The Germiest Public Places and How to Avoid Them

Venturing out in public raises your risk of running into germs of all kinds. Minimize your risk of infection and transmission by knowing where to find germs and how to avoid them.

Surfaces in public spaces across Little Rock, AR, and beyond, are nearly always teeming with microscopic organisms, or germs, which have the potential to cause viral or bacterial infections. With just a touch, the germs transfer from the surface to your hands or body where they remain until you wash them away. The germs easily transfer back onto the other surfaces you touch while you are out in public.

With everyone picking up and transferring germs in this manner, it is no wonder these organisms end up everywhere imaginable. Knowing just where the majority of the germs lie, and how to avoid them, can help you evade contact with these potentially-harmful microorganisms.

Most Common Places for Germ Contamination

Although hospitals and other healthcare centers pose the greatest risk of germ contamination, every shared public place has its fair share of germs. From restaurants and office buildings to grocery stores and public transportation lines, germs await contact on every surface that hands and bodies touch. The surfaces in these locations act as a transmission point for thousands of germ types, including ones that cause norovirus, E. coli, and other illnesses.

Problematic Surfaces in Public Areas

You may suspiciously eye toilets and other bathroom surfaces as the germiest, but doorknobs, railings, and seats carry just as many, if not more, germs than bathrooms. In fact, a study exploring germs on public seats, from BART line cushions to park benches, found that more than half of the sitting surfaces showed signs of fecal matter contamination.

Other problematic public surfaces include:

• Water fountains
• Reading materials
• ATMs
• Tabletop condiment containers
• Grocery carts
• Buttons on elevators
• Light switches

Every time the surfaces are touched by another person, germs transfer back and forth, adding to the colony numbers of both sides.

How to Avoid Germ Contamination While in Public

Since walking around wearing thick gloves is not reasonable, nor as effective as you might hope, you should utilize key prevention tactics to avoid taking the germs home with you.

• Whenever possible, such as in public bathrooms, use a paper towel to open the door before tossing it into the trash behind you.
• If you end up touching a shared surface, avoid touching your face to keep from transmitting the germs into your system.
• Wash up or use an alcohol-based sanitizer product to kill the germs and prevent their spread.

Importance of a Commercial Cleaning Company

Although germs proliferate public spaces, business owners can entrust the care and upkeep of their buildings to the team at ServiceMaster Twin Cities to keep viruses and bacteria away. To acquire expert janitorial services for your company, contact our team in Little Rock, AR, by calling 877-461-1774 and set up a consultation appointment. We will assess the needs of your office building, healthcare center, or other type of company space to create the perfect personalized service plan.