Whether it’s a pretty table or a tree trunk, many of us enjoy decorating our homes for the holiday season.
But a new lesson may make you rethink your decor.
Research has shown that your Christmas Toiletries can contain up to five times more germs than the average toilet.
Experts from Initial Wahsroom Hygiene used a swab test to analyze germs on 25 Christmas decorations in five homes.
This included everything from trees to trees, as well as festive wreaths and tree lights.
The results showed that Christmas tree boxes contained more germs, while tree lights contained less.
Jamie Woodhall, UK Technical & Innovations Manager at Initial Washroom Hygiene, said: “Many of us like to decorate with a mince pie or a drink in hand and decorations are often passed from one person to another when they are loosened and tied up. The risk is inherent.
‘Since 80 per cent of all diseases are transmitted through hands, this can lead to infection.’
Whether it’s table decorations or tree decorations, many of us enjoy decorating our homes for the holiday season. But a new study will make you rethink your makeup (stock photo)
The samples were taken using sterile surface swabs, and were analyzed using ATP (adenosine triphosphate) bioluminescence readers.
This can detect an abundance of natural life that is invisible to the human eye.
‘These units are expressed as Relative Light Units with this method, with higher ATP readings indicating more bacterial contamination,’ the researchers explained.
‘This method is widely used to assess the cleanliness of areas before and after cleaning in hospitals and other places.’
The survey found that two-thirds (68 percent) of the decorations read more than 500 units – indicating serious contamination.
Christmas tree boxes were the worst offenders, accounting for about 845 units.
Christmas trees alone were next, accounting for about 780 units.
Baubles came in at 610 units, while Christmas wreaths accounted for about 430 units.
The samples were taken using sterile swabs, and analyzed using an ATP (adenosine triphosphate) bioluminescence reader.
Based on their findings, the researchers are urging homeowners to consider giving their Christmas decorations the cleaning they need.
Meanwhile, the few decorations full of germs were found to be Christmas lights, which consisted of 286 units.
In comparison, samples of toilet seats taken by Initial Washroom Hygiene in 2012 recorded about 220 units.
Based on their findings, researchers are urging homeowners to consider giving their Christmas decorations a much-needed cleaning.
“No one wants to have their Christmas celebrations ruined by bad weather,” Woodhall said.
‘So it’s best to take the appropriate precautions such as wiping down decorations with an antibacterial cloth and for everyone to wash and dry their hands before joining in on the decorating fun.’
