Your Car Keys Have Almost 4 Times As Much Bacteria on Them As Your Phone, Study Finds

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argent_pixel@reddit

Good news anti-vaxxers! You have a convenient lollipop to work on while you're doing your daily 30 minutes of staring at the sun for that sweet vitamin D.

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hi_im_bored13@reddit

Interestingly, almost one in five men (19%) says they clean their keys every single day.

This is the more interesting thing to me. I think I clean a key once a year.

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Realistic_Village184@reddit

I mean, that figure just goes to show how inaccurate self-reported data can be. There's absolutely no way that 19% of men clean their keys every day.

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flop_plop@reddit

I’ve been alive over 40 years and never even thought about cleaning my keys

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The-Rizztoffen@reddit

I think when using those wet wipes for car plastics I used them on my keys once or twice.

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I'm in my mid-30's and honestly same. I wash my hands before cooking or eating. I figure all sorts of stuff I touch, like doorknobs, have tons of germs, so I just assume my hands are dirty all the time unless I've just washed them. Washing my keys feels like a complete waste of time.

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R_V_Z@reddit

19% of men thought "clean your keys" was a euphemism.

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hockeyjmac@reddit

I’ve literally never done this with any car I’ve owned

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CaptainGo@reddit

Does wiping it on my pants count after I drop it in the dirt

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Sun_Aria@reddit

I’ll clean the fob if I drop it and it gets dirty but then again I keep it safe af.

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CRT_SUNSET@reddit

I call bullshit on that stat. I doubt 19% of men wash their hands once a day.

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AmNoSuperSand52@reddit

Yeah I’m probably only ever cleaning it whenever I’m wiping down the nearby countertop with a Lysol wipe or something

Maybe once a month

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STERFRY333@reddit

Only time I clean them is when I accidentally send them through the wash

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RiftHunter4@reddit

I've never cleaned my car key or any of the doodads I've added to my keyring. 15 years of ownership probably has it looking like a swamp of bacteria lol.

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Mojave_Idiot@reddit

I’ll do it when I clean my car. It’s right there sitting in the cup holder and I have the damp microfiber in my hand.

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Averageinternetdoge@reddit

No they don't, since I wash my keys every now and then exactly to prevent this.

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ManokBoto@reddit

Jokes on you, my phone IS my car key

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ymjcmfvaeykwxscaai@reddit

With push to start it’s rarely I’m touching my keys anyways and definitely not while I’m eating food. Phone is a different story.

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luckandpreparation@reddit

I keep mine in a faraday bag when I’m not driving and I clean my phone with rubbing alcohol immediately when I get home. Ain’t no bacteria gonna get m

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Spidaaman@reddit

Did the bacteria get you before you could type that last ‘e’?

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techtimee@reddit

The mental image of the dude being strangled by a giant bacteria is hilarious.

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_nf0rc3r_@reddit

My phone is my car key. Does it mean it has 5 times bacteria vs other phones?

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BlackCatFurry@reddit

So according to the study the inside of my shoulderbag has 4 times the bacteria of the outside world because i pretty much always keep my car keys in my bag. Push to start and keyless access means i don't need to get the keys out for anything.

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Thick-Dish-8945@reddit

Depending on how deep you scratch!

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psaux_grep@reddit

Jokes on them. My phone is my car key.

Or does that mean it has 4 times as much bacteria on it? 🫣

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LionTigerWings@reddit

It's basically infinite bacteria. Your phone has 1,000 bacterium, which means your key has 4,000 bacterium, but since your key is also a phone that means your phone has 4,000 bacterium. But now, your key has 16,000 bacterium. But since your key is a phone, that means your phone has 16,000 bacterium. But now, your key has 64,000 bacterium. But since your key is a phone, that means your phone has 64,000 bacterium. But now, your key has 256,000 bacterium. But since your key is a phone, that means your phone has 256,000 bacterium. But now, your key has 1,024,000 bacterium. But since your key is a phone, that means your phone has 1,024,000 bacterium. But now, your key has 4,096,000 bacterium. But since your key is a phone, that means your phone has 4,096,000 bacterium. But now, your key has 16,384,000 bacterium. But since your key is a phone, that means your phone has 16,384,000 bacterium.

Rinse repeat.

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dumahim@reddit

I lick mine clean every week.

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peewinkle@reddit

Well, when you keep them in your butt....

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Snufflarious@reddit

Serves you right if you touch my keys

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GOATSQUIRTS@reddit

Never once have I thought about cleaning any key

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Atoreiyu@reddit

0

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IMI4tth3w@reddit

what if.. my phone.. is also my keys? 🤮

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MegaBytesMe@reddit

Makes sense with where I put my keys

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kon---@reddit

Not here they don't.

Both are maintained. And supported by a hand washing mofo.

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_larsr@reddit

I know this is going to be shocking, but your body is covered with bacteria. They are also in your intestines, your mouth, your butt, your vagina. You also have mites living on your face. Maybe find something else to worry about instead of whether your car keys are sterile or not.

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XDingoX83@reddit

Well i store them in my ass so it makes sense.

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longtrek@reddit

Im scratching my head because with push to start and i know others have things like remote start. Dont really interact with my car keys for the most part. Heck I know it's on my key chain with keys for home, but I use home key once a day??? So the rest of the time it's in my pocket. What the heck are other using their keys for lol

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YJeezy@reddit

Well its much easier to stick up your ass

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Eggith@reddit

Yes but it's less fun

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bimm3r36@reddit

Seriously, my keys don’t even vibrate

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t-poke@reddit

But now every time I fart my car alarm starts honking.

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CUDAcores89@reddit

What doesnt kill you makes you stronger...

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Silent_R@reddit

Tell that to polio.

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Ok-Carpenter-8455@reddit

Same with your phone so if you are reading this... Go clean BOTH!

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NetJnkie@reddit

You should see how much bacteria is outside.

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ShortBrownAndUgly@reddit

I don’t see how keys could possibly be worse than phones unless people clean phones more often. But even then the degree of exposure of phones must be much higher

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DJAllOut@reddit

I've never once cleaned my car key. Good thing I store it in my mouth so my pockets stay cleaner

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testthrowawayzz@reddit

the species of bacteria matters more than the number of bacteria.

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Mojave_Idiot@reddit

I clean my key fobs when I clean my car interior. Sounds stupid. But now who’s laughing you disgusting monsters

I do recommend it though. I’m already out there wiping down the dash with 303 cleaner and a microfiber, the key fob is in the cup holder, I just wipe it off as part of the process. Same for my phone.

I see some insanely gross phones and key fobs from time to time that reminds me to do that stuff.

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hundredjono@reddit

Ban car keys

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Significant-Dog-8166@reddit

That assumes I handle my car key. Third pocket - never leaves.

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Grabthar-the-Avenger@reddit

This study has no idea how I use the vibration feature on my phone

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NCSUGrad2012@reddit

So I shouldn’t try and eat them?

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FeelTheLoveNow@reddit

When did you get rid of the Acura?

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NCSUGrad2012@reddit

Late last year. Daily driver is a company car and the Z is my fun car

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FeelTheLoveNow@reddit

Nice! Congrats 😎

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NCSUGrad2012@reddit

Thanks!

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WeirdAvocado@reddit

Like my mom used to say “Wash it before you eat it”.

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_galaga_@reddit

I did something like this back in Microbiology lab in college (which was over 30 years ago now for fucks sake). We were given fresh Petri dishes with LB media and swabs and let loose in the general area to test a surface and see what would grow. I picked the buttons on the elevator and some real wacky stuff grew. Not surprised keys/fobs accumulate bugs given where they go with us and we're constantly handling them. A regular wipe down every so often ain't a bad idea.