Beware those bathroom germs

According to the Dettol Hygiene Home Truths Swabbing Study, conducted by the Global Hygiene Council, 85 percent of South Africa's bathroom sponges failed the microbiological tests.

According to the Dettol Hygiene Home Truths Swabbing Study, conducted by the Global Hygiene Council, 85 percent of South Africa's bathroom sponges failed the microbiological tests.

Published Sep 17, 2014

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Johannesburg - The kitchen cloth, bathroom body sponge, kitchen counter, kitchen tap, light switch, toilet flush handle, landline phone or refrigerator door handle.

Which of these would you think has the most bacteria and germ contamination?

Surprisingly, the most intimate cleaning material anyone can use – the bathroom body sponge or cloth.

According to the Dettol Hygiene Home Truths Swabbing Study, conducted by the Global Hygiene Council, 85 percent of in South Africa’s bathroom sponges failed the microbiological tests.

The results of the study, conducted last year, were presented by Dr Kgosi Letlape from the hygiene council in Sandton on Tuesday.

The study sampled 20 homes in five countries represented by the hygiene council.

The countries were India, the United Arab Emirates, the UK, the US and South Africa.

In South Africa, 64 percent of all samples from the eight surfaces were satisfactory, and 13 percent were spotless, meaning 77 percent passed the microbiological tests.

“The bathroom sponge is the main culprit globally. E.coli (a bacteria that normally causes stomach upsets) was found in 25 percent of bathroom body sponges (in South Africa).

“The kitchen cloth came in second dirtiest, with 75 percent heavily contaminated,” Letlape said.

According to the study, the country’s toilet flush handles were cleaner than kitchen cloths or sponges.

“The second most contaminated item/surface in South Africa was the kitchen cloth or sponge with 75 percent of the samples heavily contaminated. This compares to the 15 percent of toilet flush handles that were contaminated,” the study said.

“E.coli was found on 15 percent of kitchen cloths and sponges, pseudomonas spp (which cause infections such as urinary tract and gastrointestinal) on 65 percent, with enterobacteriaceae (which causes gut infections) on 55 percent – all indicators of poor hygiene.

“Despite these results, South Africa had the highest number of satisfactory kitchen cloths of all the countries tested,” the study found.

The cleanest areas were the kitchen counter and food preparation slabs, with 90 percent of them passing the microbiological tests in the country.

“The three least contaminated items or surfaces were the cellphone, kitchen light switch and refrigerator door handle – 100 percent of these items were found to be spotless or satisfactory,” according to the study.

The hygiene council also conducted a global survey which revealed that 83 percent of all people surveyed think their home poses a low (52 percent) or no (31 percent) risk with regard to the spread of infections and illnesses.

Local results don’t deviate much from the global norm, with 59 percent of South African respondents believing their home poses low risk and 30 percent thinking there is no risk.

The study also found there was a lack of knowledge about where harmful bacteria can be found.

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