Where Do Germs Live?
Germs can be everywhere and anywhere, but some places are true germ hotspots you should pay special attention to while trying to keep yourself and your family safe. Here are some locations where you might want to take a few precautions:
Restaurants
As much as we all enjoy a good meal out at a nice restaurant, you must be aware of the potential risks from germs. The food itself can be a risk since uncooked meat and other ingredients can carry bacteria like Salmonella and Shigella. Beyond that, any unclean surface you touch in a restaurant like a menu, or a chair could be harboring dangerous germs. The quick spray and wipe down of the table between parties might not be enough to get rid of them all.
So how can you stay safe without avoiding restaurants altogether? Well, you can wipe down surfaces at your table yourself to be extra thorough and wash your hands before you eat anything with your hands, of course. Additionally, to avoid food-related risks, choose the restaurants you eat at wisely. Make sure they have current inspection certificates and send back any underdone foods.
Movie Theaters
The cinema. Everything from the ticket booth to the snacks to the plush red seats makes it a memorable and enjoyable experience. But what if you learned those lovely seats were carrying all sorts of potentially sickening germs. It would make the family outing a little less enjoyable, that’s for sure. Unfortunately, that’s precisely the case. Researchers have found traces of fecal matter, streptococcus, and even bedbugs on movie theater seats. Even if you love horror movies, that’s probably not the thing you want to make your skin crawl in the theater. And that’s not to mention the germs on other surfaces in the theater like door handles, ticket counters, and even in/on the snacks you purchase.
You can still go to the movies and have a great time, though, as long as you make some small changes. First, and perhaps most importantly, you should probably consider using a seat cover of some kind to stay away from all those nasty germs on the movie theater seats. The Healthy Lifestyle Kit from Seat Sitters includes a seat cover and other helpful items like sanitizing wipes to protect you at the theater or anywhere else you go. Also, like in any other public place, wash your hands after contact with potentially contaminated surfaces and avoid touching your face.
Public Bathrooms
No matter how well you plan your trips, needing to use a public bathroom now and again is pretty much inevitable. Unfortunately, as you can imagine, public bathrooms are full of surfaces that may be covered in germs. There’s no way to know when the last time the public bathroom you’re in was cleaned or how thorough a job the cleaners did. The greatest risk comes from touching contaminated surfaces with your hands and then transferring the germs by touching your eyes, mouth, or nose, not from sitting on the toilet seat. Regardless, using a paper toilet seat cover may make you more comfortable.
To protect yourself, you should wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water. Once you are done, steer clear of touching any potentially contaminated surface like the tap or doorknob. Try grabbing an extra paper towel to use to grab door handles and turn off the sink if those functions are not automatic.
Airplanes
Traveling is one of the great joys in life and it often involves getting on an airplane. For many people, airplanes are not quite so joyful, and germs are a big reason why. Airplane travel almost inevitably combines many people into a small area for an extended period at a time. It's a perfect recipe for germs and spreading sickness. Surfaces like the tray or seat may be harboring dangerous germs and the person in the seat next to you with a cough that just will not go away is a risk, too.
Luckily, the Healthy Airplane Travel Kit from Seat Sitters has everything you need to enjoy safe, stress-free air travel (at least when it comes to germs). It contains sanitary wipes you can use to wipe down any surface you need to touch like the armrests and door handles as well as hand sanitizer to keep your hands clean and a seat cover to give you a layer of separation between you and the germs on your seat. Taking any one of those steps will give you extra protection that can be a game-changer when it comes to in-flight germ fighting.
Doctor’s Offices
Generally, you go to your doctor’s office to find a way to stop being sick, not to pick up a new illness. It seems like a doctor’s office should be one of the safest public places you can visit but the truth is that there are plenty of germs you need to avoid there, too. In the waiting room, you are often confined to a small space with a group of patients with different potentially infectious illnesses. The chairs, the pens, the magazines, the toys, they all might be covered in germs from other patients. But going to the doctor is something everyone must do so what can you do to stay safe when you do go? First, bring your own entertainment for yourself or your children so you can all avoid touching the communal items. Wash your hands after touching any potentially unclean surface. A seat cover can help provide even more protection.
Stay Healthy Wherever You Go
By taking some smart precautions and being aware of your surroundings, you can protect yourself and the ones you love from many of the risks associated with germs out in the world. To take your level of germ protection to the next level, consider buying a kit from Seat Sitters such as the Healthy Lifestyle Kit. Having some additional layers of safety might make all the difference when you are visiting one of the locations discussed above. So be safe and stay healthy!