It’s 17,000 Times Dirtier Than A Toilet Seat And You Put Your Face On It Every Day

Author Phil Harris

June 30th, 2023 9:01 AM

Lots of things in your home and office harbor more germs than the average toilet seat. Ready to add one more to the list? (Photo by Cunaplus_M.Faba/Getty Images)

When did everything become dirtier than a toilet seat? That seems to be the standard comparison for filth nowadays. And we’ve all heard about the items we use every day that harbor more germs than the average toilet seat, right? Cellphones, computer keyboards, office desks, kitchen sponges, cutting boards, shopping carts, remote controls, pet food bowls, reusable shopping bags, toothbrushes, makeup brushes, door knobs, light switches, faucet handles…it never ends! Well, we can add one more to the list.

According to a report from bedding retailer Amerisleep, your pillowcase could be crawling with 3 million bacteria after just one week of use. That’s about 17,000 times more than the typical toilet seat. We put our faces on pillowcases every single day! Most of the time, I’m pretty sure my mouth is open when I sleep. I’m a notorious drooler. That’s just an open invitation for bacteria. UGH!!!

The report looks at data on pillowcases, linens, and mattresses, as well as all the nasty stuff creeping around in your bed. That includes various allergens, fungi, and tiny bits of your own dead skin. As a result, your bedding can become a buffet for microscopic dust mites that love to feed on those skin cells you’ve sloughed off.

This disturbing realization isn’t exactly new. Other studies have also shown that disease-causing bacteria could be lurking all around you while you sleep. It’s a pretty compelling argument for washing your soiled bedding a lot more often. In fact, experts recommend changing pillowcases more than once a week. But as the saying goes, what doesn’t kill us only makes us stronger. Right? Excuse me, I have some laundry to do.

Phil Harris is 50% of "Phil & Mel in the Afternoon" on K104.7. He has been with the station since 2013 and on the air in Charlotte since 2000. Before coming to the Queen City, Phil worked for radio stations in Pittsburgh, Austin, and Seattle. In addition to the weekly "Throwback Threesome" music video feature, Phil writes about things that matter to Charlotte sports fans and pet owners. He happens to be both.

These Are The Dirtiest Cities In North Carolina Ranked

People are flocking to cities these days. The populations of major metropolitan areas are booming with hundreds of people moving daily. And while the benefits can be fantastic, there are some downsides to city living as well. One of those can be that cities are typically dirtier than other locations. But luckily here in North Carolina, it is not nearly as bad as it is in other places like New York City and Boston (the only place I’ve actually seen a rat on the street). Though often times city living does come with more pollution, trash, and yes even rats. But what cities are the dirtiest? Well, our friends at LawnStarter ranked 2023’s Dirtiest Cities in America. And the good news is that none of the highest-ranking dirtiest cities were in North Carolina.

In fact, the highest-ranked (dirtiest to cleanest) North Carolina city was ranked 93 on this list. This is out of 150 cities nationwide. Lawnstarter compared over 150 of the biggest U.S. cities across four categories, including pollution, living conditions, infrastructure, and consumer satisfaction. Six North Carolina cities were included in those that were ranked. Below you’ll find those six places ranked from dirtiest to cleanest cities in North Carolina. You’ll also find the top 10 dirtiest cites ranked. Live in the highest-ranking one? You may want to buy some air fresheners, mouse traps, or a can of Raid. You can never be too safe. And if I run across a rat I’m out.

View the full study here.

1. Raleigh

Overall Rank: 83

Overall Score: 32.99

Pollution Score: 77

Living Conditions Rank: 30

Infrastructure Rank: 95

Consumer Satisfaction Rank: 99
2. Durham
Overall Rank: 100

Overall Score: 30.72

Pollution Score: 74

Living Conditions Rank: 140

Infrastructure Rank: 104

Consumer Satisfaction Rank: 100
3. Fayetteville
Overall Rank: 119

Overall Score: 27.68

Pollution Score: 66

Living Conditions Rank: 142

Infrastructure Rank: 83

Consumer Satisfaction Rank: 151
4. Charlotte

Overall Rank: 141

Overall Score: 23.27

Pollution Score: 130

Living Conditions Rank: 107

Infrastructure Rank: 119

Consumer Satisfaction Rank: 87
5. Greensboro
Greensboro, North Carolina skyline from the west. (Photo: Raynor Garey/Getty Images)

Overall Rank: 144

Overall Score: 23.05

Pollution Score: 128

Living Conditions Rank: 104

Infrastructure Rank: 86

Consumer Satisfaction Rank: 123
6. WInston-Salem
Overall Rank: 146

Overall Score: 22.2

Pollution Score: 131

Living Conditions Rank: 133

Infrastructure Rank: 72

Consumer Satisfaction Rank: 140
Top 10 Dirtiest Cities Nationwide
1. Houston, TX

Overall Score: 56.02

Pollution Score: 3

Living Conditions Rank: 4

Infrastructure Rank: 12

Consumer Satisfaction Rank: 34
2. Newark, NJ

Overall Score: 55.25

Pollution Score: 14

Living Conditions Rank: 5

Infrastructure Rank: 97

Consumer Satisfaction Rank: 3
3. San Bernardino, CA

Overall Score: 51.58

Pollution Score: 1

Living Conditions Rank: 56

Infrastructure Rank: 1313

Consumer Satisfaction Rank: 1
4. Detroit, MI
Overall Score: 48.30

Pollution Score: 9

Living Conditions Rank: 35

Infrastructure Rank: 89

Consumer Satisfaction Rank: 4
5. Jersey City, NJ

Overall Score: 48.11

Pollution Score: 50

Living Conditions Rank: 2

Infrastructure Rank: 110

Consumer Satisfaction Rank: 15
6. Bakersfield, CA
Overall Score: 47.95

Pollution Score: 27

Living Conditions Rank: 69

Infrastructure Rank: 122

Consumer Satisfaction Rank: 7
7. San Antonio, TX

Overall Score: 47.43

Pollution Score: 34

Living Conditions Rank: 12

Infrastructure Rank: 29

Consumer Satisfaction Rank: 36
8. Fresno, CA
Overall Score: 47.27

Pollution Score: 31

Living Conditions Rank: 81

Infrastructure Rank: 121

Consumer Satisfaction Rank: 5
9. Oklahoma City, OK

Overall Score: 46.51

Pollution Score: 5

Living Conditions Rank: 25

Infrastructure Rank: 8

Consumer Satisfaction Rank: 96
10. Yonkers, NY

Overall Score: 46.36

Pollution Score: 46

Living Conditions Rank: 8

Infrastructure Rank: 128

Consumer Satisfaction Rank: 14
Methodology
From LawnStarter

For each of the 200 biggest U.S. cities, we gathered publicly available data on the factors listed in the table below.

We then grouped those factors into four categories: Pollution, Living Conditions, Infrastructure, and Consumer Satisfaction.

Next, we calculated weighted scores for each city in each category.

Finally, we averaged the scores for each city across all categories. We eliminated 48 cities lacking sufficient data for a fair comparison, resulting in a final sample size of 152 cities.

The city that earned the highest average score was ranked “Dirtiest” (No. 1), while the city with the lowest was ranked “Cleanest” (No. 152). (Note: The “Cleanest” among individual factors may not be No. 152 due to ties.)