# Three-Second Rule is a Dangerous, Deadly Myth

- Link: https://stayathomemum.com.au/news-opinion/opinion/three-second-rule-is-a-dangerous-deadly-myth/
- Published: 2016-07-13T10:00:22+10:00
- Author: Caroline Duncan

## _Do you practise the three-second rule when you drop food on the floor? If so, you might die, scientists warn._

Okay so you might die in extreme circumstances, but death is certainly on the table(
or the floor? now I’m confusing myself here).

And it doesn’t matter which variation of the rule you follow- the three-second rule,
the five-second rule or the ten-second rule- where you decide that food is “safe”
to eat if it has only touched the floor or ground briefly.

Well, the bad news is, that isn’t going to save you from potential death, whether
it was three seconds or for a whole day on the floor. Germs will do what germs will
do, because science.

_�_It turns out, the�rule is just a myth, and a third of people are putting their
health at the risk of a “silent killer” by eating dirty food.

The risk is associated with household bugs like Salmonella and E.Coli. They stick
to foods the instant they come into contact with them. You need to throw out food
that has been on the floor instantly, no matter how long it was there for.

This is bad news for the parents out there who are guilty of telling their kids 
about the three-second rule. Food that’s contaminated with these bugs can make you
or your kids really sick, even with the runs, at best. Death is in the most extreme
cases.

 

[⌊Three second rule on food⌉⌊Three second rule on food⌉[

via jooy.jp

The findings come from cleaning technology company�Kärcher, who revealed that 37
per cent of the people they polled would eat food that had been dropped on the kitchen
floor, while 38 per cent felt ok with picking up food that had been dropped on the
living room floor and eating it.

The problem with these deadly bugs is that we don’t know if we have them – we cannot
see them or smell them, and they can multiply from a single bacterium to several
millions of them in as little as seven hours.

The saying “the floor is clean enough to eat off of” probably doesn’t apply to your
floor if you’re like any of the survey respondents.

Kärcher reckons 43 per cent�of people who responded to their survey admitted to 
using just an air freshener to clean their house. Wait, what? I have no idea how
that works either. Another 49 per cent used only a broom to clean. And guess what?
Neither of these things are gonna kill bacteria!

Meanwhile 29 per cent�of people said they would only clean if they smelled something
unpleasant, with 59 per cent admitting they wait until they can see visible signs
of dirt before they clean something.

[⌊Three second rule on food⌉⌊Three second rule on food⌉[

via nl.askmen.com

So when we say to our kids not to put something in their mouths as you never know
where it’s been, the same should apply if you DO know where it’s been: your dirty,
dirty floor.

## _Do you follow the three-second rule?_

![author avatar](https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/b860f553e8ded813ef1efe9dc0c295aaafb562c488421df4566fb8f71d3e1347?
s=300&d=mm&r=pg)

 Caroline Duncan

 Caroline Duncan is a freelance journalist and photographer with almost 20 years'
media experience in radio, magazines and online. She is also a mother of three daughters,
and when she's not writing or taking pictures, she's extremely busy operating a 
taxi service running them around to various activities. She can't sew and hates 
housework.

 [See Full Bio](https://stayathomemum.com.au/author/carolinedun/) [  ](https://stayathomemum.com.au/author/carolinedun/)