According to a study by Charles Gerba – professor of microbiology at the University of Arizona: the AVERAGE PAIR OF UNDERWEAR CONTAINS APPROXIMATELY 1/10th OF A GRAM OF POO.
Gerba says that when you do an entire load of laundry that consists of just underwear, the wash water will contain about 100 million E. coli. That many critters won’t completely wash away when the load is complete, and will remain in the washer to infest the next load of laundry that gets washed.The scientists who conducted the study have these recommendations for ensuring that you stay clean and as sanitary as possible as you handle your own dirty laundry:
- Detergent alone does not kill bacteria. You must use bleach or very hot water (between 140-150 degrees).
- If you do a cold water wash, be sure to wash your hands after handling the clothes as they come out of the washer.
- Occasionally, disinfect your washer by running it empty with just hot water and bleach in it. Most newer models have a “clean washer” cycle designed just for this.
But don’t think that just your own dirty drawers from the hamper or the only poo-covered culprit here.
Even newly-purchased underwear can carry germs. 62% of women surveyed admitted to wearing new underwear without washing it first. The DR OZ television show tested 36 pairs of newly purchased women’s underwear for germs in Chicago, Los Angeles, Miami, and New York and found the following:
- 1/3 of all tested underwear had unwanted germs on it, most likely due to women trying on the underwear in the store, or trying on underwear without a hygiene strip in place.
- Los Angeles had the panties with the most funk, including fecal material.
- Panties bought in Chicago had Candida, a leading cause of yeast infections.
- Thong underwear from Miami contained Group B Streptococcus, which could lead to Meningitis
- A g-string from New York City had a blood stain on the crotch.
What does all this tell you? Sometimes buying a plastic-wrapped 3-pack of panties from Wal-Mart may not seem to be the sexiest of underwear options, but it certainly sounds like the safest.
Related posts:
- Eight underwear mistakes guys make
- New high-tech underwear for women promises to keep you dry and odor-free
- The real secret to a woman’s happiness? Proper-fitting underwear
- Just like your underwear, sales are creeping up
- How many bras does the average woman own?
- Men like to wear dirty underwear. Who knew?
2 Comments
I’ll bet if the underwear belonged to Dr. Gerba, they would contain 1,000 grams of poop, which is why he ought to just wear diapers instead. I swear, I will never for the life of me understand what would possess a real man to care so much about this type of thing, and I also can’t imagine that a woman’s underwear would contain any poop at all (unless a man tried it on). Women are much cleaner with stronger bowels at every stage of the lifespan, and I don’t appreciate people like Charles Gerba posting such derogatory things about women and saying that we have “more colds than men” because I, for one, average 50% FEWER colds than does the average man, not 50% more. I use baby wipes when I finish my business, therefore I have no “poop” in my underwear and have gotten through the calendars of 2005 and 2009 with ZERO COLDS. So take that, you misogynist Charles Gerba, who probably couldn’t get a date because of the poop in your pants. You love to omit the fact that it was the little BOYS who had more colds in childhood and that 80 to 90% of those who suffer from encopresis (when kids poop themselves uncontrollably) are male. I associate germs and filth with males, which is probably why I AM so healthy — I don’t associate with the nastier gender.
Hey Iris, sounds like you don’t poop at all. I bet you don’t snore, burp, fart, sleep, cry, dream, lie, vomit, eat, laugh, feel pain, drink water, drive a car, have toes, see the colour blue, have sex, or bleed (both ways). Infact, you sound like you’re a feminist of some kind and I don’t appriciate your biased opinion, mostly because you’re argument has nothing to do with anything. Nobody cares if you don’t get sick, you’re a human; you have poop on you’re hands right now.