Winter germ warning

How the gear that’s keeping you warm could be filthy — and making you sick

W HEN was the last time you washed your winter coat? Your hat? Your gloves?

If you can’t remember, get thee to the laundromat! You could be swaddling yourself sick, says Charles Gerba, a microbiologist at the University of Arizona. “I generally recommend cleaning things you wear in public about once a week,” the germ expert tells The Post. “And people don’t tend to wash things like winter coats a lot.” The result? Viruses and bacteria build up, leading to sneezing and sniffling spells — or worse.

Read on to learn about the sneaky health hazards infiltrating your winter gear, plus, expert cleaning tips to keep you healthy all winter long.

Grimy gloves

The dirty details: Your hand-warmers are hotbeds for germs — especially if you keep them on during your morning commute. In enclosed public spaces, “the exposure to germs is high,” Gerba says. (A 2015 study found more than 15,000 types of microbes on the MTA.) Getting sick is as easy as touching a germy subway pole and rubbing your nose — hardly a stretch, as “you touch your face about 16 times an hour,” says Gerba.

Come clean: “Heat is what will really kill microbes,” Gerba says. So toss cloth gloves in the wash once a week in the hottest water the fabric allows — or, if you’re worried about shrinkage, skip the wash entirely and just chuck them in the dryer for 45 minutes. The same goes for synthetic-fabric gloves, with an additional bug-busting step: In the middle of the week, swipe them with sanitizing wipes — even the unsexy but utilitarian kind gyms dole out by the bucketful would work.

Leather gloves are a little trickier. You can wipe them down with a mixture of warm water and saddle soap weekly to remove the top coat of grossness. But for a real, deep clean, take ’em to a professional, says Nancy Bock, senior vice president at the American Cleaning Institute.

It’s also a good idea to get into the habit of removing your gloves before swiping your MetroCard. Your immune system will thank you.