POSTED: 5:47 pm CST November 16, 2006
UPDATED: 6:23 pm CST November 16, 2006


CHICAGO -- You wouldn't leave home without it. But depending on where you put that purse, you could be bagging more than you think.

"I really do sit it on the floor. I will admit to that -- I do," one woman told NBC5. "Sad to say, but I do."

From the movie theater or the train to your office or house, do you know what your handbag is carrying?

NBC5 decided to find out.

Deibel Labs in Lincolnwood armed NBC5's Anna Davlantes with swabs and germ-snooping skills. She decided to test some handbags, beginning with one of her own. Then, Davlantes hit the streets.

Four brave women bared the undersides of their bags for the experiment.

Inside the lab, the swabs revealed the dirty truth. One purse had almost no bacteria. But the other four were a different story.

Sue Feth, a microbiologist, said that more than 300 organisms were found on each purse swab. Four out of five purses carried E. coli and staphylococcus.

But the dirtiest purse, the one that carried the bacteria pseudomonas, was Davlantes'.


That kind of bacteria could come from anywhere -- maybe the grocery cart seat that often carries diapered toddlers, experts said.

You wouldn't throw your shoes on your kitchen counter, but think where that purse has been, Davlantes said.

Dr. Jennifer Lundgren, of Northwestern Memorial Hospital, suggests that women carry some common sense with their handbags.

"Most people throw their purse on the floor or anywhere they can fit it," Lundgren said. "If you're going to take your purse into the toilet, don't go and put it on your kitchen table where you're cooking dinner."

Julia, one of the women who volunteered to have her purse swabbed, took the news seriously.

"I'm going to wash my purse down with some Fantastic or something," she said.

However, washing may not do much good becuse the next time you put your purse down, you'll pick the bacteria back up, Davlantes said.

There haven't been any studies to suggest that disinfecting a purse even works.

The best way to keep bacteria away is old-fashioned hand washing, experts said. And keep those bags off the floor.

But two of the women who volunteered for this story had a different solution.

"Trust me. From this day on, we're going to be getting new purses," she said.




Careful with your purses ladies

i put my school bag everywhere. ewwww

evenstar3 said:

Me too...and my purse...



Hasn't killed me yet.

applekisses said:

You ran a fever the other night sweetie.

Your purse is trying to kill you.

ewwwww!

Oh well.

What're you gonna do? Damned things are handy!

AsianBomb777 said:

applekisses said:

staphylococcus can be found pretty much anywhere and everywhere, it's no big deal.

E. coli is a fecal bacteria, but it can still be found everywhere. You probably ingest more E. coli in a week than what gets on your purse.

In fact, there's probably a decent amount of E. coli and Staphylococcus living on your fingers and under your nails right at this very moment.

Pseudmonas sin't that big of a deal either, unless you've just been severely burned or are otherwise immunocompromised.

There are bacteria that are far more dangerous than those two.


That's all I have to say about that.
[Edited 11/17/06 9:28am]

JasmineFire said:

I like this.

NOW imagine how much filth is on a ...MURSE...

how many folks wear shoes in thier house?

That's why I always squeegie my purse.

2the9s said:

Murse...

2the9s said:

good job!

The old wives tale that a purse on the floor = no money pretty much keeps my purse off the floor And I don't want my purse touching ANYTHING in a bathroom

And yes, every house should be a shoe-less house. Otherwise think of the grime you're tracking into your homes every damn day