19 h. ago One disgusting essential item in restaurants has lots more germs than toilet seats

Food menus are very rarely cleaned or sanitised by eating establishments – unlike toilet seats, which are typically cleaned multiple times a day

Politics

3 d. ago Is your home a health hazard? 15 surprisingly filthy everyday items, from taps to toothbrushes

Your water bottle could harbour 40,000 times more bacteria than your toilet seat. And that’s just the tip of the dirtbergMost everyday objects are at least a little bit grimy. They rarely, if ever, make contact with soap or disinfectant – unlike your toilet seat, even though that’s the one that’s often used as a symbol of filth in studies of household cleanliness. Aside from pathogens that can cause disease and illness, “for the most part, we’re dealing with our own bacteria”, says Jason Tetro, microbiologist and author of The Germ Code. This usually isn’t a problem, especially for youngish healthy people – but, Tetro adds, “when they accumulate, even if they are your own, it can lead to things like skin irritability, itchy scalp, cavities [in teeth from bacteria-heavy toothbrushes], that type of thing”.Does it matter that your reusable shopping bag might be carrying faecal bugs? Or that your watch strap is teeming with lifeforms? Are the studies – usually small, and sometimes condu...

Society

1 week ago Sit or squat? Scientist reveals why it's actually WORSE to hover over a public toilet

Dr Primrose Freestone, a clinical microbiologist from the University of Leicester, says that you should always sit down on the toilet, no matter how unclean the seat might appear.

Politics

2 w. ago Brits warned as one common travel item is 'dirtier than toilet seats'

Before you even think about dumping your suitcase on your bed new research has shown the wheels, base and handle contains a disgusting amount of bacteria

Events

3 w. ago Expert reveals the VERY common travel item that's 58 times dirtier than public toilet seats

Microbiologist Amy-May Pointer has revealed the very common travel accessory that is 58 times dirtier than a public toilet seat - and how you can clean it.

Politics

3 w. ago ‘It’s cheap but it’s not disposable’: why fast tech is a growing waste problem

Low-cost and quickly discarded products are playing a key role in world’s fastest-growing waste problem – electronicsIt is cheap, often poorly made, and usually ends up in the bin or buried among the other knick-knacks, takeaway menus and birthday candles in the kitchen drawer.Known as “fast-tech”, these low-cost electronics are increasingly common – from mini-fans and electric toothbrushes, to portable chargers and LED toilet seats, often bought for just a few pounds online. Continue reading...

Politics