An increased amount of bacteria isn't even necessarily a bad thing. Our immune systems were not made to live in sterile bubbles. I never use that hand sanitizer stuff, and I hardly ever get sick.

What I found lame about the article was this: The results? Men across the country may need to rethink their Valentine's gift. According to the researchers, the bacteria levels in women's offices were nearly three times higher than in men's offices.

So what, men should be getting us some cleaning products? Yeah, us wimmins just ain't doing a good job enough of cleaning, har har. Next thing you know, they'll be making a joke about how we're bad at cooking too! And did you hear the one about the woman that nagged a lot? Oh man, that was a knee-slapper.

And one final point: maybe women's desk areas are dirtier because secretarial and receptionist positions (which require frequent interaction with people) are dominated by women, whereas those nice, quiet corner offices are occupied more by men.

The problem with a lot of the "Group X has more germs than group Y" claims is that most germs aren't pathogenic. What researchers should be looking for isn't germ counts, but pathogen counts. How likely are women's offices to have flu viruses lying around, and how likely are men's offices?

"So what, men should be getting us some cleaning products?"
--Yep, Mary B, that's exactly what they're saying. The study was funded by Clorox, and the piece is apparently a bit of advertising. Did you swallow your vomit long enough to read the last paragraph? 'Cause I did!

"Dr. Gerba recommends frequent hand-washing and using disinfecting wipes daily on hard surfaces in your cubicle or office to kill germs. Clorox Disinfecting Wipes ki ll 99.9 percent of the germs commonly found on office surfaces including those that can cause cold and flu."

Explains it all, doesn't it?

"So what, men should be getting us some cleaning products?"
--Yep, Mary B, that's exactly what they're saying. The study was funded by Clorox, and the piece is apparently a bit of advertising. Did you swallow your vomit long enough to read the last paragraph? 'Cause I did!

"Dr. Gerba recommends frequent hand-washing and using disinfecting wipes daily on hard surfaces in your cubicle or office to kill germs. Clorox Disinfecting Wipes ki ll 99.9 percent of the germs commonly found on office surfaces including those that can cause cold and flu."

Explains it all, doesn't it?

Oops. I swear I didn't hit "post" more than once...

What this means is that women who use purses need to clean the outside of their purses, just as they wash their hands. Since purses come into contact with surfaces which women would never put their hands on, purses spread bacteria with out women being aware.

I'm pretty sure I've heard somewhere that human mouths have more bacteria than dog mouths. I think most people agree that this doesn't mean we should emulate our dogs' dental/eating habits.

So if women have even more bacteria, for all we know it could mean we're doing the right things, and it's Teh Menz who are the dirty ones.

Most yogurt is marketed to women.

Yogurt contains bacteria. It says so on the package. "Live acidophilus cultures"? Bacteria.

Therefore, you should drink a cup of Clorox(TM) bleach before eating yogurt. For a refreshing break, try the Fresh Meadow(TM) scented variety.

Don't even get me started on the disgusting fungi found in bread, beer, and grilled portobellos.

Women also are less likely to wash their hands after they masturbate. I masturbate at work all the time, and then touch stuff. tee-hee

I'm probably grosser than the average woman, though, to be fair.

"The study, which was funded by The Clorox Company...

"Dr. Gerba recommends frequent hand-washing and using disinfecting wipes...

"Clorox Disinfecting Wipes ki ll 99.9 percent of the germs..."

Jeepers, what a coincidence...

One of the places germs accumulate is rings. It's one of the reasons I hate them; I'm a bit of a germophobe.

I'll never use those wipes or disinfectants, though. Why would I want the .1 percent of bacteria that's left to multiply and create a Clorox-resistant bacteria to hang out in my keyboard? I'll just wash my hands, thanks.

I'm pretty sure I've heard somewhere that human mouths have more bacteria than dog mouths. I think most people agree that this doesn't mean we should emulate our dogs' dental/eating habits.

Well, dogs mouths are much dirtier than ours. Just look at what they do with it. The belief that a dog's mouth is cleaner came about because people would see dogs (and other animals) licking their wounds, and assumed there was some antibacterial quality to it. But it's really the fact that the licking increases blood flow and stimulates healing . So that's why people think a dog'a mouth is cleaner than a human's.

I read a similar article on MSNBC and my favorite quote was:
"I was really surprised how much food there was in a woman's desk," he said. "If there's ever a famine, that's the first place I'll look for food."
Though I must admit that I am guilty of having snacks in my office. How can anyone not?

she's a career woman, she has a germ-y desk! and apparently she knows it, given the knowing look she is giving the camera?

they did find that men's wallets are way more germy than the next germyest thing, purse exteriors. weird, since purses get set all kind of places and men's wallets theoretically stay in a back pocket until it's time to pay for something. does that mean something?

Yes, myrtle, it means that hands are the dirtiest part of the body (male or female), and men touch each square inch of their wallet more than women touch each square inch of their purse. Be nice to us men, please.