Car Seats Dirtier Than Toilets

Scientists at the University of Birmingham examining swabs from safety seats found an average of 100 potentially dangerous bacteria and fungi in each square centimetre whilst a toilet only contained half that number. The germs found included E. coli and Salmonella.

The study demonstrated that our cars contain more potentially hazardous bacterial and fungal species than anywhere in our homes. It was also revealed that almost half of us drive vehicles which are full of clutter with one in 10 Brits having had an accident or near miss due to the mess in their car.

The top 10 items of clutter found in the average family car as follows: a broken ice-scraper, a box of tissues, a torch (working or broken), an A-Z map, an old blanket, a toolkit, chamois leather, chocolate bar wrappers, an out of date map and an old phone charger.

Around one in five motorists tidy the inside of their car just once a year, typically prompted by an imminent visit to the garage. Due to the clutter and rubbish contained in cars, they can play host to a number of potentially harmful bacterial species. Most people would not dream of using their home as a dumping ground for rubbish as they do with their car which is why our cars contain more germs than our homes.

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