Before the pandemic, touching surfaces and objects wasn’t a concern. We didn’t know much about the germs and bacteria we gave or passed on. What we touch and are around throughout the pandemic has been a big worry. We became more aware of our surroundings because we wanted to remain safe and healthy. The Government decided to enforce rules that we were required to follow like ‘6 feet social distance’, ‘wear a face covering’, ‘sanitize and wash your hands frequently’ and ‘disinfect/wipe any surfaces touched after use’, which all made us more cautious of catching the coronavirus.

Especially with all the talk from Health Officials, it has made the public more interested in the areas with the highest bacteria count and the ways to keep clean and bacteria-free during these times. Therefore, this article will identify ten places ranked high in bacteria and what you can do to keep yourself and others safe.

10 Areas with bacteria to be aware of:

1. Technological Devices

2. Light Switches

3. Money

4. Faucets

5. Shopping Carts

6. Soap Dispensers

7. Any Reusable Bag

8. Remote Control

9. ATM

10. Doorknobs, Handles, and Buttons

How to Stop Receiving and Giving out Bacterial Germs

Technological Devices

How many times do you check your cellphone just within an hour? Or check your email a day? Most people don’t even think about cleaning and wiping their devices because they are constantly being used. Your hands are always touching the surfaces of your laptop, computer and cellphone keys and making it easy for bacterial germs to travel. Since bacteria live on our hands and fingertips, it makes it easier for germs to travel onto your laptop, computer and cellphone keys as your hands are constantly touching those surfaces.

When working on these devices, you are most likely busy with school or work, making it difficult to step away for a bite to eat or a sip to drink. It is advised not to eat above your computer/laptop as it is one of the causes of bacterial contamination. If this action is complex, it is vital to wash your hands with soap and water or sanitize your hands if a handwashing station is inaccessible before using these devices and, when appropriate, clean often. To add, any additional technological equipment, like a touch pen, should be wiped down with a disinfectant wipe.

Light Switches

You probably didn’t know this but, by turning on a light switch, you potentially could be turning on a virus. Interesting how places with light switches are so frequently touched yet not often disinfected. Many infectious germs can travel onto the fingertips when turning on the switch, and it is essential to sanitize or wash your hands before and after touching the switch.

Money

Do you still carry cash on hand? With buying and selling, it can be tough to make transactions only using a debit/credit card as some people still prefer handheld cash. However, the number of hands bills and changes that are touched daily can be pretty nasty. Imagine all the fecal bacteria, mold, and yeast that get carried onto the money. One never knows what the people before them did with their money and who the money has been in contact with. For this, sanitizing with a high alcohol percentage after the money has been touched is very important. They are refraining from touching areas on the face like eyes, mouth and nose so that the infectious germs cannot travel.

Faucets

Did you know the metal faucets are germ magnets? The faucet screen becomes moist when the water is running, making it a germ grabber. Since tap water is far from sterile, when you touch the screen with dirty hands, you’re allowing for more bacteria growth on the faucet. If the faucet isn’t kept clean, it could be problematic long-term as the bacteria could transfer to dishes or food. To keep them cleaned, ensure they are washed and scrubbed regularly or wiped down with a disinfectant wipe.

Shopping Carts

Are you one of those people who grab a grocery cart when entering a store? Many people will slide their hands all over the cart when pushing it throughout the store and don’t realize it. Like many areas listed, it’s another to add to the collections of areas that people don’t realize how much bacteria can be found on. Before grabbing a cart, ensure your hands are sanitized and that you hold a disinfecting wipe to clean all areas of the cart, even the ones you least expect are touched, to eliminate any infectious germs being passed on.

Soap Dispensers

Crazy how even in the areas you try to keep your hands cleaned, the germs can still make their way onto your skin. Specific soap dispensers in public places like bathrooms include liquid soap that does not contain chemicals that kill germs. This makes it unsanitary for workplaces. It is recommended for businesses to switch to sealed foaming hand wash and foam dispensers. You can also carry disinfecting wipes or hand sanitizer on-hand for a more thorough cleansing.

Any Reusable Bag

Leave your bag on the booth in the restaurant? Or left your reusable grocery bag on your kitchen counter? Whether it’s a grocery bag, purse, or handbag, it goes wherever you go. The reusable bag touches the floors, counters and public seats, surfaces that are well known for many germs. Therefore, it is advised that you clean your bag regularly with soap or water, or if fabric, a disinfectant wipe. It is essential to refrain from putting your bag down in highly problematic areas such as dinner tables, as it’s highly unsanitary.

Remote Control

No way you only stick to watching one channel on TV. Your fingers are probably dancing on the remote to try and find a channel you like. You might not realize that you are accepting the bacteria to grow on the skin by touching all these buttons. What’s even more concerning is if you are one of those who eat and watch television. You would be transmitting those germs onto the food you are consuming, allowing the germs to gain access through your system, leaving you vulnerable to sickness.

To prevent the infectious germs from getting into/onto the body, wipe down the remote with a disinfectant wipe before you use it, along with sanitizing or washing your hands before you get those chips to eat. As all family members use the same remote, and if friends come over, they may too, you are passing a lot of germs around.

ATM

Ever used the small pin pad on the ATM? That’s where the germs hide. All of the little creases in between creases are the germs hideouts. It seems to be nobody’s responsibility, but you’re own to keep clean when using the ATMs. Many people touch this area after putting in gas, handling money, or eating. That’s why you clean/must sanitize your hands after using the machine and refrain from touching any spots on the face to prevent the bacteria from getting into places the virus can be transmitted.

Doorknobs, Handles, and Buttons

Doorknobs, Handles, and buttons are touched multiple times per day and are highly transmitted. Most of the time, when going to the bathroom, you open the door with unwashed hands until you do your business and wash them after. Typically, when you’re done washing them, you go back to touch the same handle, knob, or button you opened with unwashed hands, defeating the purpose of washing your hands because you then pick up those germs again.

For this reason, it is essential that after we finish our business and wash our hands, we take a disinfectant wipe and wipe all handles, buttons and knobs touched. Or, to eliminate the whole wiping procedure, sanitize your hands with Roxton’s hand sanitizer of 80% alcohol.

In conclusion, unhealthy germs may be infested on many surfaces encountered daily. Roxton provides a variety of premium products that can eliminate germs from any surfaces listed, plus many more. Besides that, awareness of what you touch throughout the day and proper practices for staying safe is essential for protecting yourself from harmful viruses such as COVID-19. These surfaces and objects should be disinfected regularly, considering how commonly numerous individuals use them. However, these various surfaces are hardly ever disinfected and are huge factors recently regarding the ease of coronavirus transmission within the population.