ECJ EUROPEAN Cleaning Journal

Seats on aeroplanes and in airport lounges harbour more bacteria than toilet seats, according to tests carried out in the US.

And a hire car tested also showed high levels of organisms including E.coli and faecal matter.

The small-scale study was carried out on seats at 12 sites by a team from the ABC television show Good Morning America. Other sites tested included a hotel room, hotel lobby, restaurant and toilet seat as well as seats on an underground train and in a private car.

Around 28 per cent of the seats tested contained traces of E. coli while more than half - 52 per cent - showed indications of fecal matter. Worst offenders were seats on an aeroplane, in an airport lounge, in a hire car, in a cinema and on a park bench. However, bacteria levels were relatively lower in the other sites tested - including the toilet seat.

However, the risk of illness from contaminated seats can be avoided according to Good Morning America's team of experts.

"Luckily we don't lick seats: we sit on seats so the real cross-contamination point is our hands," they claim. "For that, the solution is simple: Wash your hands thoroughly after you sit in a public seat, especially before eating. If you don't have access to soap and water, an alcohol-based hand sanitiser solution is effective in killing germs."