為了抗擊新冠病毒，很多人對家里進行了清潔。擔心衛生死角藏污納垢？其實家里最臟的地方也許就在你眼下：臥室地毯。研究顯示，臥室地毯比馬桶座圈還要臟十倍。

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.

地毯看起來有點臟的時候，你可能會很勤勞地用吸塵器清理，但是一項令人震驚的研究表明，一般來說，臥室地板比馬桶座圈要臟十倍。

scruffy [?skr?fi]：adj.破舊的；骯臟的

The data, compiled by sofa and carpet specialist ScS, found carpets in the bedroom also harbor more than double the bacteria found in a living room, and ten times that of a gym floor.

沙發和地毯專業生產公司ScS匯編的數據顯示，臥室地毯中藏匿的細菌是客廳地毯細菌的兩倍多，是健身房地板上細菌的十倍。

Their findings also showed that almost half of Brits have admitted to never cleaning their carpets, making them an ideal breeding ground for colonies of disease-causing microbes.

研究結果還顯示，近半數英國人承認從未清洗過地毯，使之成為致病微生物的理想滋生地。

Office floors were found to be the cleanest in the experiment - in which carpets and household appliances were swabbed to reveal levels of aerobic bacteria, yeast and mould.

研究發現，辦公室的地板是最干凈的。這項實驗對地毯和家用電器都擦拭取樣，以得出需氧菌、酵母菌和霉菌的數量。

Bedroom carpets were by far the dirtiest, with a combined bacteria and yeast level of 140 CFU per cm2 (colony forming units per cm2) uncovered within them, as well as heavy mould.

目前來看，臥室地毯最臟，細菌和酵母菌整體水平達到每平方厘米140 CFU（每平方厘米的菌落形成單位），地毯中還有大量的霉菌。

The cleanest surface swabbed was an office carpet, which contained less bacteria than a gym floor, toilet seat or living room carpet, possibly due to more regular professional cleaning.

最干凈的擦拭樣本表面是辦公室地毯，比健身房地板、馬桶座圈或客廳地毯上的細菌要少，這可能要歸功于更頻繁的專業清潔。

The filthy results are perhaps not surprising considering 41 percent of 2,000 Britons recently questioned by BISSELL admitted they had never washed their carpets.

必勝家居清潔最近對2000名英國人進行了調查，其中41%的人承認他們從未洗過地毯。因此上述“骯臟的”調查結果也許不足為奇。

Some 84 percent of those polled by the carpet cleaning experts believed their carpets to be clean - with 63 percent were not aware that bacteria and allergens can live on the floor.

在接受地毯清潔專家調查的人中，約84%的人認為他們的地毯是干凈的，63%的人不知道地毯上會有細菌和過敏原。

Carpets can be a breeding ground for bacteria and dust mites, which can lead to health issues including breathing problems, eczema and other allergy symptoms.

地毯可以成為滋生細菌和塵螨的溫床，這會導致呼吸問題、濕疹和其他過敏癥狀等健康問題。

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.

專家建議每周至少用吸塵器吸塵兩次，并每年至少對地毯進行一次專業清潔，以避免細菌、霉菌和酵母菌的滋生。

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, which can put some people at greater risk of asthma, eczema and perennial allergic rhinitis caused by allergies to dust mite faecal matter.

衛生專家麗莎·阿克利博士說：“這項研究很重要，因為未經清洗的地毯可能成為細菌和致病菌的家園，尤其是塵螨，這可能使一些人更容易患塵螨排泄物過敏引起的哮喘、濕疹和常年過敏性鼻炎。”

'Each mite produces about 20 waste droppings every day, equating to around 20,000 particles of faeces in every cubic foot of air'.

“每只螨蟲每天產生約20顆糞便，相當于每立方英尺（約合0.028立方米）空氣中約有2萬個糞便微粒。”

Dale Gillespie, Head of Acquisition at ScS, dubbed the results of the company's research 'shocking', adding people should 'put time' into ensuring their carpets are clean.

ScS的采購主管戴爾·吉萊皮斯稱，公司的研究結果“令人震驚”，并補充說人們應該“花時間”清潔地毯。

Bella Middleton, Founder of Norfolk Natural Living, added: 'I am not at all surprised that your carpets are dirtier than your loo seat, largely because people clean their bathroom a lot more often than they do their carpets.

諾福克自然生活的創始人貝拉·米德爾頓補充道:“我一點也不驚訝地毯比馬桶座圈要臟，這主要是因為人們清潔衛生間的頻率比清潔地毯的頻率高得多。”

'Psychologically, we are all more aware of the need to give the loo a good clean, despite the amount of dirt and detritus that gets trampled through our carpets on a daily basis.

“從心理上來說，我們都更明白要把廁所好好打掃一下，盡管我們每天都會踩到地毯上大量的灰塵和碎屑。”

'It is often difficult to see just how dirty carpets are, especially if they're dark in color. However, it is crucial to consider just how much bacteria collects in your carpets everyday, from dead skin cells, pet dander and outside dirt.

“通常很難看出地毯有多臟，尤其是深色地毯。然而，重要的是要考慮到每天地毯上的死皮細胞、寵物皮屑和灰塵中會聚集起多少細菌。”

dander ['d?nd?]：n.頭皮屑，羽毛屑

'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.'

“未清洗的地毯也是塵螨的聚集區，會影響過敏患者。這些發現凸顯了我們的家中細菌數量之多，這足以讓任何人去清潔打掃。”

英文來源：每日郵報

翻譯&編輯：yaning