These attacks against germs have gone viral.
NYC board-certified dermatologist Charles Puza, who studied at Harvard and Duke universities, is sharing four tips for getting sick less often.
To avoid germs, Puza recommends wiping the tops of aluminum cans before drinking from them, ditching lemon wedges in drinks at restaurants, not touching doorknobs and disinfecting your phone frequently.
“These are doctors’ tips that save lives,” Puza says on his Sunday TikTok, which has attracted over 14,000 views.
Wipe the tops of the aluminum cans
“Did you know that most cans are contaminated with bacteria and mold?” says Puza. “I always clean them before I put them in their mouths.”
A variety of bacteria were found on the lids of 180 beverage cans collected from various retail stores for a 2022 analysis.
“Beverage cans are present in different environments and handled by different people and thus can be a potential source of infection for consumers. It is highly recommended that beverage cans should be cleaned before drinking,” the researchers wrote in the Journal of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics.
They found that the most effective way to clean the can was to rinse it with tap water and wipe it with a dry cloth.
Discard the lemon wedges from the drink
Nobody wants a dirty lemon martini.
“Lemons are some of the dirtiest things in the kitchen. Do not put them in your water”, says Puza.
A 2007 study tested lemon wedges served with water or soda at 21 restaurants in Paterson, New Jersey, finding that nearly 70% contained microbial growth. A total of 25 microorganisms were identified in the samples.
“People are touching the lemon in your glass, handling it, cutting it, putting it in a container or a cup or a glass; and then taking those slices at a later point in time and putting them in a drink and putting them on the rim of a glass,” Philip Tierno, a clinical professor of microbiology and pathology at the University of Washington’s Grossman School of Medicine New Yorker and author of “The Secret Life of Germs,” Elle said in 2016. “You can easily see how those lemon slices and lemon wedges can get contaminated.”
Do not touch the door handles
“Does anyone else dread doorknobs?” Puza asks. “Most of them are full of bacteria, so I never, ever touch them.”
Doorknobs in high traffic areas are known to harbor bacteria and viruses. If you don’t want to touch them, there are tools attached to a key chain that can open public door handles and press elevator buttons. At home, doorknobs should be washed with dish soap and warm water.
Disinfect your phone
We take our cell phones everywhere, including the bathroom, which means there are a lot of germs on them.
Before you swipe, you must swipe. An article on Verizon’s website recommends doing this by turning off and unplugging the phone, cleaning your hands for at least 20 seconds, and then wiping the outside of the phone, including the screen, with an antibacterial wipe.
If you don’t have a tissue, Verizon advises cleaning your phone with a soft cloth and an alcohol-based disinfectant cleaner that contains 70% isopropyl — the right concentration to kill germs on the phone’s surface.
Puza says she cleans her phone at least twice a day.
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