Travel,Travel Tips

5 Travel Items You Never Knew Were THIS Dirty (and what to do!)

UV Care Cover-min

I’ve written about how my husband is such a germophobe. So it was really a no-brainer when UV Care asked if we would like to do a swab test and check the bacteria count of different things around the house; of course I said yes!

I wanted to do something different though. So instead of things around the house, let’s find out just how dirty the different things we use for travel are. Find out which of your favorite travel items are in need of some serious disinfecting!

(NOTE: UV Care carries products that utilizes UV light to sterilize.)

5. Travel Toothbrush

Did you know that the average toothbrush can contain 10 million bacteria or more—including E. coli and Staph, according to a study at the University of Manchester in England? And to think that we put this in our mouth! EW.

This was how much the bacteria count was in mine when we checked:

UV Care 3-min

If you bring a travel toothbrush, like me, you probably think that it’s not as dirty since you only use it for a few days. But if you pack our toothbrushes away immediately before letting it dry completely, molds or bacteria may grow. Also, it could get contaminated from other items inside your toiletry kit.

SOLUTION:

We used UV Care’s pocket sterilizer to sanitize the bristles and the part of the cap where the bristles touch. The pocket sterilizer is like a wand that’s super light and portable. We just waved the light for about a minute and swabbed it again. Here’s the result after:

UV Care 4-min

From 103, we’re down to 18 rlu. Pretty impressive. UV Care actually has a toothbrush sterilizer but it’s too big for travel. It’s meant more for home use as it can sanitize 4 at the same time.

4. Inside Your Luggage

Everyone knows that it’s important to clean your luggage after a trip (if you don’t do this, you should start now!) It’s been thrown around the aircraft (and at the airport) and who knows what sort of things are stuck in the wheels! BUT have you ever thought about how dirty the insides of your suitcases are?

Some people unpack and just leave the insides as is. I’m sometimes guilty of this. Check out how dirty our suitcase was after an overnight trip to the beach.

UV Care 7-min

To think it was just an overnight trip! I’m sure the count would be so much higher if we swabbed it right after a 2-week long trip where dirty clothes have been lying there for days!

SOLUTION:

We used the UV Care Deluxe Germ Terminator, which is also a wand like the pocket sterilizer I mentioned earlier, but this is bigger and the wattage is higher, which means it can sterilize bigger surfaces faster. This is personally my favorite from their range.

So we waved the wand all around for a few minutes (section by section) and when we swabbed it after, we were down to 13 rlu! YAY!

UV Care 8-min

By the way, the longer that you wave the wand on a particular area, the more germs it can kill. This is why the count for all the items are different. If we were to wave it again, of course the count will be even lower.

3. Inner Part of Your Shoes

Like your suitcases, you obviously know that the your shoes are extremely dirty outside but the insides are just as, if not even more, bacteria infested! This is because our feet sweat. Especially if we keep our shoes in dark places that don’t get much air, bacteria can thrive! Now you know why you have smelly shoes.

We swabbed 2 pairs of shoes (one mine and one Luke’s) and got this:

UV Care 5-min

So embarrassing! Haha! And it’s so interesting that Luke’s shoes are just as dirty, isn’t it? We something think that babies or toddlers don’t have dirty shoes but they’re just as bad as adult ones!

SOLUTION:

This time, we used the UV Care Shoe Sterilizer and Deodorizer made specifically for shoes.

UV Care 6-min

You just place it inside, set the timer and wait. For our shoes, we waited 15 minutes each. Down to 46 rlu. Not bad at all!

2. Baby Stroller

Same idea; we know the outside of the stroller is really dirty. So instead, we swabbed the inside where Luke sits.

UV Care 1-min

We expected the stroller to be a little dirty but not THIS dirty! And to think that because we got this stroller when Luke was already 2 years + and potty trained, he has never peed or vomited on it. So I have absolutely no idea where all that bacteria came from. Maybe from his sweat? Or from things gathered outside?

SOLUTION:

We used theUV Care Deluxe Germ Terminator wand for around 10 minutes and we were down to 29 rlu after. Yay!

UV Care 2-min

1. Camera

And lastly, what was most surprising to me (although now that I think about it, shouldn’t be surprising at all) was just how much bacteria my camera had! I guess it just never crossed my mind to clean my camera as much despite the fact that I use it ALL the time!

UV Care 9-min

It has more bacteria than our shoes!! Eww! We swabbed the buttons and the body: the parts that usually comes in contact with my fingers. I shudder at the thought of holding something with this much bacteria everyday.

SOLUTION:

So it looks like my camera needs some serious cleaning. I used the UV Care Deluxe Germ Terminator again for this one, which is the bigger wand instead of the pocket version just so it’s stronger and faster. Haha.

UV Care 10-min

Spent a few minutes waving it over my camera and when we swabbed it, it was down to 363. Still a few left BUT imagine that we were able to kill 1,745 already!

Like mentioned earlier, the longer you wave it on the surface, the more germs it can kill. So after this, I continued using the wand over it. Unfortunately, we didn’t swab it anymore to check again but I’m sure the bacteria count is now a whole lot less!

FINAL THOUGHTS ON UV CARE

UV Care 11-min

  • The process of our test: To give you an idea of how we did the whole test, UV Care staff swabbed different items one by one and placed them inside the bacteria counter. Then we would proceed to clean using UV Care products and do one more swab test after.
  • WARNING: Be careful with exposing your skin and eyes to UV light. They have strict warnings on their labels about it. You have to use it properly and keep it out of reach of children.
  • I know there are a lot of concerns if UV light is safe. The people from UV Care warned us against exposing it to the “4 p’s” which are people, pets, plants and paintings. Do your own research as well as I have checked that it might also not be advisable on other material such as leather.

I’m not a UV light expert so for more information or other concerns, you can visit their website at UVCare.net!

Overall, I’m pretty happy with our UV Care products. Like in all things though, I believe that moderation is key. I don’t plan on sanitizing every little item in our home everyday. But once in a while, especially if someone at home catches a virus, I’m definitely coming out with all my UV sterilizing weapons. Haha.

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41 Comments

  • Reply
    Cris
    January 15, 2018 at 6:32 pm

    You are just like me. I hate germs and I want to kill them all as much as possible. Love the sterilizers. Thanks for sharing.

    • Reply
      Sheena Sy Gonzales
      January 15, 2018 at 9:16 pm

      Hahaha, right??

  • Reply
    Selina
    January 15, 2018 at 9:41 pm

    oooohhhhhh my I never thought about this!! Thank you so much for sharing it! That UV care sounds so necessary to me, I need it now haha
    Great post!

    • Reply
      Sheena Sy Gonzales
      January 15, 2018 at 10:41 pm

      It’s such a necessity!!

  • Reply
    ANGELEBABY
    January 15, 2018 at 10:17 pm

    omg this is so interesting!

  • Reply
    Sophie Atieno
    January 15, 2018 at 11:14 pm

    Oh my goodness! People usually don’t realize just how dirty these get.Very insightful post.

    • Reply
      Sheena Sy Gonzales
      January 16, 2018 at 12:03 am

      I know, right? Thanks Sophie!

  • Reply
    Nistha Saraf
    January 16, 2018 at 12:16 am

    That’s so new to me. Great share!

  • Reply
    Sal UmmBaby
    January 16, 2018 at 1:22 am

    Oh gosh that’s so eye opening! I definitely would’ve assumed little one’s shoes being worse than his adults lol! I need to be more careful it seems xxx

    • Reply
      Sheena Sy Gonzales
      January 16, 2018 at 9:08 am

      Yes and isn’t it so surprising that the camera’s the dirtiest of all?! Dirtier than the shoes!!

  • Reply
    Jennifer
    January 16, 2018 at 1:44 am

    Oh man! I think I need to disinfect everything!

    • Reply
      Sheena Sy Gonzales
      January 16, 2018 at 9:07 am

      Haha right?!

  • Reply
    Stacey Simón
    January 16, 2018 at 2:01 am

    Hahahah I’ve always know all of these get dirty but the truth is we are all dirty wherever we travel to. The most concerning for me though is always the toothbrush though. I try to not put it back in the case once it’s wet, but sometimes like if I’m at a hotel, I always have the fear that housekeeping might be evil enough to drop or use my toothbrush to clean LOL! Maybe I need to grab myself one of those sterilizers.

    • Reply
      Sheena Sy Gonzales
      January 16, 2018 at 9:07 am

      Yes completely understandable that you wanna put the toothbrush back asap! That’s why we need these sterilizers. Hahaha.

  • Reply
    Missy
    January 16, 2018 at 7:24 pm

    WOW so scary how much germs are on things!

    • Reply
      Sheena Sy Gonzales
      January 16, 2018 at 8:05 pm

      Yes! You really need to make sure that you sanitize throughly!

  • Reply
    Kathrine Eldridge
    January 16, 2018 at 8:01 pm

    Wow! Had not idea that some of these items were that dirty. Need to try those sterilizers. Thanks for sharing!

    • Reply
      Sheena Sy Gonzales
      January 16, 2018 at 10:31 pm

      Welcome Kathrine, yes it feels so good afterwards, knowing that your things are sanitized. Haha!

  • Reply
    Shireen L. Platt
    January 17, 2018 at 2:46 am

    Like about the travel toothbrush! Just reading this post makes me want to scrub myself upside down. Eek!

    • Reply
      Sheena Sy Gonzales
      January 17, 2018 at 8:23 am

      Haha!! Make sure you sanitize yours well!

  • Reply
    maria
    January 17, 2018 at 5:21 am

    I’m going travelling in a couple of months time and I will keep all of these things in mind! Thanks for such helpful info :)

    • Reply
      Sheena Sy Gonzales
      January 17, 2018 at 8:22 am

      Welcome Maria, glad it was helpful!

  • Reply
    Caitlin | Beauty & Colour
    January 17, 2018 at 2:06 pm

    That is such a cool idea for a product!

    • Reply
      Sheena Sy Gonzales
      January 18, 2018 at 12:57 pm

      Hey Caitlin, yes it’s really interesting isn’t it?

  • Reply
    Lindsey Elyse
    January 18, 2018 at 11:27 pm

    Wow, that’s crazy! I would not have expected the inside of the stroller to be so dirty. I’d go crazy and test everything if I had that device LOL.

    • Reply
      Sheena Sy Gonzales
      January 19, 2018 at 4:07 pm

      Right? I had no idea either, we actually thought it would be clean because we haven’t been using it outdoors as much.

  • Reply
    Sakura
    January 21, 2018 at 5:55 pm

    Omg. I think my camera will be as dirty as yours too. Time for me to clean it properly too!

    • Reply
      Sheena Sy Gonzales
      January 22, 2018 at 1:25 pm

      Hahaha right?!

  • Reply
    Susanne
    January 22, 2018 at 4:06 am

    Whoa, the camera!! My most beloved object (well, after the mandolin, I guess) ! I’m very interested in that UV germ terminator because I’ve never heard of them before. Do they take stomach bug viruses? Because most desinfectants do not! How do you use them and are there small containers to keep in your handbag?

    • Reply
      Sheena Sy Gonzales
      January 22, 2018 at 1:25 pm

      You can get the pocket sterilizer one and it definitely fits your handbag! You can check out their website for more info!

  • Reply
    Nancy
    January 22, 2018 at 7:40 am

    This pocket sanitizer is something I need – especially since I am traveling all the time. I really like how affordable it is too. The results are amazing and handy everywhere you go! Glad to hear that the product worked :).

    • Reply
      Sheena Sy Gonzales
      January 22, 2018 at 1:25 pm

      You should definitely get one!!

  • Reply
    Yasmin
    January 22, 2018 at 9:35 am

    Wow these are thing I never think about. I totally need to be more thorough with caring for items like this in the future.

    • Reply
      Sheena Sy Gonzales
      January 22, 2018 at 1:24 pm

      Yes! I never thought about these things too until now. Haha.

  • Reply
    Susie @ Mile High Dreamers
    January 28, 2018 at 6:01 am

    Ahhhh I can’t IMAGINE how much bacteria is on our phones! Ben is probably the cleanest person I’ve ever met, he would LOVE this. And I can definitely believe that our travel gear gets super gross. Between the airports and the hotels, it’s a germ paradise. We might need to invest in one of these!

    • Reply
      Sheena Sy Gonzales
      January 28, 2018 at 5:21 pm

      YES! You should get him one for his birthday or something hahah! He would love this.

  • Reply
    Olga
    January 31, 2018 at 1:25 am

    It sounds like such a good item to sterilize so many things! And it looks so easy!!!

    • Reply
      Sheena Sy Gonzales
      January 31, 2018 at 9:27 am

      Yes that’s true!!

  • Reply
    Nica M.
    January 21, 2019 at 2:51 am

    Whew that came so handy! ?

  • Reply
    Rosanne Binuya-Sales
    November 25, 2019 at 2:49 pm

    Thanks to UV Care, we can get rid of unseen bacteria and viruses! While I am not super germophobe, this little magic wand is a must-have! We have the pocket (which is always in our diaper bag) and the deluxe germ terminator for sanitizing my daughter’s toys, books we buy at Booksale, our bed etc!

    • Reply
      Sheena Sy Gonzales
      November 25, 2019 at 3:29 pm

      I also do that to books we buy at Book Sale haha!

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