MUCKY MOTORS
Your car could be making you ILL as experts reveal area ‘dirtier than a toilet seat’ – three-step guide to beat bacteria
Read on to see the horrifying results of the swabs
YOUR car could be making you ill as parts of it are "dirtier than a toilet seat", according to new research.
Health experts studied bacterial growth from swabs of a bog-standard motor and found some horrifying results.
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Researchers from discovered alarming levels of microbe activity when examining a trio of parts that you touch every day.
They took a swab of each area and placed this on a slide, which were left for 15 seconds before being placed in a 30C incubation box for a week.
The driver's seat was the worst offender, with boffins explaining that it harboured similar levels of bacteria as a toilet seat.
Other heavily contaminated parts included the seatbelts, handbrake, interior door handles and gear stick.
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Shocking photos of the results show fur-like colonies of bacteria growing on the slides as a consequence.
Almost half of the slide was overgrown with the green-white mould on the one taken from the front seat.
And this hidden dirt can be dangerous to your health, according to Dr Deborah Lee.
Dr Lee, from , explained: "The car is a potent source of bacteria, some of which can cause illnesses in humans.
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"If the car is not properly cleaned, infections can occur and recur and, in some people, become persistent."
She also emphasised that, as an enclosed space that often maintains warm, humid conditions, a car is unfortunately suited as an incubator for microorganisms.
Thankfully, the teams at LKQ shared their easy three-step cleaning process to minimise nasty bacteria.
First of all, Brits should take a vacuum to the interior, making sure to clean thoroughly and get into all the nooks and crannies.
Then, get yourself a specialist upholstery cleaner or fabric shampoo to blast through stains and eliminate dirt buildup.
Finally, wipe the whole interior down with a leather or fabric wipe, depending on the material, to get rid of any lingering bacteria disturbed by the deep clean.
It comes after an expert mechanic revealed exactly when you should be changing your engine's oil.
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