This article originally appeared and was published on AOL.com
We use water bottles everywhere, whether it be at the gym, at work or on the go.
But reusable water bottles carry more germs than your dog’s chew toys, according to a new study.
SEE ALSO: 5 health benefits of playing video games
‘Treadmill Reviews’ had athletes use different types of reusable water bottles for a week, without washing them.
These bottles were swabbed for bacteria and were compared to swabs from germ-loving items, like kitchen sinks and dog bowls.
The final results were gross.
The average water bottle had 313,499 colony-forming units per square centimeter.
That’s 313,499 moisture-loving bacteria cells on one bottle.
The average pet toy only has only 2,937 CFU.
A kitchen sink has 3,191, and even a dog bowl has less than a water bottle with 37,383 CFU.
If you still choose to carry a water bottle, straw-top bottles proved the best with just 25 CFU. However, that’s only 2 CFU less than the average home toilet seat.
More from AOL.com: