Don’t Share Ear buds

You remember your mom telling you not to share hats or hairbrushes because you might catch something? Well, here’s something else to add to the Do-Not-Share list—ear buds. The Online Journal of Health and Allied Sciences reports that infection-causing bacteria was found on 92 percent of earphones that belonged to people who shared them with others. Sixty-four percent of headphones that belonged to people who rarely or never shared their headphones had the bacteria. A study done at India’s Manipal University found that 93 percent of ear swabs of people who shared ear buds had harmful bacteria, compared to only 8 percent for those who never shared ear buds. To reduce your risk of having a harmful bacteria colony in your ears, clean your ear buds every month with alcohol-free cleaner.

photo credit: Unhindered by Talent