No, putting your bag on the floor is not a good idea. Here’s what accumulates on top (and underneath)

His habit of put the bag on the ground is well-known and little-appreciated. The latest “scandal” dates back to three months ago, when Kim Kardashian went to a basketball game in Los Angeles with her second son Saint – 9 years old, born from her relationship with Kanye West – and her $40,000 Hermès crocodile Birkin on the floor did not go unnoticed (pictured above). When Just Jared posted the image on Instagram, and the comments immediately flooded in. From the series: “It costs more than most people’s annual rent! It’s disgusting.” The whole thing was interpreted mainly as a slap in the face of poverty, in short. But net of some widespread superstitions – like in Brazil and Poland, where putting your bag on the ground brings bad luck – the main theme, even before being ethical, is hygienic.

What accumulates on (and under) our bags

Bags are inseparable companions of our days. They travel with us on public transport, accompany us to restaurants, parks and even public bathrooms. They spend almost as much time with us as our clothes and yet we do not give them the same attention. routine of cleaning. And there are also those who, in fact, even place them on the floor without considering that – as the University of Sydney recently discovered – even on home floors, certainly cleaner than public ones, half of the particles come from indoor pollution (from lead to allergens, for example). Considering everything, it is therefore not surprising that a 2016 study found the presence of well 10,000 different bacteria on bagsa figure even higher than the average of a toilet seat. Timothy McHugh, professor of medical microbiology and director of the Centre for Clinical Microbiology at University College London, recently addressed the issue: «Natural materials such as leather are more likely to host organisms than synthetic ones like plastic, because they contain more nutrients and offer more favorable conditions for the life and growth of bacteria,” he explained. Charles Gerba, a microbiologist and professor of virology at the University of Arizona, also conducted a study on the organisms that our bags collect from surfaces: “The outer bottom in particular is particularly dirty.precisely because people place them on the floors of public bathrooms or on counters contaminated by sink splashes. We found a large number of fecal bacteria, including E. coli. “Shuddering.

Hygiene rules

But how worried should we really be? «Many different bacteria can accumulate on a bag, but what really matters is whether or not a harmful type is present», says Julia Lodge, a microbiologist at the School of Biosciences at the University of Birmingham, who has recently conducted research on the topic. In short, the health risks would not be very high, but in order not to expose oneself to unnecessary roulette Russian experts recommend some simple, basic precautions: first of all, no, obviously never put your bag on the groundnot even at home, and even less so on the shelves that are normally used for preparing or consuming meals. «One really important thing we can do to stop the spread of infectious agents including bacteria, fungi and viruses is to wash our hands regularly. Soap and water work well, but it’s important to do it correctly. If your hands are clean, you won’t transfer germs to your handbags.” As for cleaning them, experts recommend using antiseptic wipes designed for surfacesnot for your hands, possibly every day, when you return home and certainly before putting them back in the closet to avoid contaminating your clothes. When you go out: keeping your bag on your knees is chicand also equip yourself with a table hook for when you go to the restaurant.