[JoeProBono]

[Nifster]

read this when it first came out.... why are we wasting money on this kind of stuff?

[BitWielder1]

I thought Mythbusters debunked this.

[libertarian27]

The researchers determined that levels of bacteria transfer in food dropped on tile and laminate floor for five or more seconds, while still low, were higher than carpeting.

Wonder if carpeting in the kitchen will be trendy?
HGTV house hunters will now embrace carpeting? ;)

[Joe 6-pack]

In my house, I maintain a thin layer of dog hair so fallen food items never make actual contact with the floor.

[CIB-173RDABN]

We live in a world of bacteria and virus. Why are we all not dead yet?

Having been exposed to to all these little buggies all our lives we gain a certain amount of immunity from them.

Are there any more germs on the floor then the counter top? Maybe a few but not many. While I would not want to eat off a floor, I would be more worried about the food picking up bits of dirt or dust (because of the taste then I worry about picking up a germ).

If people have not noticed, babies live on the floors of our homes and will put any and all things in their mouths. Most survive this time of their life (and may in fact get their immunity from these little explorations).

[Yo-Yo]

Uh, somebody forget to watch Mythbusters?

[ctdonath2]

A study on this won the Ig Nobel Prize for Public Health in 2004. Details here: http://www.improbable.com/ig/ig-pastwinners.html#ig2004

[rsobin]

5 second rule? DISGUSTING!! We use the much more sanitary 3 second rule.

[4yearlurker]

Years and years ago I used to go out with a gal from North Carolina who worked at a local fast food joint. I asked her if any of those burgers ever hit the floor then were placed on the grill. She looked at and said “all the time!”

[Oratam]

Is the mythical "five-second rule" actually real?

In connection with the "kiss it up to God" corollary, yes.

[niteowl77]

The timeframe varies depending on location. My maternal grandmother kept her kitchen floor such that a person could have safely let a half an hour elapse; my paternal grandmother's kitchen floor would have been five seconds or less, and the lunch room at work would be "don't even think about it." In the case of the latter, sometimes I'm afraid to even let the air in the room touch my food.

Mr. niteowl77

[Ted Grant]

It’s three seconds.

[csvset]

When we had our dogs, five seconds would have been an eternity, they’d have already inhaled whatever it may have been.