How long do dustbin germs last?
Discussion
As I put the wheelie bin out on my way to my car every Wednesday morning I find myself wondering how many germs live on the handles and bits I touch. The bin men use the same gloves every day to manhandle the bins as they do to pick up the dirty rubbish their lorries drop, and the lorries' mechanisms that grab the bins won't be clean at all.
Presumably the gloves and lorries put new germs on the bin every week, but will the germs still be alive at the end of the day when I get home and tow the bin back up my driveway?
The NHS web page on the subject suggests most germs die within a few hours, but if the bin's surfaces have old, caked-on dirt on them does this give the germs something to feed on and allow them to live a bit longer? If the germs have "food" can they last indefinitely?
Presumably the gloves and lorries put new germs on the bin every week, but will the germs still be alive at the end of the day when I get home and tow the bin back up my driveway?
The NHS web page on the subject suggests most germs die within a few hours, but if the bin's surfaces have old, caked-on dirt on them does this give the germs something to feed on and allow them to live a bit longer? If the germs have "food" can they last indefinitely?
Pretty much everything you see is covered with bacteria, including you. You also have to consider the myriad types, most harmless and some essential/protective.
Some bacteria cannot live outside the body for very long and will be defunct in 24 hours. Others form spores and can be viable for millennia. The ones to watch out for are food spoilage bacteria and coliform (gut) bacteria. There shouldn't be any of those on household/food waste. Unless you're going to lick your hands after handling dustbins, I wouldn't worry about it.
Some bacteria cannot live outside the body for very long and will be defunct in 24 hours. Others form spores and can be viable for millennia. The ones to watch out for are food spoilage bacteria and coliform (gut) bacteria. There shouldn't be any of those on household/food waste. Unless you're going to lick your hands after handling dustbins, I wouldn't worry about it.
The transfer of germs and bacteria is normally from hands to face. Germs can live on your face for quite some time. There are other orifices germs can use to gain access to your softer bits.
Can you guess that I ran out of reading material when I was waiting for my hospital appointment? I was reduced to reading the wall.
Can you guess that I ran out of reading material when I was waiting for my hospital appointment? I was reduced to reading the wall.
Simpo Two said:
Unless you're going to lick your hands after handling dustbins, I wouldn't worry about it.
Problem is that I might be taking the bin in, then I get a client call me on my mobile so I answer that, rushing to the PC as it usually requires me to be at my desk. 5 minutes later, I'm sifting through the fridge looking for a snack. Whilst I'm not licking my hands after handling bins, it's not far off.Wonder if the OPer has vomited yet.
A doctor (GP) friend of mine will not use anti bacterial sprays in her house at all.
She's convinced that all the "Detol" type sprays simply reduce our own immune systems to a point of making us more susceptible to bacteria and infection!
We've all evolved over many thousands of years and as mentioned earlier, we're not dead yet!
Sleep tight OP, don't let the bed bugs bite....... oh hang on, wait....
She's convinced that all the "Detol" type sprays simply reduce our own immune systems to a point of making us more susceptible to bacteria and infection!
We've all evolved over many thousands of years and as mentioned earlier, we're not dead yet!
Sleep tight OP, don't let the bed bugs bite....... oh hang on, wait....
We need to be more specific than 'germs', which is kidspeak for microorganism. There are three kinds of microorganism: bacteria, viruses and fungi. Each is totally different in how it lives, how it infects and how it can be treated.
Unless your wheelie-bins have animal waste in them, the concerns are unfounded. As Wacky and Wilf say, just get on with it
Derek Smith said:
The transfer of germs and bacteria is normally from hands to face. Germs can live on your face for quite some time. There are other orifices germs can use to gain access to your softer bits.
You're thinking of the 'faecal-oral' route for coliforms, which is fair but not relevant to the OP. Your face is covered in billions of 'germs' right now, luckily all harmless/commensal.Unless your wheelie-bins have animal waste in them, the concerns are unfounded. As Wacky and Wilf say, just get on with it
Simpo Two said:
Unless your wheelie-bins have animal waste in them . . .
What do you mean by animal waste? Do you include waste bits of animals, such as left over chicken bones?My wife was a chef and on a hygiene course she was told all sorts of nasty things about once-cooked chicken. As for rice . . .
Thanks for all the replies.
We're not at all precious about germs and bacteria but I wondered whether the wheelie bin germs, being an unholy mélange of the whole neighbourhood's rotting detritus, would be something super-special and particularly long-lived/dangerous given that our bin has visible dirt in places.
We're not at all precious about germs and bacteria but I wondered whether the wheelie bin germs, being an unholy mélange of the whole neighbourhood's rotting detritus, would be something super-special and particularly long-lived/dangerous given that our bin has visible dirt in places.
wilfandrowlf said:
A doctor (GP) friend of mine will not use anti bacterial sprays in her house at all.
She's convinced that all the "Detol" type sprays simply reduce our own immune systems to a point of making us more susceptible to bacteria and infection!
Think this is the conclusion of many studies.She's convinced that all the "Detol" type sprays simply reduce our own immune systems to a point of making us more susceptible to bacteria and infection!
Marketing and advertising needed to flog their crap and showed us horrible looking cartoon bacteria on the telly, leading to decades of Mumsnet dwellers scrubbing by the minute.
Not using 'any' anti-bacterial is going the other extreme.
threadlock said:
Thanks for all the replies.
We're not at all precious about germs and bacteria but I wondered whether the wheelie bin germs, being an unholy mélange of the whole neighbourhood's rotting detritus, would be something super-special and particularly long-lived/dangerous given that our bin has visible dirt in places.
Yep, proper OCD always starts with something little thing like this that gnaws away at you...We're not at all precious about germs and bacteria but I wondered whether the wheelie bin germs, being an unholy mélange of the whole neighbourhood's rotting detritus, would be something super-special and particularly long-lived/dangerous given that our bin has visible dirt in places.
threadlock said:
Thanks for all the replies.
We're not at all precious about germs and bacteria but I wondered whether the wheelie bin germs, being an unholy mélange of the whole neighbourhood's rotting detritus, would be something super-special and particularly long-lived/dangerous given that our bin has visible dirt in places.
It's probably the smell that's the worst bit. But if you don't like the look of a dirty bin you could pressure wash it or scrub it down with bleach. That would get rid of the pong and give you some peace of mind. Most of it is common sense, eg don't touch rotting meat then stick your fingers in your mouth, and don't get cuts dirty.We're not at all precious about germs and bacteria but I wondered whether the wheelie bin germs, being an unholy mélange of the whole neighbourhood's rotting detritus, would be something super-special and particularly long-lived/dangerous given that our bin has visible dirt in places.
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