With rain forecast across much of the UK this weekend, many Britons will be planning a cosy trip to the cinema.
But a new study may encourage you to pack some disinfectant spray alongside your snacks.
Swab tests have revealed just how many germs are living and growing in cinemas.
Experts discovered huge colonies of bacteria and mould hiding in both the seats and the cupholders – with some chairs harbouring 14 times as many bugs as the average toilet.
‘Note to self — bring hand sanitizer to the pictures (and maybe a hazmat suit)!’ Betway said.
With rain forecast across much of the UK this weekend, many Britons will be planning a cosy trip to the cinema. But a new study may encourage you to pack some disinfectant spray alongside your snacks (stock image)
Experts discovered huge colonies of bacteria and mould hiding in both the seats and the cupholders – with some screens harbouring 14 times as many bugs as the average toilet
In their study, the team swabbed five seats and five cupholders in five cinemas across the UK, before sending them off to a microbiology lab for testing.
They also swabbed and tested three toilet seats for comparison.
The swabs from the seats revealed an average of 1,864 colonies of bacteria on a single seat – 14 times higher than the average number on the toilet seat.
‘Obviously the cleanliness of the seats will vary across different cinemas, not to mention seat styles and fabrics,’ Betway explained.
‘We won’t name names, but the dirtiest cinema seat we tested had around 3,000 colonies of bacteria living on it.
‘On the flip side of this, the cleanest cinema seat had just 80 colonies of bacteria, which is around 55 times less than the average toilet seat.’
The cup holders were found to be even filthier than the seats.
On average, a cup holder contained 2,396 colonies of bacteria – 18 times more than a toilet – while mould was even found in at least one cup holder tested.
On average, a cup holder contained 2,396 colonies of bacteria – 18 times more than a toilet – while mould was even found in at least one cup holder tested
The swabs from the seats revealed an average of 1,864 colonies of bacteria on a single seat – 14 times higher than the average number on the toilet seat (stock image)
Delving deeper into the analysis, the researchers identified four main microbes lurking in cinemas.
Staphylococcus and Micrococcus – the types of bacteria found on human skin – were found on all cinema seats tested, while Bacillus was found in all cup holders.
Meanwhile, Pseudomonas was found to be living on several seats and cup holders, and mould in one cup holder.
‘Most of these bacteria are harmless and do tend to be found in almost all environments around us, so shouldn’t be too much cause for concern,’ Betway reassured.
Thankfully, there are several things you can do to avoid bringing germs home from the cinema, including washing your hands, removing your shoes and changing your clothes as soon as you get home.
‘With so many great movies coming out this year, we don’t want to put you off the cinema experience altogether,’ Betway added.
‘Just make sure you’re following the basic hygiene rules, so all you’re catching is a blockbuster hit.’
Delving deeper into the analysis, the researchers identified four main microbes lurking in cinemas
