Brits have been warned about commonly used items carrying shockingly high levels of bacteria. And it's probably in your pocket now.
Most of us are very careful about cleaning our bathrooms and wiping surfaces, but we seem to be turning a blind eye to the important things that are important every day. Our car keys report MailOnline.
A new study by Money Supermarket reveals that car keys contain almost four times as much bacteria as cell phones and computer keyboards.
Despite the harsh discoveries, a third of drivers have never cleaned their car keys, despite a quarter having had them for over five years.
It is already well known that handles, gear sticks and dashboards are germ-breeding grounds, but experts warn that the key itself is dangerously overlooked.
“Wash your hands, wipe off the surfaces and rub the bathroom. “But what about the little essentials we handle many times a day, like the keys to our car?
“They are with us everywhere, from restaurant tables to gym floors to the depths of our bags, but they are often overlooked when it comes to cleaning.”
The team investigated 2,000 UK drivers on cleaning habits and car types. They also sent swabs of various items to the lab, including mobile phones, keyboards and toilet seats.
The results were incredible. The average number of bacteria on the phone screen was 66, and the computer keyboard was just above 68. However, the car key came in at 241, almost four times more dirty than either device.
Perhaps obviously, the toilet seat had the best reads at 1,100.
Dr. Joe Latimer, director of Microbe Consulting Ltd and microbiologist at Salford University, led the analysis, saying key bacterial levels may still be underestimated.
The most common bacteria identified in car keys was Ecidel Midis's boug, a bug that is usually found on the skin but is known to cause life-threatening infections in hospital settings, especially after surgery.
Unfortunately, the bacteria are becoming increasingly resistant to antibiotics, raising further health concerns.
And while most of the bacteria were skin-based, researchers have revealed signs of intestinal bacteria with at least one key.
“It's unlikely to cause problems, but they could potentially carry the disease under appropriate conditions,” Dr. Latimer warned.
Experts are now urging drivers to regularly clean car keys using a soft, damp cloth and mild soap solution. Bleach should be avoided as it can corrode metals and should not be soaked in water as it can damage key FOBs and electronic components.
Drivers also diverge hundreds for major replacements, with one Fiat owner reportedly paying more than £900, which usually falls on a set of lost or misplaced.
Surprisingly, 15% of drivers admit that they don't have a spare key set at all.
Fiat drivers were most likely to own only one set (27%), followed by Land Rover owners (23%) and Toyota drivers (20%).
Meanwhile, BMW drivers are the most hygienic conscious, and we found that 57% clean their keys weekly or more frequently. Mercedes-Benz owners were 55%, followed by Land Rover (46%), Audi (43%) and Toyota (41%).
The full results of the survey are available on the Money Supermarket website.
