Handbags Can Contain More Bacteria Than A Toilet Flush

Handbags can get dirty pretty quickly. Anyone who has ever cleaned out a bag has been privy to all manner of lint and pencil lead and other random items tucked into the crevices of the lining. However, a new study by Initial Washroom Hygiene, a U.K. based company, recently determined that handbags can feature more bacteria than a flush of the toilet.

I’m sure no one really wants to linger on that nasty little fact, so let’s just take a look at the company’s research. The study looked at an unspecified number of women’s handbags, including the linings and items, like makeup, that can be found inside. While the study found the grossest items in each of the handbags included hand creams followed by lipsticks. Interestingly, leather handbags were also found to contain more germs than handbags made out of other materials, apparently because of their “spongy” texture. Even using the term spongy is gross.

While the Initial Washroom Hygiene company definitely accomplished this study to peddle a line of products under the moniker Initial’s UltraProtect, it doesn’t make the results any less gross. According to CBS News, instead of buying special products, simply investing in better behaviors should keep people out of contact with some of the gross germs that find their way into purses. Hygiene is important, so, wash your hands frequently, clean off your cell phone frequently, don’t put purse items on the floor—especially in bathrooms—and don’t keep live fruit in your purse. Because seriously, that fruit is going in your mouth and your purse has more germs than a toilet.

Photo Credit@ Shutterstock/ Oksana Bratanova