The dirtiest items you'll touch today

The average mobile phone housed up to 30,000 colony-forming units of bacteria. Photo / 123RF

Did you know your steering wheel fosters nine times the bacteria found on a public toilet seat? Gross eh?

For the health-conscious society we have become, cleanliness is a top priority. But it turns out you may have been overlooking eliminating grime from the filthiest objects of them all.

According to Homelife, mobile phones, handbags and your car's steering wheel are three of the dirtiest everyday items riddled with bacteria.

It makes sense that these items harbour the most filth, given how much we come in to contact with them... luckily, there are some handy ways to clean them.

Steering Wheel

Research shows that around 700 harmful bugs inhabit the interior of a vehicle.

The sanitation of your steering wheel may not be a top priority but most of the germs here are generated by the fact we don't wash our hands regularly enough and, for some, that we eat while driving.

How to clean: Keep a pack of antibacterial wipes in the glove box and give your steering wheel a wipe at least once a week. Simple, yet effective.

Mobile Phones

In 2015, the Wall Street Journal found that the average mobile phone housed up to 30,000 colony-forming units of bacteria.

Not surprisingly, our mobile phones encounter a variety of surface daily, plus pick up any bacteria our hands encounter.

How to clean: The WSJ found the best way to clean phones was with isopropyl alcohol which saw a 99.9 per cent reduction in bacteria.

Handbags

Ah ladies, we should know better. Bathroom floors, street pavements ... where we go our handbags go too.

Research from British company Initial Washroom Hygiene showed that handbags are swarming with bacteria - and that one in six has sufficient germs to pose a major health issue.

How to clean: Empty the contents of your handbag and give it a good shake. Vacuum the inside or use a lint roller to remove any thing lingering within. Clean the exterior with alcohol-free baby wipes.