We toss them into bags, shove them in our pockets and drop them down the sides of seats.
But although we barely give them a second thought, car keys are riddled with infectious germs, a new study reveals.
Experts at Money Supermarket reveal car keys contain almost four times more bacteria than mobile phones and computer keyboards.
What’s more, a third of drivers have never cleaned their car keys, despite a quarter on average having owned them for over five years.
The steering wheel, gearstick and dashboard are known to be high-touch areas of the car harboring bacteria, previous research has shown
But until now, the car key’s tendency to spread microscopic bugs may have been overlooked.
‘Washing our hands, wiping down surfaces, scrubbing our bathrooms are common cleaning tasks,’ the experts say.
‘But what about those small essentials we handle multiple times a day, like our car keys?
Car keys are with us everywhere, from restaurant tables to gym floors, to the depths of our bags, but they’re often overlooked when it comes to cleaning
Car keys contain almost four times more bacteria than mobile phones and computer keyboards, the experts warn
‘They’re with us everywhere, from restaurant tables to gym floors, to the depths of our bags, but they’re often overlooked when it comes to cleaning.
The researchers at Money Supermarket surveyed 2,000 motorists in the UK on their key cleaning habits and their type of car.
Separately, car keys were swabbed for lab analysis at Microbe Consulting Ltd, led by director Dr Joe Latimer, a microbiologist at the University of Salford.
A toilet seat – typically a household item with high bacterial contamination – was also swabbed for comparison, along with a phone and a computer keyboard.
Overall, phone screens had an average bacteria count of 66, while the computer keyboard had a slightly higher average of 68.
Car keys, meanwhile, had 241 bacteria on average – nearly four times more bacteria than the phone or computer keyboard.
Unsurprisingly, the toilet seat by far had the highest bacteria count (1,100).
But the experts fear that the amount of bacterial contamination on car keys is underestimated.
As expected, the toilet seat had the highest bacteria count (1,100, pictured). But unlike car keys, the toilet seat is an item we assume to be dirty and make an effort to clean regularly
Computer keyboards had an average bacteria count of 68 – more than phone screens but not as much as car keys. Pictured, bacteria swabbed from computer keyboard
If you haven’t cleaned your car keys, a quick wipe down can help get rid of any unwanted bacteria (file photo)
The most common bacteria species on car keys was Staphylococcus epidermidis, a natural resident of human skin.
S. epidermidis is normally harmless for healthy people but it is a major cause of life-threatening infections after surgeries in hospitals.
The bacterium is becoming increasingly dangerous due to ‘antibiotic resistance’ – where bacteria evolve to become immune to substances designed to kill them (antibiotics).
While a lot of the bacteria were skin-based, researchers also found that one of the keys tested showed signs of bacteria that may have originated in the gut.
‘While unlikely to pose a problem, they can have the potential to carry disease under the right conditions,’ said Dr Latimer.
The experts advise regularly using a soft, damp cloth and a mild soap solution to wipe down car keys, but to avoid using bleach, which can corrode or damage metals parts.
It’s also important to not submerge the keys in water, as again this can cause rusting or issues with any electronic components and circuits in key fobs (the small electronic devices usually connected to a key).
Drivers are paying hundreds of pounds for key replacements – more than £900 in the case of one Fiat owner – although this is usually because they’re lost or misplaced.
The most common bacteria species on car keys was Staphylococcus epidermidis, a natural resident of human skin. This file photo shows a community of S. epidermidis on metal
One in six (15 per cent) of drivers don’t have a spare set of car keys – leaving them stranded when they can’t find them.
When it comes to car brands, Fiat drivers are the most likely not to own a spare set, with 27 per cent revealing they only have one set, followed by Land Rover drivers (23 per cent) and Toyota (20 per cent).
The research also found that 57 per cent of BMW drivers clean their car keys weekly or more often – more than any other car make.
This was followed by 55 per cent for Mercedes-Benz drivers, 46 per cent for Land Rover, 43 per cent for Audi and 41 per cent for Toyota.
The full results of the study have been published on the Money Supermarket website.
