Yuck! Beards found to be dirtier than a toilet seat

Watch out bearded men, your facial hair might be dirtier than you think.

Microbiologists in Albuquerque, N.M. recently found that men's facial hair can contain as much bacteria as your average toilet seat, according to Action 7 News. John Golobic, a microbiologist with Quest Diagnostics, swabbed a group of bearded men and analyzed the results to see how dirty the beards were. Golobic said that some of the men's facial hair contained bacteria that you would commonly find in a toilet.

"I'm usually not surprised and I was surprised by this," Golobic told Action 7 News. "There would be a degree of uncleanliness that would be somewhat disturbing."

To keep the facial hair clean, Golobic suggested thorough beard scrubbing and lot's of hand washing.

"(Also), try to keep your hands away from your face, as much as possible,' Golobic told Action 7 News. The microbiologist also said that had he found similar samples in a water system, he'd suggest it be shut down for disinfecting.

But beards aren't the only thing found to be as dirty as a public restroom. Here's other items found to be dirtier than a toilet seat.

ATMs: As dirty as a toilet seat. (Time Magazine).

Cutting Boards: Up to 200 times more bacteria. (Food & Wine)

Elevator Buttons: 40 times more bacteria. (Infection Control Today)

Faucets: 21 times more bacteria. (Reader's Digest)

Laundry: 100 times more E. Coli bacteria. (WCVB-TV)

Money: 6.4 times more bacteria. (Herald Sun)

Smartphones: 10 times more bacteria. (Yahoo)

Sponges: 456 times more bacteria. (Reader's Digest)

Toothbrushes: Absorbs all sorts of nasty bacteria looming in your bathroom. (Men's Health)