10 Suprising Place Where Germs Lurk.

Is there a more potent symbol of purity than
the fluffy white snowflake, wafting from heaven and landing — ping! —
on the tip of your tongue?

Well,
along comes the journal Science to spoil the fun, noting that bacteria
called Pseudomonas syringae are lurking at the dark heart of many an
earthbound crystal of frozen water. And if Frosty the Snowman is a
target, what chance do the rest of us have?
A
pretty good one, actually — if you make note of the places where the
bugs lie and swat them before they can do harm. Here's an updated
to-disinfect list for all the surprising places (and people) contagion
clings to:


Your vacuum cleaner
The
threat: Researchers at the University of Arizona recently found that 50
percent of the vacuum brushes they tested contained fecal bacteria,
including 13 percent with E. coli, and all were packing mold. Vacuuming
can transfer the germs from contaminated surfaces to uncontaminated
ones (think kitchen to living room).
The solution: Spray the brush with a disinfectant after every use —
traces of bacteria can survive as long as 5 days inside the vacuum
after you empty the dirt. And disposable-bag vacuums promote more
bacterial growth, according to the study, so buy the bagless variety.


Your weight-lifting gloves
The
threat: A 2004 Japanese study found that staph bacteria bind strongly
to polyester, which is used in many gloves. And yes, that includes MRSA
bacteria, which lurk wherever jocks gather. You grab the bar, grunt a
weight, wipe your eyes, nose, or mouth, and the bacteria are in.

The
solution: Ditch the gloves, and not just to ditch the germs: Hitting
the weights with bare hands will strengthen your grip and forearms,
says the Men's Health Muscle Guy, Mike Mejia. If your gym doesn't keep
disinfectant wipes and alcohol-based hand sanitizer handy, insist that
it start doing so.

The grocery cart
The
threat: The handles of almost two-thirds of shopping carts tested in a
2007 University of Arizona study were contaminated with fecal bacteria.
The carts had even more of these bacteria than the average public
bathroom has.

The solution: Swab the handle with a disinfectant
wipe before grabbing hold — stores are starting to provide them, so
look around. And skip the free food samples, which are nothing but
communal hand-to-germ-to-mouth zones. Finally, bag unpackaged items,
like fruits and vegetables, before placing them in your fecal-matter
carrier. Your cart, that is.

Gym equipment
The
threat: A 2006 study in the Clinical Journal of Sports Medicine found
rhinoviruses (instigators of the common cold) on 63 percent of the gym
equipment at the fitness centers they tested. Researchers also
discovered that weight equipment was contaminated significantly more
often than aerobic equipment (73 percent versus 51 percent). Even
worse, the study found that disinfecting the equipment twice a day
didn't do anything to lower the virus count.

The solution: Avoid
touching your face between sets, since most colds are transmitted
through hand-to-nose contact. And make sure to pack an alcohol-based
hand sanitizer in your gym bag.


The restaurant menu
The threat: Ever see
anybody wash a menu? We didn't think so. A recent study in the Journal
of Medical Virology reports that cold and flu viruses can survive for
18 hours on hard surfaces. If it's a popular joint, hundreds of people
could be passing their germs on to you.

The solution: Never let
the menu touch your plate or silverware as you ponder the wine list,
and wash your hands after you order. But how do you escape the bathroom
without touching the door handle? Palm a spare paper towel after you
wash up, and then use it to grab the handle. Execute this trick
properly and nobody needs to know how much you fear germs.

The flight attendant
The
threat: Flight attendants are exposed to dozens of sniffling and
coughing passengers and the surfaces they touch. When attendants need a
pee break, they head into the same latrine you use. Now consider that
when Charles Gerba, Ph.D., co-author of "The Germ Freak's Guide to
Outwitting Colds and Flu," tested commercial-jet bathrooms, he found
that surfaces from faucets to doorknobs were contaminated with E. coli.

Given
all that germ exposure, it's no surprise that the Journal of
Environmental Health Research recently revealed that you're 100 times
as likely to catch a cold while flying than on the ground.
The
solution: Pack a green-tea pill. In a 2007 University of Florida study,
people who took a 450-milligram green-tea supplement twice a day for 3
months had a third fewer days of cold symptoms. Try Immune Guard ($30
for 60 pills, immune-guard.us), the brand used in the study.


Your bed
The
threat: More than 84 percent of beds in U.S. homes host dust mites.
These microscopic critters live in your sheets and feed on your dead
skin, and their fecal matter and corpses contribute to asthma and
allergies.
The solution: Don't make your bed. A study
from London's Kingston University found that dust mites need humidity
levels above 50 percent to survive. And while they can't live in the
arid conditions of an unmade bed, a made bed traps the moisture they
need to thrive. Mount an air attack, too. Try bundling a dehumidifier
with an oscillating fan for a two-pronged moisture eliminator.

The lemon wedge in your drink
The
threat: In a 2007 study from the Journal of Environmental Health,
nearly 70 percent of the lemon wedges smashed onto restaurant glasses
contained disease-causing microbes. Researchers ordered drinks at 21
different restaurants, securing 76 lemons. Testing revealed 25
different microorganisms lingering on the lemons, including E. coli and
other fecal bacteria.
The solution: Tell the waiter you prefer your drink sans fruit. Why risk it?

Your contact-lens case
The
threat: In a 2007 Chinese study, 34 percent of contact-lens cases
tested were found to be crawling with germs like Serratia and
Staphylococcus aureus. These microorganisms can cause keratitis, an
inflammatory eye disease that can damage the cornea and lead to
blindness.

The solution: Dump the used solution and thoroughly
rinse your case in hot water every day, and replace your lens case at
least every 3 months. And buy a new bottle of solution every other
month, even if you haven't used it all: A separate Chinese study
discovered that multipurpose solutions lose most of their germ-fighting
power after 2 months.


Your shower curtain
The threat: The soap
scum hanging out on your curtain is more than just unsightly. A study
in Applied and Environmental Microbiology found that vinyl shower
curtains are microbe meccas, breeding potential pathogens, such as
infection-causing Sphingomonas and Methylobacterium. Plus, the force of
the shower spray will make germs take flight, says the study author,
Norman Pace, Ph.D., a professor of molecular biology at the University
of Colorado at Boulder.

The solution: Hang a fabric shower
curtain from the rod. It will still harbor bacteria, but it's much
easier to clean than scrubbing down a vinyl curtain. Just toss it in
the washer, and use the hottest water the fabric can handle. Pace
washes his shower curtain once a month but advises anyone with a
weakened immune system (that's you if you're highly stressed or
battling a disease) to do so more frequently.