War on germs fought on many battlegrounds

Let’s track where the worst microbes are in the course of a day.

Our tour guide? Charles Gerba, often called “Dr. Germ,” a microbiologist at the University of Arizona. Gerba never imagined that microbiology would make him famous, but an internet search of his name yields more than 10,000 results.

Here’s what Gerba has found in more than 40 years of looking for germs.

YOUR HOME:

Your clothes: Your clothes can harbour salmonella, hepatitis and other viruses. Those germs and others can survive our laundry efforts because most people don’t wash clothes in hot water or use bleach anymore

The solution: Use bleach or the hot cycle if you can. If not, run the drier for more than 30 minutes.

Your kitchen: Kitchens harbour far more pathogens than bathrooms. The worst hot spots are the sink, sponge and counters.

The solution: Clean your kitchen sink and counter frequently with disposable disinfectant wipes. Use paper towels to wipe your counters. Run your sponge through the dishwasher or microwave it for one to two minutes.

YOUR COMMUTE:

If you commute via bus or subway, you’re six times more likely to get sick than if you walk or drive.

The solution: Use hand sanitizer or wash your hands just after exiting public transit. When I asked Gerba the biggest mistake people make regarding germs, he instantly said: “Not washing their hands long enough or well enough. Our study showed only half the people who went to a sink used soap in a public restroom.

YOUR WORKPLACE

The elevator: The ground-floor elevator button is like a petri dish of germs. But there’s something even worse.

The break room: “The hot spot we found in office buildings is usually the break room,” Gerba said. “Usually on the coffee pot handle.”

The restroom: The toilet seat is actually pretty clean because people wipe it or use paper liners. The real cesspool in a restroom is the floor.

The solution: Wash your hands as soon as you get to work after exiting the elevator. Wash your hands after visiting the break room.

RESTAURANTS

There are probably about a hundred times more bacteria on that menu than on a typical toilet seat.

The solution: Carry hand sanitizer and use a quick squirt after handling the menu.

GROCERY STORES

Gerba found E. coli bacteria on half of the shopping cart handles he tested. Gerba also found about half of reusable grocery bags were also contaminated with E. coli.

The solution: Don’t eat while you shop. Wash or sanitize your hands after shopping. Wash your fabric grocery bags with hot water, bleach or both.