Ladies - This is Nasty!
 

Dirty Purses - Yuk!

Mom always got so upset when her guest
Came in the door and plopped their purses
Down on the counter where she was cooking
Or setting up the buffet. She always said
That purses are really dirty, because of
Where they have been. Smart Momma!

(KUTV) SALT LAKE CITY

It's something just about every woman
Carries with them. While we may know what's
Inside our purses, do you have any idea
what's on the outside? Shauna Lake put
Purses to the test - for bacteria - with
Surprising results. You may think twice
About where you put your purse.

Women carry purses everywhere from the
Office to public restrooms to the
Floor of the car. Most women won't be caught
Without their purses, but did you ever stop
To think about where your purse goes during
The day?

"I drive a school bus, so my purse has been
On the floor of the bus a lot," says one
Woman. "On the floor of my car, probably in
Restrooms."

"I put my purse in grocery shopping carts,
On the floor of bathroom stalls while
Changing a diaper," says another woman.
"And of course in my home which should be
Clean."

We decided to find out if purses harbor a
Lot of bacteria. We learned how to test them
At Nelson Laboratories in Salt Lake, then we
Set out to test the average woman's purse.
Most women told us they didn't stop to think
About what was on the bottom of their purse.
Most said they usually set their purses on
Top of kitchen tables and counters where food
Is prepared.

Most of the ladies we talked to told us they
wouldn't be surprised if their purses were at
Least a little bit dirty. It turns out purses
Are so surprisingly dirty, even the
Microbiologist who tested them was shocked.

Microbiologist Amy Karren of Nelson Labs says
Nearly all of the purses tested were not only
High in bacteria, but high in harmful kinds
Of bacteria.

Pseudomonas can cause eye infections,
Staphylococcus aurous can cause serious skin
Infections, and salmonella and e-coli found
On the purses could make people very sick. In
One sampling, four of five purses tested
Positive for salmonella, and that's not the
Worst of it.

"There is fecal contamination on the purses,"
Says Amy.

Leather or vinyl purses tended to be cleaner
Than cloth purses, and lifestyle seemed to
Play a role. People with kids tended to have
Dirtier purses than those without, with one
Xception. The purse of one single woman who
Frequented nightclubs had one of the worst
Contaminations of all.

"Some type of feces, or even possibly vomit
Or something like that," says Amy.

So the moral of this story - your purse won't
Kill you, but it does has the potential to
Make you very sick if you keep it on places
Where you eat. Use hooks to hang your purse
At home and in restrooms, and don't put it on
Your desk, on a restaurant table, or on your
Kitchen countertop.

Experts say you should think of your purse
The same way you would a pair of shoes.

"If you think about putting a pair of shoes
Onto your countertops, that's the same thing
you're doing when you put your purse on the
Countertops," says Amy.

The microbiologists at Nelson also said
Cleaning a purse will help. Wash cloth
Purses and use leather cleaner to clean the
Bottom of leather purses.