You might be diligent about running the vacuum over your carpet whenever it starts to look a bit scruffy, but shocking research has revealed that the average bedroom floor is ten times dirtier than a toilet seat.
The data, compiled by sofa and carpet specialist ScS, found carpets in the bedroom also harbour more than double the bacteria found in a living room, and ten times that of a gym floor.
Their findings also showed that almost half of Brits have admitted to never cleaning their carpets.
Office floors were found to be the cleanest in the experiment.
Bedroom carpets were by far the dirtiest, with a combined bacteria and yeast level of 140 CFU per cm2.
The cleanest surface swabbed was an office carpet, which contained less bacteria than a gym floor.
The filthy results are perhaps not surprising considering 41 per cent of 2,000 Britons admitted they had never washed their carpets.
Some 84 per cent of those polled by the carpet cleaning experts believed their carpets to be clean.
Carpets can be a breeding ground for bacteria and dust mites.
Experts recommend vacuuming at least twice a week and having carpets professionally cleaned at least once a year to avoid growing levels of bacteria, mould and yeast.
Which carpets are the cleanest?
Hygiene expert Dr Lisa Ackerley said: ‘This research is of concern as unwashed carpets can become homes to bacteria and germs and in particular dust mites.
‘Each mite produces about 20 waste droppings every day, equating to around 20,000 particles of faeces in every cubic foot of air’.
Dale Gillespie, Head of Acquisition at ScS, dubbed the results of the company’s research ‘shocking’.
Bella Middleton, Founder of Norfolk Natural Living, added: ‘I am not at all surprised because psychologically, we are all more aware of the need to give the loo a good clean despite the dirt and detritus that gets trampled through our carpets.
‘It is often difficult to see just how dirty carpets are however, it is crucial to consider just how much bacteria collects in your carpets.
‘Unwashed carpets are also a haven for dust mites which can affect allergy sufferers.
These findings highlight the sheer amount of bacteria we’re around everyday at home – it’s enough to make anyone pull out the cleaning products.’