Is it OK to wear outside clothes on your bed?
We sent some swabs to a lab to find an answer.
Hey all,
On this week’s episode, we tackle our first listener-submitted question: is it OK to wear outside clothes on your bed? Everyone has strong opinions, but what does the science say?
To get to the bottom of it, we spoke with microbiologist Dr. Lisa Cuchara, a professor at Quinnipiac University whose research focuses on fomites — inanimate objects that could contaminate us with bacteria.
(Apple, Spotify, YouTube, Acast)
MND didn’t stop there. We conducted an experiment to see just how many germs are hitching a ride from your subway jeans to your bed. After swabbing and sending samples to a lab, we uncovered some shocking results.
After listening to the episode, come back here to dive into our findings below.
***WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD!!!***
Jeans:
Washed Jeans:
Total Aerobic Microbial Count: 300 cfu/g
Yeast & Mold: <100 cfu/g
Pathogens (e.g., E. coli, Salmonella): Absent
Dirty Jeans:
Total Aerobic Microbial Count: 6,500 cfu/g
Yeast & Mold: 2,000 cfu/g
Pathogens (e.g., E. coli, Salmonella): Absent
Bedding:
Washed Bedding:
Total Aerobic Microbial Count: <100 cfu/g
Yeast & Mold: <100 cfu/g
Pathogens (e.g., E. coli, Salmonella): Absent
Dirty Bedding:
Total Aerobic Microbial Count: 2,700 cfu/g
Yeast & Mold: 500 cfu/g
Pathogens (e.g., E. coli, Salmonella): Absent
**Key takeaways could include: jeans worn for days outside are likely exposed to a variety of microorganisms, jeans with microorganisms on their surface potentially transfer those microorganisms to a bed by sitting, washing jeans and bedding can reduce the overall microbial load, etc.. Observations regarding the validity of the experiment may include a lack of control (ex. a pair of the same jeans that were not worn and tested in the same manner, a bed that was not sat upon and tested in the same fashion, a comparison group, etc.), if the jeans were not washed prior to being worn, there is a possibility the jeans contained a baseline microbial load prior to being worn, was the same approximate surface area tested on the "dirty" and "washed", etc. Observations regarding the validity of the experiment may include a lack of control (ex. a pair of the same jeans that were not worn and tested in the same manner, a bed that was not sat upon and tested in the same fashion, a comparison group, etc.) if the jeans were not washed prior to being worn, there is a possibility the jeans contained a baseline microbial load prior to being worn, was the same approximate surface area tested on the "dirty" and "washed", etc. — Courtesy Contact Testing Laboratories of America
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