Science says it’s okay to never wash your coffee mug
We all know someone who is unwilling to wash up their office coffee cup. Whilst there are many of us that will cringe in fear of the thought of having to drink from an-ever filthy mug; it turns out that it’s not quite as filthy as it sounds.
Often chastised for being ‘dirty’ or ‘unhygienic’, the fact of the matter is, as long as you’re not sharing your unwashed, dirty coffee mug; you are actually taking the most sanitary option.
Now those too lazy to wash their cups can defend their actions with actual science…
A cup that is left and uncleaned for extended periods of time could actually be better than one that is cleaned regularly, but used my multiple people within an office or work environment.
The recommendation is that it’s fine to never wash your mug, so long as you’re the only person to use it. It’s actually better than fine: It may actually be the most santiary option.
Infectious disease expert, Jeffrey Starke, from the Baylor College of Medicine in the United States, told the Wall Street Journal recently: “If I went and cultured the average unwashed coffee cup, of course I’m going to find germs.
“But remember the vast majority came from the person who used the cup.”
There is no need to worry if you drink from a dirty cup even if you are sick, it’s actually really hard to re-infect yourself with the same mug; as most viruses don’t live for long outside of the body.
“The sponge in the break room probably has the highest bacteria count of anything in the office,” Starke said. But if you feel you must use the sponge to clean, just stick the sponge into the microwave for a minute or so before using to kill off any bacteria lingering.
Well there you go! Having a dirty mug might be something that we should all aspire to use! Being lazy never kept you so healthy.
But before you stop washing your mug, cup or glass entirely, Starke added: “If you leave cream or sugar in your mug over the weekend, that can certainly cause mould to grow” – in this instance it’s of course wise to wash it out.