22 Gross Germ Facts You Wish You Didn't Know

By Karin Lehnardt, Senior Writer

Published June 17, 2025

There are four types of germs: 1) bacteria, 2) protoza, 3) viruses, and 4) fungi._[9]
An estimated 31,800 E. coli bacterium could fit on the surface of the period at the end of this sentence._[9]
Another word for germ is "pathogen," which is related to the Greek "pathos," or "suffering," "passion."_[9]
The largest bacterium in the world is about the size of an eyelash and can be picked up with tweezers. The thiomargarita magnifica is over 5000 times bigger than the average microbe._[9]
The germiest item in most people's houses is the kitchen sponge. It is home to hundreds of millions of bacteria, and over 75% of home dish sponges and rags contain coliform._[6]
The average belly button hosts over 300 different types of bacteria that can cause infection, rashes, and even belly button discharge._[11]

Your bellybutton is a tiny ecosystem of germs, and no two belly button ecosystems are the same

The coronavirus can live on plastic and stainless steel for up to 72 hours, on cardboard for 24 hours, and on copper for up to 4 hours._[5]
Three out of four people take their phones into the bathroom. Phones can carry over ten times more bacteria than a toilet seat._[6]
Germs (bacteria) such as salmonella and E. coli can live up to 4 hours on hard, non-porous surfaces, which is long enough to easily spread from person to person._[5]
Dutch scientist Antonie van Leeuwenhoek first discovered germs (bacteria) with his microscope in 1676. He called them animalcules._[5]

Known as the "Father of Microbiology," Leeuwenhoek revolutionized how the West thought about biology, germs, and the microscopic world

Most germs look like tiny balls, rods, or spirals._[5]
Hand sanitizer can kill most germs, as long as it is at least 70% isopropyl alcohol and it stands for at least 30 seconds before wiping off._[5]
Drying your hands with a paper towel kills more bacteria than drying your hands with a hand dryer. A hand dryer actually increases the germs by up to 225% because it blows out bacteria living in the warm, moist environment of the dryer._[8]
Deinococcus radiodurans, one type of germ (bacterium), is an extremophile. That means it survives in extreme conditions including radiation, acid, and extreme cold, earning the moniker, "Conan the Bacterium."_[10]
Germs from a sneeze can travel up to 26 feet at 100 mph and stay in the air for up to 10 minutes. It is basically a biological germ explosion._[7]

Toothbrush holders can grow more bacteria, yeast, and mold than a toilet seat. They are so germy because they hold moisture, they are infrequently cleaned, and they are often close to the toilet

The germiest place in the bathroom is the toothbrush holder because of moisture and its proximity to the toilet._[1]
Public restroom high-speed jet air dryers can blow fecal material back onto the hands and throughout the air. Paper towels are usually safer and faster._[8]
Foodborne illnesses affect over 600 million people globally, including 48 million Americans, each year._[2]
A single bacterium reproduces over 8 million times in just 24 hours._[2]
Bacteria is more likely to grow on food that is left in temperatures that are in "the danger zone," which is 40–140 degrees F (4–60 degrees C). Bacteria can double in as little as 20 minutes and can continue to grow exponentially._[2]
There are about 1 trillion microbes on one gram of human feces._[3]
When a toilet is flushed, it releases a cloud of pathogens into the air, known as a "toilet plume." This spray can linger in the air for hours._[4]