Wheelie dirty stuff

A new study by British supermarket chain Tesco shows that one of the most fertile breeding grounds for germs is -- believe it or not -- your car's steering wheel.

According to the study, there are 41,600 germs on the average steering wheel, which is almost three times the amount you'd find on the average toilet seat.

Some lab-coated types have even coined a name for it -- "sick car syndrome".

It's an alarming statistic when you take into account the number of times you touch the steering wheel then handle your food... or pick your nose!

Researchers say if your vehicle's dirty enough, you could be making yourself or somebody else sick and not even know about it.

The survey indicated only 13 per cent of British motorists clean their cars regularly, 45 per cent of them rarely clean their cars, and five per cent of them are filth mongers who never clean their cars.

Contrary to the popular stereotype about males, men clean their cars more often than women. According to the stats, blokes (at least the UK variety) clean their cars an average of 14 times a year, while women clean their cars 12 times.

There aren't any statistics readily available for Australia, but we're guessing they won't be dramatically different.

However, there is salvation in sight as Toyota is reportedly developing an antibacterial steering wheel that won't allow the problem to arise in the first place.

Meanwhile, you can ensure your steering wheel remains free of nasties by cleaning it with rubbing alcohol. And remember what your mum always told you -- wash your hands.

As an aside, you might be interested to know that steering wheels aren't the only happy hunting grounds for bacteria.

Bathroom floors have about two million bacteria per square inch, desktops have 21,000 bacteria per square inch, and computer keyboards have 3295 bacteria per square inch --probably a reasonable excuse not to turn up to work tomorrow.