Unless you're a complete germaphobe, most people are completely oblivious to the types of bacteria living on the surfaces of everyday objects we come in contact with every day.
The pandemic significantly changed our perception of public health stemming from the raging virus that put the world on lockdown.
Suddenly, people were wearing masks and the mere sound of someone sneezing nearby became a trigger.
With all that behind us, many of us gradually resumed the way we lived before COVID, while others remain extra cautious of our unsanitary surroundings.
Curious to hear about the things strangers are likely to avoid, Redditor expat_mel asked:
"What's something most people don't realize is extremely dirty/gross/unsanitary?"
Being a neat freak is no longer a stigma in our current society. Or is it?
Ignorance Is Bliss
"If you’ve never learned infection control consider yourself lucky. This knowledge is a curse."
"EVERYTHING is dirty/gross/unsanitary. Thankfully my animal urges help me to disregard a lot of stuff but I always keep a bottle of hand sanitizer near me, as well as water to rinse."
– Novel-Signature3966
Coffee At The Office
"That coffee pot/ kureig at work. No, they don't clean it, they only remove the old pods."
– expat_mel
"Lucky that your people even remove pods after use. I will not drink coffee at work."
– TheArmadilloAmarillo
No More Buffets
"Buffets. My husband needs a kidney transplant. Afterwards, he will be immunocompromised for life because of the anti-rejection drugs."
"They gave him a list of things he can't do again after transplant, and eating at a buffet is on it. Even one that has a sneeze guard, even if it looks clean, even if it's vegetarian. No more buffets, Jimmy."
– notreallylucy
Help Yourself To Germs
"Many fountain soda dispensers and bar gun dispensers never get properly cleaned/sanitized and harbor molds, fungi and bacteria. Drink up!"
– JasperDyne
"We had to soak our bar guns nightly during closing procedures. Took them apart at least once a week too. They get rank otherwise."
– 2Geese1Plane
Absorb This
"Kitchen sponges."
"These things are gross. Likely one of the dirtiest things in your home."
– NeuxSaed
"I can’t believe the number of people I’ve known who use them when they stink. Like, throw the f'king thing away and spend $5 on a new set of two. That sucker ain’t cleaning sh*t."
– innnikki
You can't always trust the places you go outside your own home.
We Pay For These
" Hotel rooms."
– Mexicannut
"'God I hope it's urine' - Michael Scott."
– carrotwhirl
"I watched an episode of Monk the other day where he stayed in a hotel and asked the staff to give it an extra thorough cleaning. That was the first time all season where I didn’t think his contamination OCD was an overreaction lol."
– mothdogs
Pass The Ketchup
"The condiment bottles at a restaurant."
– Jeramy_Jones
This Speaks Volumes
"Books at the library and keyboards. Source: Used to work in a library."
– wannabe_wonder_woman
"I used to put books on the shelves in children’s section of the library. Sometimes those books smelled like poop or throw up and I’m convinced the kids took the books to the bathroom with them. 🤮"
– chocotacogato
"I remember working in a library when 50 Shades had first come out and some of us would sanitise our hands every time we handled a copy."
– grizznuggets
Bet you never thought of these filthy places on your own body.
Now Hear This
"The space behind your ears if you don’t specifically clean behind them."
– Aria_the_Artificer
"In cosmetology school the amount of elderly people who came in with black gunk built up behing their ears.
They really werent kidding when they said to not forget to wash behind your ears."
– Puzzleheaded-Bet1328
"Cue me immediately rubbing behind my ears to get any of the dirt/dead skin that I missed last time."
– castfire
Navel Grime
"Apparently belly buttons too! Saw some discovery show with an interview with a surgeon who does laparoscopic procedures and he was saying how disgusting people let their belly buttons get and he/his team has to clean it out real well before starting surgery."
– SoccerGamerGuy7
"I really hate the feeling of touching my belly button, makes me feel like I need to pee. Makes it hard to clean properly cos it hurts to touch."
– Chuckitinbro
Bad Taste
"When people lick their finger before turning pages or counting out money."
– WoolaTheCalot
"Currency is filthy."
– UnicornVoodooDoll
"If you handle a lot of cash, you'll notice it actually leaves a smell on your hands that takes a serious hand washing to get off! Lol don't even want to know what's all over it."
– OP
"My wife works in a jewellery store, she always has customers licking their fingers to remove rings. She hands them a wet wipe & asks them to clean it before she touches it."
– DonnyGoodwood
Professional Advice
"Children, especially toddlers. I remember a pediatrics paramedic instructor once saying, 'Forget aerosol sprays, just contaminate one ball in a preschool and that's it.'"
– Raaazzle
After the pandemic, I refuse to use the remote control in hotel rooms. I doubt most cleaning staff take the time to disinfect those with the quick turnaround they deal with.
If I do need to watch TV in a hotel room instead of going outside to explore the locale I've traveled to, I use a Ziploc sandwich bag to plop the remote into and use it that way.
To avoid touching it while picking up the device, I turn the bag inside out, pick up the remote, and flip the Ziploc bag again.
What are your sanitary hacks, friends?
