Germ-Covered Surfaces

We Found the Most Germ-Covered Surfaces in New York City

Our editor-in-chief used a handheld germ counter to make some very gross discoveries

BY MONICA ANDRADE


If you don't want to scrub your entire body clean after walking around a major American city, well, maybe you should.

In an episode of Gross from Men's Health, editor-in-chief Matt Bean used a handheld germ counter to swab a number of surfaces in New York City, including a Starbucks door handle, a taxicab handle, a door knob at Grand Central Terminal, and a city-sponsored Internet kiosk. The device ranks how germy the surface of an item is, depending on the bacteria and biological material it finds. The lower the rating, the fewer germs it has. If something gets a rating of 50, it shouldn’t touch your food.

So what did Bean find? Germs. Lots of them.

The title for the grossest public object in New York City goes to Citi Bikes. Turns out, the handlebars on these communal bikes are less hygienic than the hold bars on subway trains—45 times germier to be exact.

“These things are consistently among the most disgusting surfaces that we’ve tested in all of New York City,” Men’s Health editor-in-chief Matt Bean says.

Here are the results for the other objects Bean tested:

1. Citi Bike handlebar - 1,512

2. Starbucks door handle - 1,090

3. LinkNYC kiosk - 807

4. Taxi handle - 424

5. Grand Central door knob - 45

6. Subway hold bars - 35

While the vast majority of bacteria is harmless, it’s important to regularly wash your hands—even if you're not a germaphobe. You touch hundreds of potentially germ-infested items every day—even your own household items, like your laptop. (Here's our guide to getting rid of germs in your house.) Bean says the real germ bomb you have to worry about are your towels.

"The thick nature of bath towels helps them trap moisture and dead skin cells," he says, recommending you clean your bath towel every three uses.