Should you think of your handbag the same way you would a pair of shoes?

Question

HANDBAGS...
>
> Who would have thought?
>
> Have you ever noticed gals who sit their handbags on public toilet floors
> - then go directly to their dining tables and set it on the table? Happens a
> lot!
>
> It's not always the 'restaurant food' that causes stomach distress.
>
> Sometimes "what you don't know 'will' hurt you"!
>
> Read on...
>
> Mom got so upset when guests came in the door and plopped their handbags
> down on the counter where she was cooking or setting up food. She always said
> that handbags are really dirty, because of where they have been.
>
> Smart Mom!!!
>
> It's something just about every woman carries with them. While we may
> know what's inside our handbags, do you have any idea what's on the outside?
> Shauna Lake put handbags to the test - for bacteria - with surprising results.
> You may think twice about where you put your handbag.
>
> Women carry handbags everywhere; from the office to public toilets to the
> floor of the car. Most women won't be caught without their handbags, but did
> you ever stop to think about where your handbag goes during the day?
>
> "I drive a school bus, so my handbag has been on the floor of the bus a
> lot," says one woman. "On the floor of my car, and in toilets." "I put my
> handbag in grocery shopping carts, on the floor of the toilet while changing a
> nappy," says another woman "and of course in my home which should be clean."
>
> We decided to find out if handbags harbor a lot of bacteria. We learned
> how to test them at Nelson Laboratories in Salt Lake, and then we set out to
> test the average woman's handbag.
>
> Most women told us they didn't stop to think about what was on the bottom
> of their handbag. Most said at home they usually set their handbags on top of
> kitchen tables and counters where food is prepared.
>
> Most of the ladies we talked to told us they wouldn't be surprised if
> their handbags were at least a little bit dirty. It turns out handbags are so
> surprisingly dirty, even the microbiologist who tested them was shocked.
>
> Microbiologist Amy Karen of Nelson Labs says nearly all of the handbags
> tested were not only high in bacteria, but high in harmful kinds of bacteria.
> Pseudomonas can cause eye infections, staphylococcus aurous can cause serious
> skin infections, and salmonella and e-coli found on the handbags could make
> people very sick.
>
> In one sampling, four of five handbags tested positive for salmonella, and
> that's not the worst of it. "There is fecal contamination on the handbags,"
> says Amy. Leather or vinyl handbags tended to be cleaner than cloth handbags,
> and lifestyle seemed to play a role. People with kids tended to have dirtier
> handbags than those without, with one exception. The handbag of one single
> woman who frequented nightclubs had one of the worst contaminations of all.
> "Some type of feces, or possibly vomit" says Amy.
>
> So the moral of this story - your handbag won't kill you, but it does have
> the potential to make you very sick if you keep it on places where you eat.
>
> Use hooks to hang your handbag at home and in toilets, and don't put it on
> your desk, a restaurant table, or on your kitchen countertop. Experts say you
> should think of your handbag the same way you would a pair of shoes. "If you
> think about putting a pair of shoes onto your countertops, that's the same thing
> you're doing when you put your handbag on the countertops" - your handbag has
> gone where individuals before you have sneezed, coughed, spat, urinated, emptied
> bowels, etc! Do you really want to bring that home with you? The
> microbiologists at Nelson also said cleaning a handbag will help.

> Wash cloth handbags and use leather cleaner to clean the bottom of leather
> handbags.
>
> THIS IS WORTH SHARING!!!
> AND MEN PLEASE PASS THIS ON TO YOUR WIFE, GIRLFRIENDS OR DAUGHTERS
>
>
>
>Source:
> Lynn Oakes
> Account Lead
> Dictation Services Group, Inc.

Answer 1

I did see that report by Shauna Lake some time ago. She is on our local news channel. That story made me cringe. I never put my bag on the floor of a restroom, restaurant, doctor office or anywhere else. When I get home I put my bag on a chair, but not on the counter or the table. Good information that we need to be reminded of from time to time. Thanks!

Answer 2

Its your birthday...you should get a "want" not a "need" (its the one day most have the exception!) A convincing argument: You outgrow shoes, but a good handbag can last for a really long time.....also, boots only last a few months out of the year (about 1 season - winter, maybe late fall) while a handbag can be used year round good luck - hope you get the handbag :D

Answer 3

That makes a lot of sense. My handbags are always the kind I carry on my shoulder though. I carry a very small handbag and put it in a larger bag I have in the car that contains other necessary items. I always have baby wipes and hand sanitizer too for when I need them.

Answer 4

One of my sisters in Sorority shared with us about handbags.I would never of thought all that.Now my bag stays on the floor every where I go.Or in the trunk of my car.My Mom got me a very small pouch that holds my phone, id & money.I carry it a lot,especially during the Holidays and when I shop....

Answer 5

I'd read that before, and must say I had never really thought that much about it before...I carry a leather zippered pouch type bag [Coach] and wipe it off with a leather spray ever so often...but think I may do that more often now!

Answer 6

I saw that on television. And never put mine on the floor or the shopping cart or the counter at work. There are usually hooks on the stall doors so I hang it up or make someone hold it for me. Hubby hates that.

Answer 7

Lol thats kinda funny ugh i got to be careful where carry my girlfriends handbag >,<

Answer 8

Blechhhh ! a regular sewer sucker ... think we'll keep the wifes outside with the livestock.

Answer 9

I read this or saw on TV and since then I hold my purse or hang it on the door hook.

Answer 10

I am now aware of dirty purses and their yuck. Thank You.

Though I was happier not knowing.