The ‘Five-second rule’ is Unsafe
Spill something, drop a sandwich on the floor, it’s ok, as long as you are quick and pick it up in less than 5 seconds, it is still safe. But wait, researchers claim that this rule no longer applies, and the myth related to the safety of dropped on the floor food was ‘busted’. Sad but true, sorry clumsy people, scientists have disproved the lazy rule.
According to Paul Dawson at Clemson University, food dropped on the ground and picked in less than 5 seconds, collects less germs than if left for a minute or so. The issue is not clumsiness, it is in the microbes that can be picked up with the sandwich or the biscuit dropped.
National Geographic set the zero-second rule. It is risky to eat germ-infested food, and this applies to all food dropped on dirty flooring. If you are in the habit of picking up and eating snacks, fallen on the ground, then you’d better stick to the new rule: the zero-second rule.
Bacteria can survive on the floor about a month. What is more, when food falls down, how do you know whether the place is clean enough? Any bacteria thriving there can be transferred to your snack in a second, and do you want to wait a second more, how about 5 ?!
Solution – tell your kids to be more careful and hold their sandwiches tight, as dropping food on the ground should be equivalent to tossing it in the trash bin. Reconsider the health benefits of eating clean, wipe up all surfaces in your home with natural non-toxic cleaners.
