U know the old "5 second rule." Like if u dropped ur food but picked it up before 5 sec. Can u stil eat it?

Answer 1

I usually eat what I've dropped as long as it isn't stale yet and isn't covered in cat hairs; if I find a peanut and I had peanuts yesterday I'll eat it after 24 hours, if I can't remember when I last had them it's probably going to taste awful.

And if I drop something sticky it's probably going to be fuzzy even if I get it within the second. I really don't care about the germs, a few germs are good for our immune system, and especially at home I'm pretty sure I've already built up a resistance against the germs on my floor. However I don't like the feel of cat hairs in my mouth so that's usually the deciding factor.

For the germs it makes NO difference if it's been on the floor 1 second, 3, 5 or 30 seconds. However, as the source shows, being too clean isn't even good for us. As long as it isn't fuzzy, just eat it.

Answer 2

While everyone of the above answers starts with "It depends", the time limit of an item on the is meaningless. The minute an object hits the floor it has picked up bacteria. There will be those people that will argue, but I just bleached the floor so it must be clean. Maybe, maybe not. Bleach does not kill all bacteria, but reduces a colony significantly to render it less threatening. Inside your digestive tract are e.coli, salmonella, and a whole host of very bad bacteria that is kept in check by your own body. When these bacteria are allowed to multiply by the introduction of more bacteria, that is when problems start.

Two and a half weeks ago my sisters boyfriend bit a hang nail on his finger. It got infected and the doctor gave him antibiotics to help fight the infection. He is now in an ICU ward
fight for his life with a total body infect known as sepsis.

It goes to show you just how susceptible we to disease. Eating off the floor or other surfaces is your choice. Just make sure you make the right choice.

Answer 3

Well, I would usually BUT, I'm not saying you should.

As soon as you drop food it immediately gets germs from where it lands. I mean split second immediately not 7 seconds after it lands. So, if it was uncooked ut may be able to be washed and given a good sear or boil and be fantastic as it will kill most/all of the germs it picked up.

Once I was camping and I was using a fiddly little hiking stove. I dropped the food 3 times cause the stupid fry pan handle collapsed, lol. Lucky I was next to a waterfall where I washed it each time and then kept cooking it hahaha. That was some tough chicken breast i tell ya what.

Any who, I've had no health probs from my food exploits so you choose.

Answer 4

Actually, I just saw an article in my paper on this very topic. Turns out that it should actually be about thirty seconds, if the item fell on a fairly clean surface. A university study dropped various items on the floor, for varying lengths of time, then checked the items for bacteria. It took around thirty seconds for any bacteria at all to appear on the food. So, I guess it should now be the thirty second rule. Yay!

Answer 5

They tested this theory on MythBusters. Love that show! Food had the same amount of bacteria after a full 60 seconds as 5 seconds. Everyone eats food off the floor don't they? Within reason of course. LOL!

Answer 6

I wouldn't do it, especially if you are eating some sort of moist food or if the floor is wet. Wet food can pick up a lot more dirt than dry food. Were you aware that it doesn't even take a second to pick up MILLIONS of bacteria from a surface (especially floors which are usually covered in germs!) Anyway, eating food off the floor should be left to toddlers and pet dogs. It is better to throw away food than to risk the chance of making yourself sick.

Answer 7

An article appeared at Yahoo news saying it takes much longer for bacteria to grow such that you can even eat off the floor already. The article appeared about 2 weeks back.

Answer 8

well, the 5 second rule was made-up for the viewers. nobody really wants to see someone eat something off the floor. it's just so that we don't get grossed out. no matter how long the food has been on the floor... it still picks up the dirt/germs/grim... gross stuff.

Answer 9

Oh gross, no! 5 seconds is assorted time for those gross little germs to get on the meals xP I doubt that germs are very tasty, so subsequently i would not eat meals that fell on the floor, even for a millisecond xD

Answer 10

It really depends on where you are. If you dropped something in a public traffic area like a bathroom stall or a hospital floor, DON"T !!! If its in your house, and you know if your rug is not disusting or your floor has been swept and mopped than sure.