6 of the Germiest Places in the Supermarket

It's one thing to use wipes on the shopping cart—but the store manager may not be thrilled to see you wiping down a conveyor belt at the checkout, or a touch screen at the self-checkout. The thing is, those two spots are pretty germy: PVC belts can harbor yeast, mold, staph and coliforms (and are rarely cleaned, notes Lai); and although touch screens may seem too slick or inhospitable for bacteria to survive, that's not actually the case. Your safest bet is to make sure all produce is in plastic bags before it hits the belt (even if it's just one cucumber), and to wash your hands with hand sanitizer after using a touchscreen, as well as the pen you use to sign if you're paying by credit card, or the keypad where you enter your PIN if you're paying by debit.