Unless you're particularly fastidious about tidying, chances are your handbag is a jumble of documents, loose change, broken Liga packets and lipbalm.
According to a new study however, the reality of what's lurking in there could be much, much worse. German researchers discovered that the inside of a handbag is filthier than the average toilet seat, harbouring more than 10,000 different bacteria.
The latest research supports University of Colorado Boulder findings, which showed 4,700 different bacteria species live on human hands - now imagine how many times a day those hands touch a handbag.
Previous tests found that a third of purses have fecal bacteria (yep, that one) on them, while one in five handbag handles is home to a host of bacteria that can pose a major risk to human health. Leather handbags tend to be home to the most bacteria because the texture provides the exact conditions needed to allow it to grow and spread.
And just in case you were wondering, the dirtiest item in a handbag is usually hand cream (closely followed by tubes of lipstick and mascara).
Time to bust out the Dettol, ladies. Or at least give that handbag a thorough clear-out and a going-over with an antiseptic wipe.
