While out today, did you stick your purse under a restaurant table or on a bathroom floor?

If you did, you are not alone.

I'm sure the first order of business after returning home from a day at the office or out shopping was to plop down your purse on the kitchen counter or table. Your kids do it too, with their backpack or lunchbox.

I don't think we REALIZE just how gross that it is.

A University of Arizona study found that many handbags are covered with up to 10,000 bacteria per square inch. Yuck.

But it gets worse, some of the tested purses tested positive for coliform bacteria, which could mean that human or animal waste was present. Ok, this is not good news.

Who wants those germs to spread to their kitchen counter, sofa or bed?

You can later touch that purse and get those germs on your hands, or you could put your purse near a food preparation area and transfer germs to areas you may touch during food preparation.

I will be watching to see who is smart about protecting their bag from germs, I better see them hanging on a chair when dining out. I also bet you'll now place it in your lap in the bathroom stalls.

I might even use a disinfectant wipe, weekly, if not more frequently on my book bag I lug around everywhere.

Oh one more thing to give thought to, because money constantly goes in and out of your wallet, it can pick up germs as it changes hands.

Scientists say a flu virus can live on money for approximately an hour. However, should the virus mix with nasal mucus it could live up to 17 days on paper bills.

Now I'm totally grossed out.

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