When you go out for lunch you probably aren't thinking about the bacteria you'll be picking up, but unless you're careful, you'll return home with far more than you bargained for.

The first hot spot, of course, is the door going into the restaurant. Everyone who enters pushes on the same bar or pulls the same handle. And some of them are carrying germs and bacteria on their hands.

Once inside, you may make a trip to the rest room. After all, if you've been out and about, touching things, you want to wash your hands before you eat. And that's the next spot you'll encounter bacteria. The door, of course, but the real trouble spot is the soap dispenser.

One study showed that 25% of the liquid soap dispensers in public restrooms were contaminated with fecal bacteria. Think about it - the hand that reaches out to release the soap is dirty! And since soap scum builds up on the dispenser, it's a perfect spot for that bacteria to live and grow. Better yet, it keeps getting a new infusion of bacteria every time a new "dirty hand" reaches out.

If you're using a public restroom for hand-washing, be sure to use hot water and take your time - scrub for 15 to 20 seconds before rinsing thoroughly. Then use the paper towel to turn the water faucet off.

The best bet - when you get back to the table, squirt a little disinfectant gel on your hands for good measure. But wait until you've ordered. No sense treating yourself to all the germs on that menu. (How often do you see a menu being washed?)

When lunch arrives, if you've ordered fries, you'll probably reach for the ketchup bottle... which is one of the dirtiest spots in any restaurant.

While restaurant workers routinely wipe down table tops with a mild bleach solution, most don't wipe down the ketchup bottle or other condiment containers. If the bottle has gotten sticky, it may go back to the kitchen to be rinsed, but probably not with a disinfectant.

And as you've probably noticed, many diners don't wash before meals. Thus, the germs they are carrying are transferred to that ketchup bottle. From the ketchup bottle they travel to your hands, and then - to your fries!

You might want to wipe that bottle down yourself before you use it.