A new survey has revealed that 6.6 million people in Britain do not wash their hands after going to the toilet. The survey of 3,000 people conducted by hygiene and sterilising experts Milton, has uncovered the grimy truth about Britain’s attitudes to hygiene and cleanliness.

Britons may be renowned for their demure appearance but the results of the Milton survey reveal a very different story in our attitudes to personal hygiene. 36% – that’s 21 million people - said they don’t take a bath or shower every day, but that’s nothing compared with the 6% - 3.6 million people - who bathe weekly and the shocking 1% - around 600,000 Britons – who are taking a bath or shower just once a month.

82% of people change their socks and underwear on a daily basis, however there are still a significant number – working out to be around 600,000 people in the country - who claimed they only changed their underwear on a monthly basis!

The grubby tale continues when it comes to the topic of Brits and their food with a massive 69% not washing hands before eating, 27% of people claiming they pick up and eat food from the floor.

Regionally, people in London and Scotland are the cleanest with 68% bathing daily, compared to just 23% of Irish and 58% of Welsh. However, while the majority of Londoners are keeping clean, the capital also had the highest percentage of people only bathing once a month. In the UK, people in the South West of England have the best hand hygiene with 95% washing hands after going to the toilet, closely followed by the North West 93% and Wales 91%. Worst for hand washing were the Northern Irish with over a third not washing hands after going to the toilet, followed by Scotland 15% and the Midlands 13%.

Steve Riley from Milton Pharmaceutical: “Britain’s are often accused of being over the top in our attitudes to cleanliness but as these results show, for some people the opposite is true. While not washing daily may not pose any major health threats, the lack of hand hygiene, particularly after going to the toilet and before eating could be putting people at risk of serious infections. Hands are the biggest carriers of germs and viruses including E-coli, Rotavirus, Campylobacter and MRSA”

Milton’s Top Tips for cleanliness

While you might maintain excellent standards of personal hygiene, can the same be said for the person sitting next to you on the bus? It’s very easy to pick up germs and viruses from public surfaces left there by dirty hands. Keep Milton Antibacterial Hand Gel in your bag to keep hands clean while on the go and kill any germs you might pick up.

Wash towels, clothes and linen weekly as germs can quickly build up Don’t be tempted to pick up food dropped on the floor, even if you keep floors really clean, the food could still be coated in millions of bacteria in a matter of seconds.

After you have prepared raw meat, germs may be left behind on the chopping board or work surface, which will then be transferred to other foods prepared on the same board or surface. Wash chopping boards in warm soapy water, rinse and wipe over with Milton to destroy strong smells and to disinfect the surface to avoid cross contamination of foods.

When you, or others around you, have a cold use Milton Antibacterial Hand Gel to sanitise hands and prevent the spread of the virus. Keep areas, such as your desk free, from cold germs by cleaning regularly with the Antibacterial Wipes.

Milton Pharmaceutical has over 60 years of experience in creating hygiene and sterilising products which are clinically proven to kill harmful bacteria, fungi and viruses. The range includes Antibacterial Hand Gel, Antibacterial Surface Wipes and Spray and Sterilising Fluid and Tablets. For further information and tips on hygiene and cleaning visit www.milton-tm.com or call 01202 780558.

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