You’re about to tuck into your takeaway when a spring roll falls onto the floor. “Oh no!” you cry, “I only have 5 seconds to pick it up before it’s germ-ified!”. Yes, it’s the infamous 5 second rule, the rule we loved as children and many of us still sneakily use as adults to avoid the social shaming of eating food off the floor. But how safe is it really?

This infographic takes us through the timeline of how the 5 second food rule really* works. (*may not be true)

[Click image for full size version]

The 5 Second Rule

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Irma Wallace

Co-founder and Vice President of SearchRank, responsible for many of the day to day operations of the company. She is also founder of The Arizona Builders' Zone, a construction / home improvement portal.