The Germiest Places in America

Your Kitchen Sink

There are typically more than 500,000 bacteria per square inch in the kitchen drain. That sponge you use to clean the counter? Crawling with bacteria, as are the sink’s basin and faucet handles.

Reduce the risk: “Clean your kitchen counters and sink with an antibacterial product after preparing or rinsing food, especially raw fruits and vegetables, which carry lots of potential pathogens like salmonella, campylobacter, and E. coli,” says Philip Tierno, Ph.D., author of The Secret Life of Germs and director of clinical microbiology at New York University Medical Center.

Sanitize sponges by running them through the dishwasher’s drying cycle. As for the sink, clean it twice a week with a solution of one tablespoon of chlorine bleach and one quart of water. Scrub the basin, and then pour the solution down the drain.