London: While we all know our clothes have to be washed regularly, many of us never consider that the accessories we put on day in, day out, are picking up dirt and bacteria with every wear. 

A new study has analyzed the cleanliness of three jewelry pieces that were worn for a week, after two thirds of Britons admitted to never cleaning their accessories. 

The study found that collectively, the ring, watch and earrings had gathered 428 times more germs than a toilet seat in seven days. 

The experiment found that just over 21,000 growths of bacteria had manifested on the jewelry over a week.   

It also found the jewelry contained everything from the extremely dangerous Meticillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA) to Diptheria, food poisoning and bacterial colonies that can cause thrush.  

Every day our hands come into contact with thousands of unknown objects harboring anything from food to faecal matter. 

When jewelry isn’t cleaned properly, bacteria grows at a rapid rate and with the average person touching their face an estimated 16 times an hour, it's easy to spread harmful organisms our go-to ring or favorite pair of earrings.