Germiest Public Places

Although escaping germs in public places is impossible, we can be aware of some of the most prominent places they infest.  Keeping this in mind, we can better defend ourselves against these germiest locations:

~ Condiment/salt and pepper dispensers in restaurants - Squirt hand sanitizer on the outside of the condiment bottle or use a disinfectant wipe before you grab it. Holding the bottle with a napkin won't help; napkins are porous, so microorganisms can pass right through.

~  Restaurant Menus - A recent study in the Journal of Medical Virology reported that cold and flu viruses can survive for 18 hours on hard surfaces.  When a menu is placed on your dish, there is good reason to ask for a new dish!
~  Lemon Wedges - According to a 2007 study in the Journal of Environmental Health, nearly 70% of the lemon wedges perched on the rims of restaurant glasses contain disease-causing microbes. When the researchers ordered drinks at 21 different restaurants, they found 25 different microorganisms lingering on the 76 lemons that they secured, including E. coli and other fecal bacteria.
~ Restroom door handles - Palm a spare paper towel after you wash up and use it to grasp the handle. Yes, other patrons may think you're a germ-phobe--but you'll never see them again, and you're the one who won't get sick.
~  Grocery carts - The handles of almost two-thirds of the shopping carts tested in a 2007 study at the University of Arizona were contaminated with fecal bacteria. In fact, the bacterial counts of the carts exceeded those of the average public restroom. Swab the handle with a disinfectant wipe before grabbing hold (stores are starting to provide them, so look around for a dispenser). And while you're wheeling around the supermarket, skip the free food samples, which are nothing more than communal hand-to-germ-to-mouth zones.
~ Airplane bathrooms - When tested for microbes in the bathrooms of commercial jets, surfaces from faucets to doorknobs were contaminated with E. coli. It's not surprising, then, that you're 100 times more likely to catch a cold when you're airborne, according to a recent study in the Journal of Environmental Health Research.

~ Soap dispensers - the dispenser are touched by dirty hands, so there's a continuous culture feeding millions of bacteria. Be sure to scrub hands thoroughly with plenty of hot water for 15 to 20 seconds--and if you happen to have an alcohol-based hand sanitizer, use that, too.

~ Doctor offices - A doctor's office is not the place to be if you're trying to avoid germs. These tips can help limit your exposure.
1. Take your own books and magazines (and kid's toys, if you have your children or grandchildren with you).
2. Also pack your own tissues and hand sanitizers, which should be at least 60% alcohol content.
3. In the waiting room, leave at least two chairs between you and the other patients to reduce your chances of picking up their bugs. Germ droplets from coughing and sneezing can travel about 3 feet before falling to the floor.

From Prevention Magazine - From List Maker’s Get-Healthy Guide

There continue to be numerous items of which to be cautious.  If you think about it, more will come to mind:    Used crayons given for a child to use in a restaurant, high chairs, booster seats, etc.

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