You walk into a cinema, find your seat, grab the popcorn and settle in. At that point, the last thing you’re thinking about is how many other people may have touched the same surfaces before you.Yet a movie theatre sees a constant stream of people throughout the day, all using the same armrests, doors, cup holders and other high-touch surfaces.Some of them are probably much more touched than you realise.Here are the germiest things in a movie theatre that you probably put your hands on without thinking twice.
1. Armrests
The armrest is probably one of the most obvious shared surfaces in a cinema, yet most people never think twice before putting their hands on it.People use armrests throughout a movie to rest their hands, adjust their position, reach for snacks or get up during the interval. If you are sitting in a busy theatre, the same surface may have been touched by several people before you even arrive.The problem is not that every armrest is necessarily dirty. It is simply a surface that gets frequent hand contact.And if you are eating popcorn immediately afterwards, your hands are going straight from a shared surface to your food.The easy habit: Clean your hands before eating instead of worrying about who touched the armrest before you.
2. Cup holders
You might think of the cup holder as a clean place because it is meant for your drink. But it is still one of the surfaces that gets touched repeatedly.People grab the edge while picking up their drinks, place their hands around it while settling into their seats and sometimes use it while reaching for popcorn or other snacks.A cup holder can also collect small amounts of spilled drinks and food over time, making it another surface you probably do not want to handle and then immediately touch your face.
3. Auditorium door handles
The doors leading into the screening room are another high-touch point.Think about what happens during a popular show. People enter, leave for the washroom, return during the interval and step outside to take calls or buy something. Each person may touch the same door on the way through.The door itself is not the problem. It is the repeated hand contact that makes it a surface worth being aware of.If you have touched the door and are about to eat, cleaning your hands first is a simple precaution.
4. Self-service ordering screens
Some cinemas now have touchscreen kiosks where customers can browse food options and place orders themselves.Unlike your phone, which is used almost exclusively by you, these screens can be touched by a steady stream of customers throughout the day.You may tap the screen, collect your food and immediately start eating. That makes hand hygiene particularly relevant.You don’t need to avoid the screen. Just remember that the screen and your food should not be part of the same hand-to-mouth chain without cleaning your hands in between.
5. The washroom door handle
This one is easy to overlook because you may have already washed your hands.You wash your hands, reach for the door and then touch a handle that has been used by numerous people before you. If the door requires you to pull it open manually, your freshly cleaned hands come into contact with another shared surface.If there is an easy way to avoid touching the handle directly, use it. Otherwise, simply cleaning your hands again after leaving the washroom is a practical option.Thumb Image: Canva (for representative purposes only)
