What's on the BOTTOM of YOUR Purse or Bag or BackPack?

United States
February 14, 2007 11:38am CST
I was reading a medical report about the "health" of the bottom of our purses or bags/backpacks (for men and women). How many of you come home and put your purse/bag on the table? or on the kitchen countertop? I never stopped to think that my purse/bag/backpack was dirty, but now I do! Think about where it's been and where you have dropped it? The bathroom ~ The floor of the car or bus ~ A nightclub floor or counter ~ The floor at school ~ The Floor at the diner/restaraunt ~ Down by a pet ~ On a counter at a store, etc . . . A Laboratory tested the bottoms of purses ~ in one sampling, 4 out of 5 purses contained salmonella; purses also had pseudomonas, staphylococcus, and even fecal contamination. Leather or vinyl bags tended to be cleaner than cloth bags. People with kids tended to have dirtier bags than others. Experts say to think of your purse like a pair of shoes - You wouldn't come home and put your shoes down on the kitchen table or countertop would you? Just be more aware and STAY HEALTHY!!
2 people like this
6 responses
@Carissimo (262)
• United States
15 Feb 07
THANK YOU! I have been telling my friends and family this for soooooo long! I won't wear shoes into my house. I don't even go near my bed if I have jeans on because they drag on the floor. I can't even imagine what is carried into the house on our pants. I try to hold my purse/bag on my lap. I never set my bag anywhere in my house except on the floor or on the kitchen chair.
1 person likes this
• United States
18 Feb 07
I bet you'll be sharing this information! It totally makes sense - I don't know why we think our purses are so immune to filth!
• Canada
14 Feb 07
Eww, that's disgusting! I never realized that about my purse though. I usually hang up my purse when I go to the bathroom in public toilets but you don't think about these things. It makes sense though. I won't be putting my purse on the table anymore!!
1 person likes this
• United States
18 Feb 07
That's how I felt after hearing about all of this!
@pinklilly (3443)
• Australia
15 Feb 07
WOW Good Point I've never really stoped to think about that.... Especially when going to public rest rooms... A great eye opener... I usually wash my hand bags regulary anyway but wow that has really made me more aware.
1 person likes this
@freak369 (5113)
• United States
17 Feb 07
How funny I'd come across this post. I just emptied out my backpack to look for something and when I saw all the gunk at the bottom, I knew it was time for it to go into the washer. I turn it inside out and wash it then let it air dry. I have tons of them so I don't have to worry about it taking a day or two to completely dry out. On a side note, I was helping my friend clean a couple weeks ago and let's just say she isn't the neatest person. I started taking the cushions off the couch to vacuum it out and she looked at me like I was crazy. When I saw a half eaten corn dog I wanted to pass out. Needless to say, the Dirt Devil wouldn't do any damage so I had to go get my Shop Vac. I paid no attention to what ever it was sucking up - I just waited until I didn't hear any more clanking sounds and turned it off. So while people are pondering what is on and in their purse or backpack, don't neglect your couch and bed too!
• United States
18 Feb 07
ewwwww now that's gross! lol I went from sofa's with cushions to those with sewn in cushions because I was tired of all the yuck I found under the cushions!
@crazynurse (7482)
• United States
19 Feb 07
OH MY GOSH! YUK! And to think, I almost always come in and set my purse on the kitchen counter. I had never thought about all of the nasty places that my purse had been during the day. What a great thing to teach us. Thanks so much for this. My husband even teaches microbiology and he has never seen this! What a great new experiment for the students to do!
@simplysue (631)
• United States
16 Feb 07
Wqw! Thanks for the eye opener. It never even occured to me that all that stuff gets on a person's purse! I'm going to go disinfect my counter now.
1 person likes this