The elevator is the latest place where you're more likely to be infected by someone's germs than you are in a bathroom.

A new study from the University of Toronto and Canada Institutes for Health Research took bacteria samples from 120 elevator buttons and 96 toilet surfaces at three hospitals.

The researchers found that bacteria existed on 43 percent of toilet surfaces, but 61 percent on hospital elevator buttons.

The researchers did offer some solutions:

  1. Place alcohol-based hand sanitizers outside elevators.
  2. Enlarge elevator buttons so that people can use their elbows to push them.
  3. Make the elevator experience touchl-free.

Researchers also discovered that while the elevator buttons were dirtier than toilets, they were actually cleaner than hospital computer keyboards.

The study was published in the journal Open Medicine.

Microbiologists have long talked about how many everyday surfaces have more germs than toilets.

Some of those items include:

  • The bottoms of ladies purses
  • Restaurant menus
  • ATM keypads
  • Kitchen sponges
  • Grocery carts
  • Gym equipment