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Which Has More Germs - A Restaurant Tray or a Park Sandbox?
Janelle Sorensen
Monday, March 08, 2010
I know this headline awakens the germaphobe in most of us, but before you start pulling out the hand sanitizer, I want to make something clear: Germs are generally benign. In fact, according to Scientific American:
"Most bacteria are well-behaved companions. Indeed, if you are ever feeling lonely, remember that the trillions of microbes living in and on the average human body outnumber the human cells by a ratio of 10 to one. Of all the tens of thousands of known bacterial species, only about 100 are renegades that break the rules of peaceful coexistence and make us sick."
With that said, let's return to the initial question: Do you think a restaurant tray or a park sandbox has more germs? Initially, I thought a restaurant tray. Public + food = germs, at least in my book. I worked in restaurants for 10 years and saw the unsanitary behaviors of both the staff and the patrons.
My assumption was wrong. These are the numbers according to recent NSF International Swab Testing:
[These numbers represent colony-forming units (CFUs) per square inch. A CFU is a measurement of microbial organisms.]
* Store shopping cart: 2
* Restaurant-restroom door handle: 4
* Children's library book: 7
* Stuffed toy in a doctor's office: 8
* School-desk surface: 12
* School computer mouse: 23
* Store floor: 33
* Public-park swing: 59
* Restaurant tray: 204
* School musical instrument: 262
* Video-game controller in an arcade: 551
* Public-park sandbox: 7,440
* Classroom faucet handle: 32,000
* Cafeteria water-fountain spigot: 62,000
Now that you know that the typical playground sandbox can contain more than 36 times the amount of germs as a restaurant tray, let's test your knowledge of germs again. Which has more germs in a typical public school: an animal cage or a cafeteria plate?
This time, I'm totally thinking animal cage - despite my simple equation involving food and the public. Come on, animals in cages live amongst their own excrement! And yet, wrong again!
According to the NSF Top Ten Places Germs Lurk in Schools:
* Animal cage: 1,200
* Student's hand: 1,500
* Toilet seat: 3,200
* Keyboard (classroom): 3,300
* Cafeteria plate: 15,800
* Faucet (hot water handle): 18,000
* Faucet (cold water handle): 32,000
* Plastic reusable cafeteria tray: 33,800
* Water fountain spigot (cafeteria): 62,000
* Drinking water fountain spigot (classroom): 2,700,000
I'm positively befuddled at how an animal cage can be one of the least germy spots in a school. Mark it up as another thing that separates us from the animals - our ability to breed and spread microbes. Still, just as I mention above, most of the germs found were not the kind that pose risks to healthy people. But, this does highlight the types of areas that are germ breeding grounds - and the more germs present, the more chance there is that some of those germs are harmful.
So what can you do?
Wash your hands often. The way the bad germs make us sick is by clinging to our hands and then taking a free ride into our mouth, eyes or nose. If your hands are clean before you touch your face (or food), you're giving yourself an enormous barrier of protection. Here's a CDC primer:
* Apply soap (regular soap works just as well as antibacterial and poses less risks).
* Rub hands together vigorously to make a lather and scrub all surfaces.
* Continue for 20 seconds! It takes that long for the soap and scrubbing action to dislodge and remove stubborn germs.
* Need a timer? Imagine singing "Happy Birthday" all the way through - twice!
* Rinse hands well under running water.
* Dry your hands using a paper towel or air dryer.
* If possible, use your paper towel to turn off the faucet.
That final recommendation seems imperative for all those faucet handle foes. And, if you simply wash your hands after touching public keyboards and video game controllers - you'll get rid of germs before they find their way into your system.
What about water fountains and cafeteria plates and trays? First, you can arm your child with a stainless steel reusable water bottle so they don't need to rely on fountains. Many schools are now encouraging students to bring water bottles - after finding what a positive impact hydration has on learning and behavior. Cafeteria trays and plates are tougher. Many parents choose to pack a lunch due to substandard cafeteria fare and those children will apparently be less exposed to lunchroom germ warfare. But, what about parents that don't or can't pack a lunch? Anyone have any ideas for cleaning up school cafeterias?
And, what about that playground sandbox? How would you keep your kid out, especially at parks that have sand as a ground cover? Is it simply a matter of teaching kids not to touch their faces without properly washing their hands? Easier said than done with toddlers.
How about it, readers? What are your non-toxic solutions?
Related Reading:
Posted by Dallas Divorce Lawyer on 10/11/2010 at 01:18 PM
I am thinking about showing this article to my husband the germaphobe. He wants to throw away all of our daughter’s stuffed animals because they harbor germs. No, no one in the family has a strange illness that makes us unable to fight off a normal amount of germs. I think he just had the idea that stuffed animals are more nasty than they (apparently) actually are. Sometimes you need to see the numbers in front of you to really understand what is going on. Excellent article.
Posted by Preschool Long Beach on 08/03/2010 at 07:47 PM
Hmm. I share your concern about how dirty these really common things are. However, let’s remember how many trillions of kids have gone through school and lived to be healthy adults. Kids should get sick once in a while so their immune systems develop. Old argument, I know, but an important one. Teach kids to wash their hands…that’s about all you can do, right?
Posted by Preschool Director on 04/05/2010 at 09:03 PM
By looking at the figures, the cafeteria items and the faucets in schools have at least 3 times more the amount of germs than a public park sand box. As stated, “most of the germs found were not the kind that pose risks to healthy people.” The headliner statement to this article is deceptive in that it gives the slight implication that public park sandboxes should be avoided. Our children need to play; and they need to play in dirt, too! Wash hands often with soap and water and quit worrying about germs.
Posted by Tiffany@MommyGoesGreen on 04/01/2010 at 06:34 PM
Wow - this will totally feed the germophone in me! The fountain reminded me of a time I was at the park with my daughter and someone let their dog drink out of the public drinking fountain - I was cringing!
Posted by kristen on 03/09/2010 at 08:22 AM
I think the parks have a lot of bacteria because no one comes and cleans the monkey bars, swings, sand boxes for sure. Also if you think about how dogs go there and do their business also…..
Posted by Miriam Price on 03/08/2010 at 06:47 PM
haha! We’re more dirty than animals! Well, hopefully, their cages only. But yeah I’m not surprised that our hands carry that much germs/bacteria…we tend to touch so many objects daily without even knowing what has been on it or where it has been. I know it seems unnecessary to clean everything (out of our household) that we touch before we make contact with it, so my suggestion would be to clean our hands after coming into contact with any of those things mentioned above….lol
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Posted by peterson vs khan live streaming on 12/26/2011 at 04:33 AM
I think a restaurant tray contains more germs compared to a sandbox. Restaurant trays commonly are not washed properly and is used daily. That’s the main reason why it is very prawn to germs.