Wednesday, November 18, 2009

It's Shocking to Think of - Really!






I received this as a forward.  I am not even going to try to snopes it.  It just makes so much sense and is shocking when I think of it.

Have you ever noticed girls who set their handbags on public toilet floors, then go
directly to their dining tables and set it on the
table?
Happens a lot!
   It's not always the 'restaurant food' that causes stomach distress. Sometimes
'what you don't know will hurt you'!

Read on.............
Mom got so upset when guests
came in the door and plopped their handbags down on the counter where she was cooking or setting up food. She always said that handbags are really dirty, because of where they have been.

It's something just about every woman carries with them. While we may know what's inside our handbags, do you have any idea what's on the outside?
Women carry handbags everywhere; from the office to public toilets to the floor of the car. Most women won't be caught without their handbags, but did you ever stop to think about where your handbag goes during the day.

'I drive a school bus, so my handbag has been on the floor of the bus a lot,' says one woman. 'On the floor of my car, and in toilets.'
'I put my handbag in grocery shopping carts and on the floor of the toilet,' says another woman 'and of course in my home which should be clean.'

We decided to find out if handbags
harbour a lot of bacteria. We learned how to test them at Nelson Laboratories in Salt Lake , and then we set out to test the average woman's handbag.

Most women told us they didn't stop to think about what was on the bottom of their handbag. Most said at home they usually set their handbags on top of kitchen tables and counters where food is prepared. Most of the ladies we talked to told us they wouldn't be surprised if their handbags were at least a little bit dirty. 


It turns out handbags are so surprisingly dirty, even the microbiologist who tested them was shocked.


Microbiologist Amy Karen of Nelson Labs says nearly all of the handbags tested were not only high in bacteria, but high in harmful kinds of bacteria. Pseudomonas can cause eye infections, staphylococcus aurous can cause serious skin infections, and salmonella and e-coli found on the handbags could make people very sick.

In one sampling, four out of five handbags tested positive for salmonella, and that's not the worst of it. 'There is faecal contamination on the handbags' says Amy. Leather or vinyl handbags tended to be cleaner than cloth handbags, and lifestyle seemed to play a role.... People with kids tended to have dirtier handbags than those without, with one exception.

The handbag of one single woman who frequented nightclubs had one of the worst contaminations of all. 'Some type of faeces, or possibly vomit' says Amy.


So the moral of this story is that your handbag won't kill you, but it does have the potential to make you very sick if you keep it on places where you eat. Use hooks to hang your handbag at home and in toilets, and don't put it on your desk, a restaurant table, or on your kitchen countertop. 


Experts say you should think of your handbag the same way you would a pair of shoes. 'If you think about putting a pair of shoes on your countertops, that's the same thing you're doing when you put your handbag on the countertops.'
Your handbag has gone where individuals before you have walked, sat, sneezed, coughed, spat, urinated, emptied bowels,
etc!

Do you really want to bring that home with you? The microbiologists at Nelson also said cleaning a handbag will help. Wash cloth handbags and use leather cleaner to clean the
bottom of leather handbags. 


12 comments:

Tracy M. said...

I can't believe women put their hand bags on the floor, any floor. That's gross. And I try to never put it on the table or counter, but sometimes I do forget and do it.
Thanks for the info.
Tracy M.

KKJD1 said...

Ick! I will remeber this for sure I dont usually put mine on the bathroom floor,but even still mine goes in buggies and lots of other places thanks for the tip on keeping us heathy! Blessings,Karen

Attic Rat said...

Though I never put mine on the bathroom floor (I keep it on my shoulder which is kinda tricky), I put mine in the shopping cart. Never thought about how icky THAT could be. I have a purse hanger that I use when I am in the restaurant. I will definitely be more careful. THanks for the PSA.

So glad you stopped by my blog so that I could "meet" you. Have a lovely day! - Teresa

Barbara said...

This is so true and was brought to notice some years ago here. Whether people generally took notice is another matter.

I personally NEVER put my handbag on the floor. If in a toilet then it hangs up, in a restaurant or coffee shop it goes over the back of the chair. In the home it goes on a chair or something, never on the kitchen counter or dining table.

I see so often women putting their bags on tables when out and Mothers letting their children stand in shopping trolleys in their shoes where I may be putting my groceries.

Thanks for visiting and commenting.

Anonymous said...

good article....................................................................................................

Donna said...

I have this thing about "cooties", so I am really careful about where I put my purse. It never, EVER, goes on the floor. And I never put it on a table.

I have a funny story that is related. Well, it's about cooties, but not really related to purses, LOL. A health physicist friend of mine told me that he always made sure he washed his hands BEFORE going to the bathroom. He said he knew where his "#####" had been, but not where his hands had been. Hahahaha!!!! So true, especially when working with radioactivity!

Donna said...

Just popping in to say Happy Thanksgiving to you and the family sweetie!hughugs

Donna said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Countryfolk Keepsakes said...

Blondie, I want to wish you and you family a very happy and blessed Thanksgiving! I am so very thankful for your friendship, you are a blessing. :> )
~Peanut

Cookie said...

Happy Thanksgiving dear dear friend - I have much to be thankful for and you are definately at the top of my list!

God is Good and better to us than we deserve!

Love you,Blonde One ♥

Cathy ~ Tadpoles and Teacups said...

Ewww....where's the Purell???
BTW, I never put my handbag on the ground, anywhere! And I rarely place it in the grocery cart either. Finally my germaphobia comes in handy!!

Hope you enjoyed a wonderful blessed Thanksgiving!

Courtney Short said...

I have heard this before.. disturbing.. I dont set my bags down anymore. They even have these things you can use to hang your purse on a table when you are eating out so it doesn't touch the floor.. just a little metal hook thingy that goes right back in your purse.