7 Revolting Surfaces at the Grocery Store, Home

By RENEE SCHIAVONE (Patch Staff)

When the subject of germs and the “dirtiest things” around comes up, most people automatically think of that dreaded public bathroom toilet. But what would you say if we told you that there are several things you come in contact with daily that are just as— if not, more— dirty than the porcelain throne.

As flu season is upon us, Patch wanted to find out some of the most common, yet unexpected places we come into contact with bacteria and viruses. So we reached out to Dr. Ryan Sinclair, who is an assistant professor of Environmental Microbiology at Loma Linda University’s School of Public Health. Needless to say, he knows a thing or two about the matter of germs.

Germs Hiding in Plain Sight

Sinclair says he recently conducted a study at grocery stores, to determine where the most contaminated places are while people are shopping. Using a virus “tracer” of sorts, his team followed the “bugs” as they spread.

Here’s some of what he found:

• The checkout counter: According to Sinclair, this is one of the dirtiest places in the supermarket. “I expected the highest concentrations to be elsewhere,” he told Patch. “There are actually higher concentrations on the checkout counter.” Just remember that next time you set your wallet or keys down to pay.
  
  
• The conveyer belt: This is one of the biggest culprits for bacterial growth, and it’s not usually wiped down as frequently as other things, like shopping cart handles. That rubbery material used to carry your food and other items to the checkout teller is probably carrying some invisible germs with it as well. “It’s basically this sort of porous material... it’s a good surface to allow micro growth and survival,” according to Sinclair.
  
  
• But, those touch screens! The doctor says that these screens are riddled with bacteria, and often fecal matter. More than half of these screens were found to have fecal matter, and many had E. coli, in a study by famed microbiologist Dr. Charles Gerba, who mentored Dr. Sinclair.
  
  
• Shopping Carts: No trip to the grocery store would be complete without getting a little bacteria from these bad boys. Another study by Dr. Gerba, found 72% of shopping carts tested had fecal bacteria on the handles. Sinclair says when a store offers up an antibacterial wipe at the entrance to grab and use one— but remember that it takes about two minutes for them to actually help disinfect.

“The take home from all of this is to wash your hands as you leave the grocery store,” Dr. Sinclair says.

But wait, there’s more!

If you haven’t decided to get up and wash your hands by now, just wait. If you use reusable shopping bags to bring all your goodies home from the grocery store, the microbiologist says it’s important to wash them frequently.

“They go all over the place, then they go on your food,” Dr. Sinclair says. “It’s the perfect storm of a great place to live if you’re a germ.”

At Home

When we talk about fecal matter on so many things we touch, it’s undoubtedly disturbing. But the place where much of that matter, uhm, originates, still isn’t as dirty as you think.

According to the doctor, the toilet seat isn’t one of the most contaminated places at home— rather, it’s what’s below that’s the nastiest. There, and another place where you spend a lot of time, in the kitchen.

“The dirtiest places in the home are by far the bathroom floor and the kitchen sink around the drain,” according to Sinclair.

The doctor tells Patch that we should make sure to use a strong disinfectant when cleaning the sink and floor, like bleach, frequently.

“You don’t actually get a lot of germs on the toilet seat or bowl,” he says. “When you go to the toilet floor, it’s much dirtier than the toilet seat.”

Now that’s we’ve sufficiently scared you with all this ”dirty talk,” don’t forget to make sure to wash your hands ... correctly.