More Bacteria in the Bathtub Than in the Garbage Bin, Study Shows

Researchers visited 35 U.S. homes, swabbing for bacteria in 32 locations in each home.

Here’s how those spots ranked, in terms of the average number of bacteria per square inch. Spots with the same average number of bacteria have the same rank.

• Toilet bowl: 3.2 million bacteria/in²
• Kitchen drain: 567,845 bacteria/in²
• Sponge or counter-wiping cloth: 134,630 bacteria/in²
• Bathtub, near drain: 119,468 bacteria/in²
• Kitchen sink, near drain: 17,964 bacteria/in²
• Kitchen faucet handle: 13,227 bacteria/in²
• Bathroom faucet handle: 6,267 bacteria/in²
• Bathroom sink, near drain: 2,733 bacteria/in²
• Pet food dish, inside rim: 2,110 bacteria/in²
• Kitchen floor, in front of the sink: 830 bacteria/in²
• Toilet floor, in front of the toilet: 764 bacteria/in²
• Kitchen countertop: 488 bacteria/in²
• Bathroom countertop: 452 bacteria/in²
• Garbage bin: 411 bacteria/in²
• Dishtowel: 408 bacteria/in²
• Toy: 345 bacteria/in²
• Kitchen tabletop: 344 bacteria/in²
• Home office phone or refrigerator door: 319 bacteria/in²
• Toilet seat: 295 bacteria/in²
• Bathroom light switch: 217 bacteria/in²
• Microwave buttons: 214 bacteria/in²
• Kitchen chopping board: 194 bacteria/in²
• Child-training potty: 191 bacteria/in²
• Infant changing mat and infant high chair: 190 bacteria/in²
• Kitchen phone: 133 bacteria/in²
• Bathroom door inside handles: 121 bacteria/in²
• Toilet’s flush handle: 83 bacteria/in²
• TV remote control: 70 bacteria/in²
• Home office computer keyboard: 64 bacteria/in²
• Home office computer mouse: 50 bacteria/in²

Clean Cayman introduces a new cleaning system wherein we don’t just stop from cleaning surfaces but assuring that we also deal with microscopic bacteria. We don’t just clean, we also sanitize and disinfect.

Difference between cleaning, sanitizing and disinfect

Cleaning is the removal of visible soil, debris, microorganisms, and organic substances from surfaces; will not eliminate germs but reduces their numbers by removing some contaminated matter.

Sanitizing is the reduction of bacteria to safe levels (set by public health standards) to decrease the risk of infection; may not kill all viruses.

Disinfect is the elimination of pathogens and disease-causing microorganisms, except bacterial spores.