By Lisa Zamosky

With 80% of all infections transmitted by direct and indirect human contact, it’s no wonder experts implore us to wash our hands before eating or touching our eyes, nose or mouth. Germs and viruses can and do set up shop on the objects we come into contact with daily.

Find out what’s lurking on 12 everyday items and the steps we can take to keep them clean and protect our health…

Item #1: Sponges
This kitchen “essential” is the germiest object you’ll ever touch, says University of Arizona microbiologist Charles Gerba, Ph.D. The kitchen sponge commonly carries E. coli and fecal bacteria as well as many other microbes. “In a lot of the homes we looked at, the cleaner they were [on the surface] the more germs we found because people were spreading them around [with their sponge].

Usually, we found fewer [bacteria] in the homes of bachelors because they never cleaned the place. If you don’t use a disinfectant cleaner, you’re just giving a free ride to germs,” Gerba says.

Protective Step: Zapping sponges in the microwave for one to two minutes on a weekly basis, or running them through the dishwasher will kill off any organisms growing inside. You should also replace your sponges at least monthly.

Find out more here; www.lifescript.com/channels/healthy_living/Life_Tips/12_germiest_items_that_will_gross_you_out.asp