This is so nasty! But it'll make you think.

Have you ever noticed women who sit their purses on public restroom floors - then go directly to their dining tables and set it on the table? Happens a lot! Its 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 purses down on the counter where she was cooking or setting up food. She always said that purses are really dirty, because of where they've been. Smart Momma!!!

Its something just about every woman carries with them. While we may know what's inside our purs es, do you have any idea what's on the outside? Shauna Lake put purses to the test - for bacteria - with surprising results.

You may think twice about where you put your purse. Women carry purses everywhere; from the office to public restrooms to the floor of the car. Most women won't be caught without their purses, but did you ever stop to think about where your purse goes during the day?

"I drive a school bus, so my purse has been on the floor of the bus a lot," says one woman. "On the floor of my car, and in restrooms."

"I put my purse in grocery shopping carts, on the floor of bathroom stalls while changing a diaper," says another woman "and of course in my home which should be clean."

We decided to find out if purses harbor a lot of bacteria. We learned how to test them at Nelson Labs in Salt Lake, then we set out to test the average woman's purse.

Most women told us they didn't stop to think about what was on the bottom of their purse. Most said at home they usually set their purses 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 purses were at least a little bit dirty.

It turns out purses are so surprisingly dirty, even the microbiologist who tested them was shocked. Microbiologist Amy Karren of Nelson Labs says nearly all of the purses tested were not only high in bacteria, but also 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 purses could make people very sick. In one sampling, four of five purses tested positive for salmonella, and that's not the worst of it. "There is fecal contamination on the purses," says Amy.

Leather or vinyl purses tended to be cleaner than cloth purses, and

lifestyle seemed to play a role. People with kids tended to have dirtier

purses than those without , with one exception. The purse 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 purse 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 purse at home & in restrooms, & don't put it on your desk, a restaurant table, or on your kitchen countertop.

Experts say you should think of your purse 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 purse on the countertops" - your purse 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 Labs also said cleaning a purse will help. Wash cloth purses and use leather cleaner to clean the bottom of leather purses.

:vomit: :string: :vomit: :string: :vomit: :string:

Ditto

:sick:

Some folks are just way too paranoid. What about your SHOES? Better de-germinate them! :cheeky:

Nasty!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I NEVER put my purse on the bathroom floor. That is so nasty! Why do women do that?

I stopped putting my purse on the floor at all (restaurants, movies, etc) after I started spending money on them (look how pretty!)
Christmas gift (java)

Birthday gift - Peacock

And String, I think I'm paranoid about the shoes too. You have to take them off when you come into my house.

:doh:

Yeah, but you don't put your shoes on the counter or kitchen table!! :P

I normally hang my purse when I'm in the bathroom but what do you do when there's no hook? HOLD IT while you pee?? :lol:

PS.........those purses are CUTE!! :D

I don't remember ever having to hold it, but if I absolutely HAVE to I've put it on the floor as far from the toilet as possible. Although that probably doesn't matter because how clean could the mop be that cleans a public rest room? How much "crap" are they dragging all over the place anyway?

I try to put my bag on the back of the toilet, over the TP holder, or hand it to Sarah to hold.


P.S. Thanks Debby!

I usually hook mine up, too. Setting it on the floor for some freak to come by and swoop it up while you're doing your business is not my kinda thing.

If there's no hook, I balance it on top of the TP holder..

Well that's the other thing too. Are women sticking their purse at their feet, by the bowl, to prevent it from being swiped? Ewww! I mean, we clean our toilets at home and know how gross they can be, how much worse a public bathroom?!!

Ok, I feel like I'm beating a dead horse here...this is just gross!