Your handbag and other household items that are grimier than your toilet

Could your handbag be making you sick?

According to a new guide by those canny household experts over at the Good Housekeeping Institute, handbags have been touted as one of the worst places for germs.

The domestic gurus have uncovered eight germ-riddled hotspots around a typical household that can harbour more germs than the average toilet including toothbrushes, remote controls and your kitchen sponge. Bleugh!

But because you tend to tout your handbag with you wherever you go, including the loo and they are often put on the floor, they have been awarded the less-than-impressive title of household’s grimiest. Nice!

The report explains that because more obviously ‘dirty’ areas like toilets, and kitchen worktops regularly get cleaned during household chores, it is actually those less obvious spots that require a good scrubbing.

“Few of us have time to clean everything we should every week but ignore these everyday items at your peril,” the report says.

Other bacteria-infested breeding grounds include the bristles of your toothbrush which allow airborne germs from the nearby toilet to accumulate, as well as germs from the toothbrush owners actual mouth. Gross!

Similarly, electrical items such as remote controls, keyboards and laptop screens attract bacteria and grime, as do bathroom towels, dishcloths, and pet beds.

In order to prevent the spreading of nasties, the domestic gurus recommend refraining from placing bags on floors such as toilet cubicles and closing the toilet seat when you flush to avoid airborne bacteria collecting on your toothbrush.

They also advise sanitising the bristles of your brushes by leaving the heads in mouthwash for about 15 minutes and using a finely woven microfibre cloth sprayed very lightly with antibacterial surface cleaner to run over laptop screens and remotes.

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