STOP GERMS!

Avoid any contact with bacteria and viruses that could make you sick.

✱ AT THE POOL

Don’t want a verruca or athlete’s foot as a souvenir? ‘These foot conditions spread via contact, so wear flip-flops in showers, changing rooms and by the pool,’ suggests Emma Stevenson from The College of Podiatry.

✱ IN YOUR HOTEL ROOM

A suitcase can come into contact with 80 million bacteria before reaching your room. Clean it with antibacterial wipes on arrival, and don’t forget about germs clinging to your handbag. ‘Never place bags on any surface used for eating,’ says hygiene expert Dr Lisa Ackerley.

✱ OUT AND ABOUT

Use antibacterial wipes to clean table edges and arm rests at cafes, bars and restaurants. And always wash your hands after visiting the loos or handling currency. One study found 19 different types bacteria lurking on coins and notes*.

✱ WHEN SELF CATERING

Wipe door handles in self-catering accommodation and check that kitchen cleaning sponges are brand new – they can be 200,000 times dirtier than a toilet seat, found a study by the University of Arizona. Coliform bacteria was found on 89% of used tea towels, so take your own.