One of the first things you do after work or a night out with friends is probably sit straight on your bed, fully clothed. Photo / Getty Images
One of the first things you do after work or a night out with friends is probably sit straight on your bed, fully clothed. Photo / Getty Images
The idea of having all those sticky microbes transferred to my dining chairs, my couch, and – worst of all – where I sleep, is too disgusting to handle, writes Lee Suckling.
When I get off the train every day, I'm conscious of how many people's bums I've been sittingon.
Think about how many people sit on each seat on a bus or train each day. Fifty? 100? 200? Surmise about the food and drink that has been dropped on that seat, and other people's unwashed hands – bound to contain faecal matter, according to the Dirty Cities Index . Now consider the clear fact that public transport upholstery is never cleaned.
Where does that gross stuff get transferred to? The seat of YOUR pants, that's where.
One of the first things you do after work or a night out with friends is probably sit straight on your bed, fully clothed. It's so tempting, even for just two minutes before you get back up for your home admin.
What are you doing in this process? Smearing the bits and pieces you've picked up during your day all over your clean duvet – and later, these will go on your face. That public transport that got you home is a hotbed of nasties… and if you took a ride-sharing service home instead of the bus, don't think you get to skip this one out – Ubers, rental cars, and taxis are the dirtiest of all modes of transport. You're really only safe if you have your own car, and even then, when was the last time you used a disinfectant spray on your seats?
That public transport that got you home is a hotbed of nasties... Photo / Getty Images
When I get home, I'm therefore pretty eager to rip my clothes off. Call me a germaphobe, but the idea of having all those sticky microbes transferred to my dining chairs, my couch, and – worst of all – where I sleep, is too disgusting to handle. I'm aware of not just what I've been sitting on, but also the pollution I've walked through that clings to the fibres of my clothes, the things I've rubbed my hands on during the day, and my own sweat.
Generally, everything goes straight in the laundry bin. This doesn't mean I'm always naked in my own house (although sometimes I am). It's getting chilly this time of year, after all. Instead, I have clothes for the street, and clothes for the home. The two sets don't mix without seeing the inside of a washing machine first.
The proliferation of athleisure wear – a trend that doesn't seem to die – has made it easy to differentiate between indoor-only clothes, like sweatpants, and garments that should stay outside your home, like Japanese selvage denim you can't wash.
(Unfortunately, people are now wearing their athleisure wear bloody everywhere because $400 Stella McCartney-designed grey marle is too nice not to see the light of day, but that's a whole different story.)
