacteria. Yet another reason to have your hand sanitizer ready!
Tell Jennifer how you protect yourself from germs. Tweet her @theRealJenCohen or comment on Facebook at Facebook.com/theRealJenniferCohen.
