A Look at Door Handles as a Hotspot for Germs

Wash your hands and say your prayers because Jesus and germs are everywhere.

Many people don’t realize that those glossy and stylish door handles that they buy from the local hardware or online store and use in homes and offices are a carrier of hundreds of harmful bacteria. In particular, lever handles, which come into direct human contact the most, harbor the greatest number of germs. Thus, person-to-person transfer of these disease-causing agents becomes easy particularly in public places.

Types of bacteria on door handles and how they harm men

Bacteria such as e-coli, staphylococcus, campylobacter, and salmonella are common in dirty door knobs and handles. They cause skin infection, food poisoning, pneumonia and diarrhea. Public toilets are considered the worst place to encounter these diseases due to bacteria-infested door handles. Hundreds of people touch the door handles in these places, and even if you take handwashing seriously, the person who uses it before or after you may not.

Factors that promote germs on door handles

Many factors determine the presence of bacteria on a door handle. For instance, the material a handle is made of. Stainless steel makes the best breeding ground for bacteria, and unfortunately nearly all door handles are made of this material. Another contributing factor for door handles becoming a colony for bacteria is temperature and humidity condition of the surrounding atmosphere. Bacteria are able to thrive anywhere from a few hours to a weeks depending on this condition.

What you can do about these damaging agents

We all need preventive measures to check cross-contamination of germs originating from door handles. It is impossible not to touch a door handle while walking in or out of a room. Also you’ll find door mans only in few places like big hotels to open and close doors for visitors. So, the best precaution is to wash hands as soon as we use door handles or door knobs. That’s what personal hygienists recommend. If regular hand washing is too cumbersome, you may carry along a good hand sanitizer wherever you go. That will serve pretty much the same purpose.

Conclusion

Along with mobile phones, door handles account for a majority of bacterial infections in humans. In a place like India where the population is high, chances of contracting diseases through contaminated door handles are high. It is necessary to clean door handles on a regular basis, whether at homes or public places. Children in particular need proper guidance on the need for thorough hand washing after touching door handles anywhere. Better be safe than sorry.