10 Normal Things That Are Crawling with Germs

All aesthetics aside, guys everywhere need to start upping their beard-grooming game. “If a beard isn’t well taken care of, it can be a repository for various organisms,” says Charles P. Gerba, Ph.D., professor of microbiology and environmental sciences at the University of Arizona. While the bulk of those organisms—from dead cheek skin cells, sweat, food, your girlfriend’s lips—won’t hurt you, if you’re a beard-toucher, they could potentially cause diarrhea, dehydration, fever, and even kidney issues. After all, when reporters with Action 7 News in Albuquerque, New Mexico, recently swabbed local men’s whiskers, some of them tested positive for bacteria from fecal matter. The culprit: Not washing your hands well enough after going number-two or touching something with E. coli on it (see numbers 2 through 10) and then touching your face.

(Photo: Corbis)