Brit motorists are being urged to wash their car keys as soon as possible after new laboratory analysis showed the average fob is riddled with bacteria.

Car keys are an item we carry everywhere, regularly dropping them on the floor, leaving them resting on bartops and restaurant tables or tucked away in smelly gym bags. Despite being touched countless times a day, they are often overlooked when it comes to basic hygiene.

New research has revealed just how much bacteria could be hiding on them. MoneySuperMarket surveyed 2,000 motorists to better understand drivers' car key habits. The study found an astonishing 33 per cent admitted they had never cleaned their car keys.

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To understand more about what might be lurking on them, the price comparison site enlisted the help of Dr Joe Latimer, director at Microbe Consulting. He collected a sample of car keys from people with varying lifestyles and cleaning habits, before swabbing the surfaces and running a detailed laboratory analysis to identify the microbial communities living on them.

For comparison, his team tested the same surface area of a phone screen, computer keyboard and a toilet seat. The results showed phone screens held an average bacteria count of 66, keyboards 68 and toilet seats 1,100.

Surprisingly, car keys averaged 241, meaning they contained almost four times more bacteria than phones and keyboards. While toilet seats produced the highest count overall, that was to be expected.

Attention then turned to the types of bacteria found. Dr Latimer said: "By far the most abundant bacteria we found on the keys were the very same bacteria we all have happily living on our skin. Nearly half of all the bacteria were skin based. On one key, we found nothing but skin bacteria."

The most common species discovered was Staphylococcus epidermidis, which naturally lives on human skin. While it is generally considered harmless and plays a beneficial role in maintaining a healthy skin barrier for people with unimpaired immune systems, it does have the capacity to cause infection when the skin is compromised or the body's defences are lowered.

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Dr Latimer continued: "One of the keys we tested showed signs of bacteria that may have originated in the gut, around 15 per cent of the total bacteria isolated. While unlikely to pose a problem, they can have the potential to carry disease under the right conditions."

For those wondering how best to tackle the germs, experts advise gentle but regular cleaning. The safest method is to use a soft, damp cloth with a mild soap solution, which will remove grease and most bacteria.

In the case of stubborn grime, a cotton swab or toothpick dipped in rubbing alcohol can be used to clean between buttons and harder-to-reach nooks and crannies.

Submersion in water is strongly discouraged as modern electronic key fobs contain delicate circuits. Bleach should also be avoided because of its corrosive effect on electrical components, which could cause malfunctions or even total failure. Manufacturers advise checking their specific guidance, but even a simple wipe is often enough to make a difference.

So if you haven't done it in a while, are or one of the third of drivers who have never washed your car keys at all, maybe it's about time.

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