Think the inside of your car is clean? Think again, sunshine.
According to cleaning guru Kim Woodburn, your car is something of a hygiene nightmare and is teeming with bits of fingernail, pet hairs and tiny fragments of turd.
Woodburn explains that most of us will spend a significant portion of time in our cars eating and drinking.
"But have you ever thought about what lies beneath?" she asks.
SEE ALSO:
How Long Should You Keep Food In The Freezer? This Reveals When Meat, Fish, Veg And Dairy Go Off
Your Tea Towels Could Be Making You Sick: Cloths Are The Worst For Harbouring Germs, Say Scientists
The answer, of course, is no - because let's face it, if you can't see any undesirable mould looming out of the McDonald's wrapper on your back seat, then it's a case of "out of sight, out of mind".
To get to the bottom of just how grubby our cars really are, researchers from the University of Nottingham’s Microbiology Investigation Centre swabbed 15 car interiors and sent the tests off for analysis.
The results were pretty shocking.
Amid the pet hairs, crisp packets and shards of fingernails were microorganisms including: environmental bacteria, yeasts, moulds and potential E.coli (often from faecal matter).
Research commissioned by Carfused.com found that a quarter of motorists (25%) only clean the inside of their car once every three months.
With a further 8% saying they don't bother at all, despite the fact that half of Brits have dropped food in their car and more than 30% recalled drinks being spilled or muddy clothes being worn.
Kim Woodburn, from Channel 4's How Clean Is Your House, said: "It feels as if so many Brits don’t think twice about chucking their half-drunk bottles of pop under the seat or leaving used tissues in the foot well. I was absolutely horrified to find some of the gunk that was hidden under some of the seats.
"The most worrying aspect is that most drivers seemed happily unaware – or just do not seem to care whatsoever – about the crawling presence of bacteria in their vehicles."
Woodburn added: "A little attention could help prevent spreading nasty bacteria such as Salmonella and E.coli. I cannot stress how important it is to follow basic hygiene rules behind the wheel, especially if you have young children travelling with you."
Now grab the marigolds and get cleaning.
