- Scientific analysis shows that kitchen surfaces, bed sheets, and TV remotes carry more bacteria than toilet seats.
- TV remotes were found to contain 15 times more Enterobacter (a bacteria found in feces) than the average toilet seat.
- This contradicts public perception, as nearly half (46%) of people believe kitchen surfaces are the cleanest area in the home.
- Londoners are the most likely to change their bed sheets only once every 1-3 months.
A new analysis by Churchill Home Insurance reveals that the average kitchen surface contains more harmful bacteria than a toilet seat. Churchill commissioned a lab to test swabs taken from various household items, including toilet seats, kitchen surfaces, bed sheets, kitchen light switches, TV remotes, and computer keyboards.
Surprisingly, kitchen surfaces were found to have the highest concentration of bacteria. The study detected significant levels of Streptococcus, which can cause severe infections, and Enterobacter, a fecal bacteria linked to pneumonia and bloodstream infections. Bed sheets ranked as the second most bacteria-laden area, followed by TV remotes, which were identified as a major source of Enterobacter. Toilet seats, on the other hand, had the lowest average Enterobacter count among all areas tested.
The highest concentration of Streptococcus was found on bed sheets, followed by kitchen surfaces. The highest counts of yeast and mould were identified on kitchen light switches, with kitchen surfaces also having a “very high” count, showing the importance of thorough cleaning in these areas.
Sarah Khan, Head of Churchill Home Insurance, said: “Our research shows that people can’t be complacent when it comes to cleaning the home. Even the areas people wipe down most often, such as kitchen countertops, – can harbour huge amounts of bacteria, so making sure you’re using the right products, along with cloths that are clean, and being thorough is vital to reduce health risks.
“At the same time, washing bed sheets and cleaning hands regularly and thoroughly will help to ward off dangerous bacteria, particularly as we head into autumn and winter, when illnesses and bugs are more commonly picked up.”
A quarter (25 per cent) of people2 never clean their TV remote, which were found to have the highest count of Enterobacter. In fact, TV remotes were found to host 15 times more Enterobacter than the average toilet, which a third of people (31 per cent) claim to clean once a week. Worryingly, the second highest count of Enterobacter was found on kitchen surfaces, suggesting that the methods people use to clean their kitchen surfaces are not sufficient for removing bacteria.
Despite kitchen surfaces harbouring the most bacteria overall, kitchens were found to be the place people cleaned most frequently, with 17 per cent saying they do so every time they use it and a third (33 per cent) claiming to clean it every day.
Whilst one in ten (10 per cent) people claim they are “fanatical” about keeping their house clean, 14 per cent say they take a relaxed attitude to cleanliness, with a further three per cent saying they only clean the house when it looks dirty. Nearly a fifth (18 per cent) employ a cleaner to help clean the home. Of those, nearly four in ten (39 per cent) have a cleaner in once a week, whilst a quarter (23 per cent) say their cleaner comes in more than once a week.
People are most likely to wash their bed sheets at least every fortnight, with 61% of respondents washing their bedsheets every two weeks and a further 29% do so once a week. Just under one in twenty (3%) wash more than once a week. However, a shocking seven per cent said they wash their bedsheets only once every two months or less.
Regional findings
People in the North are the most likely to wash their sheets at least once a fortnight, whereas Londoners were the most likely to have clean sheets just every 1-3 months.
