10 Germ-Spreading Habits to Give Up Now

You likely do at least some of these things every day. Here's why you shouldn't.

hand flush toilet
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Leaving the toilet lid up when flushing

That lid is there for a reason! According to the American Journal of Infection Control, when you flush, the contents of the toilet (water and otherwise) get tossed around, sending a spray flying into the air that contains microscopic bacteria. If you don’t close the toilet lid, the bacteria can contaminate your hands, bathroom surfaces, and even objects like toothbrushes. Take note of the other germiest spots in your bathroom.

Portrait of a dark braided hair woman chewing her pencil while working home on her laptop. She is sitting at a big white table in a luminous place, wearing casual clothes. Focus on the woman
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Chewing on pens

Do you know where that pen has been?! Even if you do, your mouth should probably not be one of those places. If the pen belongs to you, that still means your maybe-not-so-clean hands have touched it, and since chewing on a pen is usually a nervous habit that you do automatically, chances are you haven’t taken into account the cleanliness of the pen, or of your hands. Plus, gnawing on pens isn’t great for your teeth, either.

Little Asian baby learning to take a straw out from its package by using her teeth - allowing baby to solve problem in his / her own way to develop their problem solving skill
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Opening things with your teeth

Yes, sometimes when you can’t get a package open, it may seem more convenient (and, occasionally, more effective!) to get it started using your choppers. However, not only can this be potentially damaging to your teeth, but it can also spread germs. In addition to the germs from your own mouth being transferred to the package, you’re also making contact with any germs that were already present on the packaging. Check out 10 other surprising habits that could be making you sick.

Birthday. A little sweet girl blows out candles on the stoke.
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Blowing out birthday candles

Unless your birthday wish is to have germs all over your cake, you might want to reconsider this common tradition. When you blow out candles, you release bacteria that’s been inside your mouth. And guess where it goes? Toward the target of that air: the surface of the cake. While there’s a slim chance of actually getting sick from these germs, it’s still a little icky—especially since a study showed that blowing out candles causes the amount of bacteria on the surface of a cake to increase by 1,400 percent.

Young businesswoman eating a salad while working in office. /Young businesswoman typing on the laptop.
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Eating at your desk

Now you have an excuse to get up, walk around, and actually take a break during your lunch break. Not to gross you out, but your computer keyboard is most likely home to some serious germs, unless you clean it regularly. If you eat your food on the same surface as your keyboard, you run the risk of ingesting those germs, which are definitely not on the menu! Here are some other surprising items that are actually dirtier than a toilet seat.

Cleaning sink
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Making your kitchen sponge do double duty

News flash: Your kitchen sponge, a tool you use all the time to keep things clean, is not clean. Unless you wash and/or replace your kitchen sponge weekly, it’s probably home to some unwelcome bacteria. Bacteria that causes foodborne illnesses, like Salmonella and E. coli, are the primary culprits. Worse still, if you clean your sink with the same sponge as you use to wash your dishes, you’re transferring all the icky germs from the interior of your sink to your dishes and food. To stop the spread of germs, have two separate sponges, one for each cleaning task. Don’t ignore these 7 other surprising items in your kitchen where germs lurk.

two children eating watermelon on the beach
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Eating at the beach

You know that you’re supposed to always wash your hands with soap and water before eating. But, far too often, people let their common hygiene habits go out the window when they’re snacking by the shore. Washing the sand off your hands in the ocean water is totally fine, right? Well…maybe not. According to the World Health Organization, beach sand contains lots of microorganisms, some of which can spread pathogens. You certainly don’t have to swear off beach picnicking forever, but make sure you’re remaining conscious about cleanliness. Try to wash your hands with soap and clean water before you enjoy your beach meal or, at the very least, pack some hand sanitizer and scrub your hands thoroughly with it.

very dirty hairbrush with knots of hair
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Letting hair accumulate in your hairbrush

If the thought of a hairbrush with a layer of loose hair sitting amid the bristles gives you the heebie-jeebies, you’ve got the right idea. When that hair builds up in your brush, so too do oils from your skin, dead skin cells, and sticky deposits of hair product. When you use that same brush, those things—and the germs they carry—get transferred right back to your coif. You’re best off pulling all of the loose hair out every time you’re finished using the brush and tossing it straight into the trash. You should also soak the brush in warm, soapy water at least once a month. Check out these 9 other places germs hide in your home.

happy child boy holds elefant toy sitting on floor in nursery
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Not disinfecting children’s toys

As any parent knows, young children have some gross behaviors. They put toys in their mouths, bang them on the ground, and, yes, pick their noses. To make matters worse, their underdeveloped immune systems make them particularly susceptible to illness. So parents, and, really, anyone who looks after little ones, should make sure that they’re cleaning and disinfecting toys regularly (every few weeks or so, depending on how often the child plays with the toy). Especially if you have more than one child, or if your child has friends over, make sure you’re wiping down toys with disinfectant wipes, or putting them in the dishwasher or washing machine. Most toys’ packaging and/or tags contain specific cleaning instructions.

young stylish hipster woman, swag outfit, jeans, cool accessories, sitting on ground, pink purse, legs close up, details, shoes
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Putting your purse on the floor

You might know that the inside of your handbag can get icky if you don’t clean it out, but don’t forget about the outside of your purse too! Especially if you’re in the habit of plopping it on the ground to get it off your hands (even just for a short time), the bag’s exterior is probably home to lots of germs. And don’t forget to clean the handle of your purse, too, since it can collect bacteria from constant exposure to your hands. Next, learn what the 22 germiest things in your home are.

Meghan Jones
Meghan Jones is a Staff Writer for RD.com who has been storytelling since before she could write. She graduated from Marist College with a Bachelor of Arts in English and has been writing for Reader's Digest since 2017. Her creative nonfiction piece "Anticipation" was published in Angles literary magazine in spring 2017. Meghan is a proud Hufflepuff and member of Team Cap.