Updated on October 13, 2022
Most people try their best not to touch anything when they use a public restroom, especially the toilet seat. While it has a germy reputation, it is not the only contaminated area in workplaces, schools, or public places. Studies have found that school toilet seats have an average of 3,200 colony-forming units (CFUs), office toilets 49 CFUs per square inch, and some public toilets have counts as low as 8 CFUs per square inch. Although these numbers can become high, business owners and users must also consider these ten common objects.
- Each button on an ATM keypad has approximately 1,200 CFUs on it.
- Restaurant menus have about 100 times the amount of bacteria that is found on a toilet seat.
- School water fountains harbor around 2.7 million germs.
- The average shopping cart is covered in 138,000 CFUs.
- Gas pump handles are heavily contaminated with counts as high as 2,011,970 CFUs.
- Rideshare vehicle testing found readings of 1,000,153 CFUs on the seat belts.
- Airplane tray tables have approximately 2,155 CFUs per square inch and tend to be the most?ÿcontaminated item on board.
- In the office, coffee pot handles hold onto 108,592 CFUs.
- The average phone at an employee’s desk could be home to 25,000 CFUs.
- Each elevator buttons contain around 313 CFUs.
In a public restroom, toilet seat liners can be used to provide a physical barrier against germs, while keeping toilet paper from being wasted and potentially causing clogged pipes. However, the toilet seat is not the only place that needs attention.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), hands spread 80% of infections. Making touch-free hand hygiene provisions available, such as automatic faucets, soap dispensers, and hand dryers or paper towel dispensers ensures that users can completely wash their hands and prevent cross-contamination. When washing with soap and water is not an option, especially when individuals are on-the-go taking cash out of the ATM or grocery shopping, touch-less hand sanitizer dispensers are fast and effective alternative that can easily be installed at any convenient location. In addition to washing and sanitizing hands, no-touch surface sanitizer dispensers and surface sanitizing wipes are effective solutions and easy to use on objects like the ones listed above. Making wipes available allows customers and employees to protect themselves from cross-contamination that could lead to illnesses and helps them to feel appreciated by the establishments they visit. If you have a few high-touch points in your business, consider adding these essentials today!
