CHICAGO — The squeamish need to look away.
A new study found more than just your pot of joe could be brewing in that coffee pot.
Ten Chicago area families let CBS 2 swab their one-cup coffee makers, and then took those samples to Loyola University where they were tested for germs.
The results were terrifying.
Microbiologist Roman Golash tested the cup containing coffee grounds, underneath where the coffee comes out and the water reservoir.
He found several forms of bacteria including staphylococcus, streptococcus and bacillus cereus.
Even more surprising, he also discovered enteric bacteria, or bacteria of the intestines, like e-coli.
“I think the high amounts of fecal material or the enteric organisms, I would probably be concerned about,” Golash said.
Five of the machines sampled had bacteria either on the machine, in the water or both places.
Test results found bacteria in just the water samples of three other machines and no bacteria at all in the samples taken from two of the machines.
Stephanie Mathews’ machine had 100,000 colony-forming units of bacteria in the water reservoir — the highest number of bacteria in all the samples.
“That’s gross,” Mathews said.
Another resident, Tess Kearns, had bacteria in the water reservoir and the coffee outlet area.
“I definitely need to clean that more often,” Kearns said. “I’m very skeeved out right now.”
These germs could cause gastrointestinal issues and stomach upset in people, especially if they have compromised immune systems.
“Any organism, given the right situation to the right person, can cause a problem,” Golash said.
He recommended that you wash your hands before using the machine and flush the system with vinegar to clean it regularly.
It’s also important to use filtered water, change the water after each use and let the pieces completely dry after cleaning them.
“You know I’m not a germaphobe, but it is important to know what you’re being exposed to,” Kearns said.