Study: Bachelor pads 15 times 'germier'

TUCSON, Feb. 13 (UPI) -- Some bachelor pads may contain more than 15 times the amount of bacteria than the homes of their female counterparts, U.S. researchers found.

Dr. Charles Gerba, professor of microbiology at the University of Arizona, says of the surfaces tested in the homes of single men, coffee tables and remote controls harbored the most bacteria.

However, the researchers also found more than twice the number of bachelorette front doorknobs were contaminated with bacteria as compared with bachelor doorknobs.

"There's no doubt about it -- bachelors had a far bigger quantity of bacteria in their apartments -- but bachelorette pads weren't squeaky clean either," Gerba says in a statement. "The good news is that taking just a few minutes to disinfect frequently touched surfaces as you're tidying up for the big night might just do the trick to bring back the romance."

The study, funded by The Clorox Co., also finds 63 percent of bachelors' nightstands and 60 percent of bachelorettes' nightstands tested positive for bacteria, including fecal bacteria like E. coli.

In single men's homes, remote control surfaces had the highest number of total bacteria, Gerba says.

The study, conducted last December, determined bacteria levels on frequently touched surfaces such as front door knob, top of night stand, remote control and coffee table in 60 homes of singles -- half male and half female.

Clorox, a producer of bleach and other cleaning products, developed a free guide to help everyone have cleaner homes at www.clorox.com/clorox-cleaning-guide-for-bachelors.