by Zoe Papadakis From Newsmax

From a young age we’ve been told to wash our hands often and it turns out there is a good reason why parents and teachers are so insistent on this.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention noted that many diseases and illnesses are spread simply by not washing hands with soap and clean running water.  We all know the importance of keeping our hands clean and, while you cannot stay 100 percent germ free, you definitely want to scrub your hands clean after touching these 8 filthy things:

1. Money — Sometimes you just cannot avoid handling money but make sure you wash your hands after handling those bills which are teeming with hundreds of microorganisms including DNA from pets and viruses as well as pathogens like E. coli and salmonella, Reader’s Digest noted.

2. Computer keyboards — Most of us are not even aware that the average desktop has 400 times more bacteria than the average toilet seat, the National Center For Health Research found.

3. Handrails, handles, door knobs — Public surfaces, where multiple people are continuously touching the same surfaces, are a hive of pathogens and microorganisms, Reader’s Digest noted. Make sure you give your hands a good scrub after touching handrails on escalators, door handles and poles on the subway.

4. Supermarket carts — When doing your weekly grocery shopping the last thing on your mind is the germs on the supermarket cart but research has found that nearly all the handles to these unassuming carts are home to E.coli, Southern Living reported. You cannot avoid them, but you can disinfect your hands after shopping.

5. Cellphones — It is little wonder that our cellphones, which go with us everywhere, could be up to 10 times dirtier than a toilet seat and contain E. coli, WedMD noted.

6. Restaurant menus — When you sit down to a meal, you do not want to be worrying about contaminating your hands with germs but unfortunately restaurant menus contain about 185,000 bacterial organisms. Tables also happen to be dirty culprits, so make sure you wash your hands after touching these items and before you dig into your meal! 

7. Dish sponges — that innocent looking sponge sitting on your sink is probably home to thousands of bacteria including Coliform, Southern Living pointed out. Swap that sponge out for a brush.

8. Laundry — Your clothes may look and smell clean after a spin in the washer and dryer but studies have found that viruses including rotavirus, which is linked to serious stomach issues, could survive both the spin cycle and dryer, Reader’s Digest noted. It may be a good idea to use bleach whenever possible and wash certain items like underwear on hot.

For more on this story go to: https://www.newsmax.com/health/health-news/handwashing-germs-cdc/2019/04/09/id/910803/?ns_mail_uid=6952f1f9-507d-4a20-8cc0-0a1db158d76e&ns_mail_job=DM24216_04212019&s=acs&dkt_nbr=010102rcqppe

See also: http://handwashapp.com/