gross – Topical Fruit

The Three Germiest Spots in Airports and on Planes

Everyone worries about getting sick from that stale, recirculated air on planes. But what you really have to worry about is the stuff you touch.

A study looked at how many bacteria and fungal cells there were on different surfaces.

Here are the top three things to worry about on the plane:

1. The “flush” button in the airplane bathroom. On average, they have about 95,000 CFUs per square inch. That stands for “colony-forming units.” 95,000 is almost five times as much bacteria as you’ll find in the average kitchen sink.

2. Your tray table, just under 12,000 CFUs.

3. Your seat belt. Specifically the buckle. Just over 1,000 CFUs.

But the thing you really need to worry isn’t on the plane.

It’s one of the first things you touch at the airport. Here are three things to worry about before you board:

1. The self check-in kiosks. The screens had an average of 254,000 CFUs. So almost three times as many as the “flush” button. And one they tested had over a million.

2. The armrests on the chairs at your gate, 22,000 CFUs. That’s slightly higher than what you’d find in a kitchen sink.

3. The button on water fountains, 19,000 CFUs.

If the pandemic taught us anything, it’s that the easiest way to limit your exposure to germs is to wash your hands frequently… avoid touching your face… and wear a mask if you’re sick to avoid spreading it to others. And there’s always the option of wearing a mask yourself, if you don’t trust your fellow Americans to keep their germs to themselves.

Making Oreos at Home Is Easy: Just Grab Some Glyphosate and Hexane!

Ever wondered what’s really in your favorite store-bought cookie?

A viral recipe for homemade Oreos is making waves for laying it all out, step by step — and it’s both hilarious and horrifying.

The satirical how-to guide breaks down each ingredient in Oreos by tracing them back to their industrial origins. From glyphosate-sprayed crops to petroleum-derived flavorings, it’s a sarcastic deep dive into what it takes to whip up America’s favorite black-and-white sandwich cookie — if you were to make it exactly the way food manufacturers do.

Step one? You’ll need some glyphosate, a synthetic herbicide often used on mass-produced wheat, soybeans, and corn. And don’t forget the cocoa, which (in this parody) gets a similar treatment.

Then comes the artificial vanilla flavor.

To mimic that warm vanilla taste, you’ll be chemically converting a compound called guaiacol — a byproduct of petroleum — using a few steps that sound more like a chemistry midterm than a dessert recipe: glycolic acid oxidation and decarboxylation.

If that didn’t scare you off, let’s talk cream filling. First, crush and wash some soybeans. Then extract the oil with hexane (yep, also from petroleum), refine it, bleach it, and voila — you’ve got soybean oil and soy lecithin, two key ingredients in Oreo cream. Mix that with palm oil, high-fructose corn syrup, and your lab-created vanilla, and you’ve got the gooey center that millions love.

As for the chocolate cookie? It’s just as delightfully dystopian. Bake some cocoa beans, add potassium carbonate (an alkalizing agent), and mix in sugar, flour, synthetic vitamins, more palm oil, and artificial vanilla flavor. Shape, bake, sandwich, and boom — you’ve got yourself a DIY Oreo. Sort of.

The video ends by asking: Would you eat this crap?

It’s not really a question. The point is clear — maybe think twice before downing your fifth Oreo in one sitting.

Of course, Oreos are legal, wildly popular, and definitely delicious. But this satirical take is getting traction because it highlights something most of us ignore: the long, complicated — and often chemical-heavy — journey from crop to cookie.

So the next time you’re tempted by that sleeve of Oreos, you might find yourself picturing a bottle of hexane instead.

Don’t Make Your Bed First Thing in the Morning

You’ve probably heard that making your bed every morning sets a productive tone for the day.

But according to science (and a healthy dose of common sense), your well-made bed might actually be trapping in something a little…gross.

Here’s the deal: when we sleep, our bodies release heat and sweat, which get absorbed into our sheets and blankets. If you immediately make your bed after getting up, you’re essentially locking in that warm, damp environment—prime real estate for dust mites.

These microscopic critters feed on dead skin cells and thrive in moist conditions, which makes your tightly tucked-in sheets feel like a luxury resort. Cozy for them, not so much for your sinuses.

The Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America even lists dust mites as one of the major indoor allergens. So yeah, letting them party under your comforter isn’t exactly ideal.

Experts recommend giving your bed time to breathe. Just peel back the covers and let the air circulate for about 30 to 60 minutes. Crack a window if the weather’s nice or turn on a fan for a bit of ventilation. This simple step helps your bedding dry out and makes it less inviting for mites, mildew, and musty smells.

Now, this doesn’t mean you have to abandon bed-making altogether. In fact, a study from the National Sleep Foundation found that people who do make their beds are 19% more likely to report getting a good night’s sleep. So once you’ve aired it out, go ahead and fluff those pillows and straighten your duvet with pride.

In short: give your bed a breather before making it look Instagram-worthy. Your sinuses (and maybe your sleep) will thank you.

The Heinz Ketchup Smoothie Is Here… and People Don’t Hate It

Ketchup in a smoothie sounds like the culinary equivalent of wearing socks in the shower… but hear us out. Heinz and Smoothie King just teamed up to create the Heinz Tomato Ketchup Smoothie, and early taste testers are saying it’s actually… good?

The whole thing started when Smoothie King posted a cheeky teaser: “If tomatoes are a fruit… is ketchup a smoothie?” That opened the door for the most unexpected collab of the year.

Before you gag, it’s not just a cup of blended ketchup. The recipe combines strawberries, raspberries, apple juice, açai sorbet, and yes, Heinz’s signature tomato ketchup. According to a People magazine writer who tried it, the drink is “sweet and tangy” with a surprisingly smooth blend of savory and fruity flavors. In other words, it’s not a spoonful-of-condiment situation — more of a gourmet twist on the fruit-and-veg juice trend.

Food writers from multiple outlets have backed it up, saying the ketchup adds depth without overpowering the sweetness.

If you’ve ever added tomato to a fruit smoothie at home, you might get the idea… though it’s safe to say few people have done it with a squeeze bottle.

The catch? It’s only available for a limited time in select Smoothie King locations, and you’ll need to be in one of six metro areas to try it: Atlanta, Chicago, Denver, Miami, Fort Lauderdale, or New York City.

So yes, it’s part marketing stunt, part “what if?” experiment, but it’s also tapping into a growing trend of using savory flavors in sweet drinks. Think salted caramel, chili chocolate, or celery in your juice cleanse — only this one comes with a red squirt cap.

Will it become your new go-to breakfast order? Probably not. But for anyone curious (or just in it for the bragging rights on Instagram), the ketchup smoothie might be one of the least gross “weird food collabs” we’ve seen lately. And if nothing else, it proves that Heinz isn’t afraid to stir the pot… or, in this case, the blender.

15 Unhygienic Habits We All Secretly Do (Even Though We Know Better)

Despite surviving a global pandemic and stocking up on hand sanitizer like it was gold, it turns out many of us are still out here living like hygiene is optional. Someone on Reddit recently asked, “What’s extremely unhygienic but everyone seems to do it anyway?” The answers were equal parts horrifying and relatable.

So before you go touching your face, let’s take a grimy little tour through the gross things we’re all probably guilty of.

Sticky condiment bottles at restaurants. Yep, the ketchup is basically a community petri dish. Delicious.
Licking your fingers while counting money or flipping pages. We know this one is bad, but the finger-lick-flip combo lives on.
Placing tortillas on top of the packaging instead of the counter. Congrats, you just upgraded your clean countertop for plastic touched by 40 different hands in the grocery store.
Eating while bowling. Everyone focuses on the rental shoes, but the real horror? Bowling ball finger holes. You’re basically marinating your mozzarella sticks in germs.
Using your phone on the toilet. We all do it. Then we take that same phone to bed. Sweet dreams.
Neglecting to wash your sheets regularly. If your bedding smells like “vintage sleep,” it’s probably time.
Plopping your suitcase on the bed. That bag’s been rolling through airport bathrooms and taxi floors. And now it’s snuggling your pillows.
Wearing outside shoes indoors. Basically a parade of public restroom bacteria, now starring in your living room.
Trusting ice machines. Ever seen one cleaned? Exactly.
Touching gym mats with your bare skin. Bonus points if you’re also sweating buckets onto them.
Letting cats roam on the counters and dinner tables. To be fair, cats go wherever they want. But maybe wipe down that surface before prepping your sandwich.
Sticking unwashed hands into shared snack bags. It’s not a party until someone’s fingers go elbow-deep in the Doritos.
Showing up to work or school sick. Maskless and coughing in shared spaces? A modern classic.
Not washing your hands after, uh, private activities. Not great. Please wash.
Buffets. Self-serve food under a sneeze guard? Bold move in a post-pandemic world.

Basically, we’re all just a walking episode of Dirty Jobs. But hey, at least we’re in this mess together. Maybe give those hands a quick rinse after reading this? Just saying.