Your winter accessories are disgusting and full of germs

It was recently reported that the flu is pretty bad this year (between 6 and 7 million people have had it in the U.S. so far this winter) which means germs are everywhere. So to combat that (and the cold weather in a lot of the country) we bundle ourselves up in our hats, gloves, scarves, snoods, face masks, etc., But it turns out those winter accessories may have the most germs of all!

According to researchers from the University of Virginia, viruses can survive outside of your body for weeks. We’ve written about how disgusting your office is regularly which means your hands are constantly coming into contact with E. coli, flu, and cold germs and then you are going and sticking your hands in gloves which are thus completely contaminated.

According to Swirled, flu germs can live on your gloves for two to three days and stomach viruses including rotavirus and norovirus can stay there up to four weeks! Your gloves are weapons of mass destruction at this point.

But gloves aren’t the only culprit. That fun striped scarf you are wearing is absolutely disgusting too. Scarves come in contact with your hair and lips and let’s face it, many of us use them as a couch receptacle which literally just puts the germs right back in us.

Basically, the lesson here is to wash your winter clothes at least a few times a season, even though it is annoying.