Speaker 1: Welcome to brain Stuff production of I Heart Radio. Hey
Speaker 1: brain Stuff Lauren vog Obam Here. People love their coffee,
Speaker 1: but most don't extend their profound affection to its trusty receptacle,
Speaker 1: the coffee cup. Office workers are often guilty of such neglect,
Speaker 1: merely rinsing and reusing their mug day after day, or worse,
Speaker 1: just dumping out the old coffee and filling their cup
Speaker 1: up with new brew. While it seems that the mug
Speaker 1: would be just fine with such treatment, after all, hot
Speaker 1: water kills germs and you're the only person who uses
Speaker 1: your mug, thank you very much, the truth is perhaps
Speaker 1: more eye opening than the beverages inherent caffeine. A mostly
Speaker 1: empty mug, left to its own devices, can quickly grow
Speaker 1: its own microbiome. Of course, most bacteria are harmless, but
Speaker 1: there are those that aren't. We spoke by email with
Speaker 1: Melissa Maker, host of the YouTube channel clean my Space.
Speaker 1: She said all sorts of germs in bacteria can live
Speaker 1: on and in your cup, especially if you are in
Speaker 1: a shared space. Cold and flu germs tend to travel
Speaker 1: and can easily land honor in your cup. Plus germs
Speaker 1: from your mouth and hands will also transfer to your cup.
Speaker 1: The warmer and damper the environment, the more pleasing for
Speaker 1: bacteria to fester. Indeed, the laundry list of possibilities is daunting.
Speaker 1: We also spoke via email with Dr Terry D. Connell,
Speaker 1: professor of microbiology and immunology at the University of Buffalo.
Speaker 1: They said strep staff and any number of resident or
Speaker 1: transient oral bacteria, which may include potential pathogens, may reside
Speaker 1: in unwashed cups, and of course, if someone else should
Speaker 1: drink from one's cup, bacteria from their mouths can be
Speaker 1: transferred into it. Office environments are particularly conducive to the
Speaker 1: spread of bacteria. Dr Childs Gerba, a professor of microbiology
Speaker 1: at the University of Arizona, published research findings back in
Speaker 1: the Continue to Rock Our Worlds Today. His team assessed
Speaker 1: bacteria found in office coffee cups and coffee preparation areas,
Speaker 1: and they discovered that fort of cups tested or contaminated
Speaker 1: with coliform bacteria otherwise known as vehicle bacteria. And most
Speaker 1: of the time these bacteria are not harmful to people,
Speaker 1: but they certainly can be, especially to those with weakened
Speaker 1: or compromised immune systems. The kicker Dr Gerba's team found
Speaker 1: that a small office cup washer sort of like a
Speaker 1: mini dishwasher was all it took to eradicate these and
Speaker 1: other types of bacteria. The problem is most people think
Speaker 1: of simple rinse and wipe is enough to keep germs
Speaker 1: at bay. However, this approach is definitely not enough to
Speaker 1: tackle such formidable opponents. Dr Connell said bacteria can adhere
Speaker 1: to the surface of the cup. Washing with soap is
Speaker 1: essential to remove those bacteria. That's why public health officials
Speaker 1: in England put out a plea back in January for
Speaker 1: reusable cup users to thoroughly wash receptacles after every single
Speaker 1: drink to prevent the spread of illness. This was in
Speaker 1: response to a spike in reusable cup use since the
Speaker 1: nation started in posing a so called latte tax on
Speaker 1: disposable cups. Proper cleaning grows even more critical if the
Speaker 1: coffee in question has been doctored with cream or sugar.
Speaker 1: Dr Connell explained both of those substances contain nutrients for
Speaker 1: bacterial growth. While water washing will remove most of the sugar,
Speaker 1: the oils and proteins in milk or cream require the
Speaker 1: use of soap to remove. Soap is what's known as
Speaker 1: a surfactant. Molecule of soap can grab hold of oily
Speaker 1: particles at one end and molecules of water at its
Speaker 1: other end, thus helping dissolve and rinse away even stubborn grime.
Speaker 1: So here are the easy steps to lessen the germs
Speaker 1: in your coffee mug. Wash your cup with soap and
Speaker 1: water after every use. Wash with a paper towel rather
Speaker 1: than a shared sponge. Dry the cup with a paper towel.
Speaker 1: And if your cup has a lid, remember to wash
Speaker 1: that too. Today's episode was written by Aliyahit and produced
Speaker 1: by Tyler. Playing brain Stuff is a production of I
Speaker 1: Heart Radio's How Stuff Works. For more in this and
Speaker 1: lots of other topics that help you break things down,
Speaker 1: visit our home planet how stuff works dot com. And
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