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Is it advisable to wipe the top of a soft drink can with a napkin?

We fully expected to find out that soft drink cans are swarming wih bacterial baddies. After all, who knows where whose cans have been? But it turns out that putting mouth to metal won’t make you sick: Cold aluminium simply doesn’t offer a hospitably warm, moist environment to the germs that make us sick, especially when refrigeration is involved, says University of Iowa microbiologist Michael Pentella, PhD.

But even if a few hardy bugs do make it to your lips, the acids of the soft drink will eliminate them, he says. What you should worry about is this: A University of Arizona study found traces of saliva on the buttons of one out of eight vending machines. So either push the button with your elbow, or better yet, stop drinking soft drinks.