Whenever we enter a waiting room, be it at the doctor, dentist or even hairstylist, we just know that some things will be there no matter what. A water dispenser and a coffee table filled with magazines are only two of these things, and it’s the latter we must protect ourselves against, if we really want to avoid coming down with a cold or worse.

Health experts advise us to never touch any magazine we see in such waiting rooms, especially during the cold season. It’s useless for us to imagine that someone cleans those mags page after page after each working day – and even if they did, they would still be filled with bacteria. Cold viruses can survive for up to 18 hours on paper or other surfaces, so touching them is precisely like buying a ticket for a week off work with the price of our health for the same period of time.

Aside from the fact that no one ever bothers to toss away old magazines and replace them with newer ones, which means that they just keep piling up for months (which makes them a paradise for germs), there is also the issue of whoever is touching them. If we’re at the doctor’s, then it’s almost certain that all those who have flipped through these mags are suffering from one thing or another, which exposes us even more.

One solution out of this would be to bring our own magazine or book whenever we know we have to wait for more than just a couple of minutes. Then, there is also the surfing the net option, which can be easily done on the mobile. However, if we see something that really gets our interest there, and there’s no other way we can wait until we’re outside to buy the paper, it’s recommended we wash our hands thoroughly afterwards.

Under no circumstance should we touch our face, eyes or mouth after flipping through such a magazine. Also, we should remember to be careful when in public bathrooms, so it’s best we use a clean napkin to open and close doors after we have washed our hands, health experts also point out.