The Top 10 Dirtiest Items in your house

Although cleaning is a chore there is nothing better than a freshly cleaned house! But there are some items in your house that you just won't get clean and according to this list, their dirtier than your toilet! Brace yourselves, this list will give you the urge to get out the jif and start scrubbing down the house.

 10. Washing Machine: You'd think this would be one of the cleanest items (it a machine made for cleaning after all) but think back to all the filthy things you popped in the wash and they've com out pristine. Turns out that the Washing Machine is storing millions of bacteria passed on from giving your clothes a spin and in particular the warm water is perfect breeding ground for E.Coli bacteria.

 9. Money: Maybe it’s a good thing we aren't carrying around as much cash as we used to. New York University did a study and found around 3,000 types of bacteria on a single dollar bill. Not what we're wanting to hear but at least it gives us an excuse to spend that money, right?

 8. Kitchen Sponge: This household staple, just like the washing machine, is riddled of germs because it cleans away all the gross stuff and sticks to it. According to John Oxford from the University of London, the sponge is around 200,000 times dirtier than a toilet seat and is “by far the dirtiest".

 7. Your Cellphone: This one is probably the worst out of them all and sadly the one we probably use the most! A study conducted by Molecular Microbiology and Immunology department of the University of Southern California found an average of 10-12 species of bacteria compared to around three found on the toilet. Yikes.

 6. Handbags: Initial Washroom Hygiene found 20 per cent of handbags stored up to 10 times the germs as your toilet seat. However, your handle is the dirty part, not the inside. All the more reason to buy a few new bags and put them on rotation ladies. 

 5. Chopping Board: This one is a wee bit trickier. If you are an A class cleaner, then maybe you're in the clear. If you wash and disinfect your chopping board regularly, you're better off. However if you're guilty of flciking the chopping board under the tap and giving it a rinse, you're facing 200 times more fecal matter on there according Dr Charles Gerba. Here's a top tip to keep it squeaky clean, soak your board in bleach regularly, especially after cutting up chicken and seafood.

 4. Carpets and Floor mats: Readers Digest found that the average person loses about 1.5 million skin cells per hour, filling your carpet with around 200,000 bacteria per square inch. We won't even touch on the nastiness under your shoes that ends up on your carpet as well.

 3. Desks: Even though you may not always be at it, your desk is 100 times dirtier than a toilet seat. Your desk may be a bit grubby but it is the accessories on the actual desk are the culprits. CBT Nuggets found your keyboard is 20,000 times dirtier than the bathroom, while your computer mouse has over one million bacteria per square inch. Worth finding some bacterial wipes and hand sanitiser to be you new desk accessory. 

2. Coffee Makers: The lifesaving coffee machine is way dirtier than you would think. Dark and damp, coffee makers are perfect breeding ground for microorganisms. Fifty percent of the makers swabbed for this study had mold and yeast, and nine percent had coliform bacteria. Next time your in need of a coffee break head to the cafe instead, just to be on the safe side. 

1. Toothbrush holder: Not going to lie this one made us feel quite unwell. There are crazy high bacteria levels in toothbrush holders (27 percent had coliform, 14 percent had staph) this is because toothbrush holders tend to be so close to the toilet. Once you flush you have unleashed fecal-containing aerosols. And lets be honest her when was the last time you had a good scrub of the toothbrush holder? Top tip, in your next dishwasher run, pop the toothbrush holder in so it's as good as new.

Can you believe that all these things are as dirty or dirtier than your toilet seat? We're thinking of having a big clean this weekend now after reading this. Let us know if you have any top tips on keeping these things clean!