“Dirty Money” – A Few Words About Germs on Currency
Vacation is a time for travel, enjoying unusual pleasures, visiting museums, or other interesting places. During this time, we also visit restaurants, bars, and stands selling waffles and ice cream more often. We also take advantage of the services of people selling snacks and cold drinks on the beach.
Although Poland ranks among the top European countries with the highest growth rate of cashless transactions via payment cards, phones, or smartwatches, cash remains the primary means of payment in many of the places we visit during our vacations.
Similarly, during our trips abroad, tips in restaurants are still gladly accepted by our servers in cash, which is worth having on hand.
Almost everything about money…
When using our wallets, we don’t stop to think that money is one of the dirtiest and most unhygienic everyday items. Banknotes, passing through the hands of many people every day for years, become a breeding ground for microorganisms, including those responsible for serious diseases. Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Salmonella, enterococci, and influenza viruses—these are just a few examples of microorganisms that can be found on paper money. Some pathogenic microorganisms can survive on cash for up to several months, and numerous studies show that an average of 25,000 different microorganisms live on banknotes!
Not all banknotes are created equal…
Cash is constantly circulating, and with it, dangerous microorganisms are also circulating. It is worth noting that banknotes have a porous surface that is conducive to microbes, so germs live on them much longer than on coins. It is also widely known that the metals used to produce coins, particularly the copper content, limit the number of microorganisms and help shorten the survival time of certain bacteria.
Tests conducted at the MEDISEPT Research and Development Center
Just before the start of summer vacation, we decided to conduct a small test in our laboratory using one of our employees’ wallets. Here is what we cultured from the banknote and coins submitted for testing:
Photo: MEDISEPT Research and Development Center
Before payments go fully digital—follow basic hygiene rules!
How can you protect yourself from microorganisms found on everyday objects, including banknotes and coins?
The answer is obvious: wash your hands frequently and DISINFECT them, e.g., with the MEDISEPT Hand Sanitizer Spray 100ml - Dezynfekcja.pl! We should do this not only, for example, after using the restroom or before eating, but also whenever we have
just handled cash. Washing and disinfecting our hands is the most important step when it comes to protecting ourselves against so-called “dirty hand” diseases. We never know whose hands the bills we just received have been in, what sick people they’ve come into contact with, what dirty surfaces they’ve been on, or where they’ve been stored!
Biocidal products should be used with caution. Read the label and product information before each use.
