Is the five-second rule real?
Longer contact times increase cross-contamination of Enterobacter aerogenes from surfaces to food
Scientists tested the five-second rule. Bad news: bacteria can transfer in under a second.
Watermelon, bread, buttered bread and gummy sweets were dropped on steel, tile, wood and carpet for different amounts of time, over 2,500 tests.
Longer contact meant more bacteria, but some transfer happened instantly. Watermelon was the worst (wet food picks up more). Carpet, oddly, was the least bad.
The five-second rule is a vibe, not a fact.