Health

Your ideas of germ protection could be working against you

Jul 22, 2016

Everyone has come to terms with the fact that germs are everywhere. Try as we might shield ourselves from the virus spreading nasties they are part of our lives. Some might even have their own little ‘tricks’ to try and avoid germs, but they might be only making it worse.

Using gloves to touch ATMs, parking meters, or natural contact surfaces
It’s a good idea in principle. Doctors wear rubber gloves to protect themselves so why wouldn’t gloves keep you safe? Unless you are throwing out your gloves after each use than all you are doing is transferring the germs to your gloves and taking them home without. If you touch the outside of the gloves later, the bacteria will still be active, and you’ll get them in the end. Experts say that most cold and flu germs die after a day, so if you use gloves to protect yourself from germs, it’s a good idea to lay them somewhere dry for a day to make sure the bugs are dead before using again.

Using your foot to flush a public toilet
The actual flushing handle of the public toilet is the least of your worries when it comes to the public bathroom germ factory. Door handles and the locks on the stalls are teaming with more germs on the flush handle so you are more likely to leave with more germs on you then when you went in regardless. If you are trying to stop the germs in the public toilet, use a tissue to open the door and lock the stall. After washing your hands use a paper towel or an elbow to open the exit door.

Holding your breath after a sneeze
Everyone’s guilty of this one even if they are not aware of it. If someone sneezes next to you and you either hold your breath of wave your hands to keep the germs away they are already on you. If you are within one-and-a-half metres of the sneeze blast zone, the germs have already reached you. If you are outside the danger zone than you are pretty safe already as the bacteria will die before they reach you.