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The 5-Second Rule (or the 3 second rule) is one of the most popular beliefs known anywhere and everywhere.
The "rule" states that once food that has fallen on the floor is still safe to eat if you pick it up within five seconds.
As with most things however, the rule isn't as simple as may appear at first glance.
Here is a simple fact you probably already know, the 5-second rule really isn't a rule at all.
The truth is, food dropped on the floor can just a dangerous risky to eat regardless of the five seconds.
As you will see in the video, some foods are riskier than others.
Bacteria, and not very nice ones, are everywhere
No matter how clean you are, there is bacteria on every surface of every home.
For example, your cutting board has 200 times more bacteria than your toilet.
Your sink is an E.Coli paradise, and the dish sponge, yikes, you don't even want to know.
So, here are a few rules to remember:
1. A clean-looking floor doesn't mean it's really clean.
2. Faster is always better, but fast may not always be fast enough.
3. Bacteria can attach to your food as soon as it hits the floor. That means food left on the floor for an instant can get contaminated. And foods with wet surfaces, can pick up bacteria easily.
4. When in doubt, trash it.
So, the bottom line results are depressing.
Bacteria such as Salmonella which causes diarrhea and vomiting can survive for weeks on carpet, wood and tiles and can contaminate food within a few seconds of contact.
