Ladies, you may want to hold your purse at arm's length as you read this.
And incredibly the study, by the British washroom-services company Initial Hygiene, also found that one in every five purses tested contained enough bacteria to transmit serious infections.
The worst culprits were leather handbags because their porous material is ideal for cultivating harmful bacteria.
In another yucky finding, the study discovered that bottles of hand cream are the most infected item in the average handbag. Earphones and headphones also carry more bacteria.
Peter Barratt, the technical manager at Initial Hygiene, told Philly.com's Kelly O'Shea that purses should be cleaned as often as toilets to be safe.
Wiping a purse and its contents weekly with anti-bacterial wipes or a disinfectant spray will help reduce the chance of spreading germs and causing illness, he said.
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