NEW YORK, June 26 (UPI) -- Many U.S. adults know the bathtub is where many falls occur, but they do not know that the bathtub can also harbor a lot of germs.
Only 5 percent of Americans identified the home as the place where their children are most likely to catch an infection, and only 3 percent believed the bathtub was most likely a place to harbor germs, according to the survey conducted by the Global Hygiene Council, sponsored by Lysol.
The study shows that staph germs, which can cause serious staph infections, lived on 26 percent of the bathtubs tested.
The bathtub was second only to the kitchen sponge -- 19,386,720 total bacteria per square foot were found on the sponge, while 17,203,391 total bacteria were found per square foot on the bathtub. The study also found:
-- The bathroom sink had 393,618 total bacteria per square foot.
-- The kitchen floor had 118,000 total bacteria per square foot.
-- The kitchen counter top had 70,208 total bacteria per square foot.
-- Toys had 49,680 total bacteria per square foot.