San Francisco: A new study has found that an average college cafeteria table host 60,000 times more bacteria than an average household toilet seat.
The study, conducted by College Rover, identified the germiest places on multiple campuses by swabbing various areas, including bathrooms, common areas in dorms, and keyboards in computer labs. The swabs were then tested to determine the types and numbers of germs.
Public bathrooms are the germiest area of all the campus hot spots, as per the research data.
With 47 million colony-forming units (CFU), 64 percent gram-negative rods and 34 per cent type II, campus bathrooms were home to more would-be infections than a Saturday night party, the study mentioned.
While germy bathrooms weren’t surprising, campus laundry rooms were shockingly germ-infested, with 30.5 million CFUs: 98 per cent gram-negative rods and 2 percent bacillus, it said, adding that the laundry rooms were even germier than campus cafeteria tables, which had 100,000 fewer CFUs.
The kitchen sink is one of the dirtiest places in most homes, with an average of just under 11.4 million CFUs -- but that's nothing compared to college library desks, which had 2.6 times more bacteria, it added.
The researchers also surveyed 1,000 college students about their personal experiences and hygiene habits and found that nearly 15 per cent of college students only cleaned their living space once per month.
According to the study, female students were particularly grossed out when people coughed or sneezed without covering; nearly four in five said it was the nastiest hygiene habit they saw on campus.
Students saw other nasty hygiene habits like not washing hands after using the restroom, not showering or brushing their teeth regularly, and not flushing the toilet, it added.