Are tennis balls sanitary?

Steady Eddy

Steady Eddy

Legend
The balls are fuzzy, and likely to carry germs. They hit a court that people are tramping around in with their filthy shoes. You have to hold the ball in your hand to serve. Maybe I should wear sanitation gloves to play the game?
 
My wife and I have never done this in our home, but quite a few people
ask visitors to remove their shoes before entering their home. In a way this makes sense.
When you walk around, you step on every kind of filthy things and smear them over the
floors when you enter the house.
On the other hand, bacteria, viruses, germs, need nutrients to survive. Rugs, flooring,
shoes... are not especially conducive to their growth.
Same thing with tennis balls. Yes, they will pick up icky stuff from the courts, but for the most
part we have already developed defenses, to these things.
Recall, the movie or book- War of the Worlds, the alien invaders had not developed
immunities to Earth's diseases. They died, the Earthlings (immune) lived. It's as
simple as that.
 
Tennis balls are generally dry and bacteria don't particularly thrive on dry surfaces. People worry about the wrong issues concerning infection. The University of Arizona once took cultures from every room in about 20 homes for a one year period and found that the most dangerous room in your house was the kitchen, largely due to poultry. Toilet seats were found to harbor less bacteria than kitchen counters.
 
ollinger said:
Tennis balls are generally dry and bacteria don't particularly thrive on dry surfaces. People worry about the wrong issues concerning infection. The University of Arizona once took cultures from every room in about 20 homes for a one year period and found that the most dangerous room in your house was the kitchen, largely due to poultry. Toilet seats were found to harbor less bacteria than kitchen counters.
Click to expand...
An excellent reason not to cook meat (except steaks) at home.
 
Bagumbawalla said:
My wife and I have never done this in our home, but quite a few people
ask visitors to remove their shoes before entering their home. In a way this makes sense.
When you walk around, you step on every kind of filthy things and smear them over the
floors when you enter the house.
On the other hand, bacteria, viruses, germs, need nutrients to survive. Rugs, flooring,
shoes... are not especially conducive to their growth.
Same thing with tennis balls. Yes, they will pick up icky stuff from the courts, but for the most
part we have already developed defenses, to these things.
Recall, the movie or book- War of the Worlds, the alien invaders had not developed
immunities to Earth's diseases. They died, the Earthlings (immune) lived. It's as
simple as that.
Click to expand...
Many thanks for your post. Now I feel much more relieved after reading it.
 
It's the God's way of saying there is no free lunch and there is a price to pay to play. What's more ironic is that the body parts used as tools of entertainment are not sanitary friendly. The sanitation demands have been seriously undermined by societal behavior. Sad but true.
 
Bagumbawalla said:
My wife and I have never done this in our home, but quite a few people
ask visitors to remove their shoes before entering their home. In a way this makes sense.
When you walk around, you step on every kind of filthy things and smear them over the
floors when you enter the house.
On the other hand, bacteria, viruses, germs, need nutrients to survive. Rugs, flooring,
shoes... are not especially conducive to their growth.
Same thing with tennis balls. Yes, they will pick up icky stuff from the courts, but for the most
part we have already developed defenses, to these things.
Recall, the movie or book- War of the Worlds, the alien invaders had not developed
immunities to Earth's diseases. They died, the Earthlings (immune) lived. It's as
simple as that.
Click to expand...
It has less to do with germs, and more to do with having to clean up after you. You likely have more germs on your socks.
 
It’s better for your immune system to be exposed to some types of minor germs so that you can become more resistant to infection.
I’m not suggesting that you put a tennis ball in your mouth or not wash your hands before you prepare food, but neither is it good to completely sanitise yourself from the environment.
 
Sudacafan said:
Are there any good tennis balls sterilizers anyone could recommend?
Click to expand...
MF_20220118_0064.jpg
 
Steady Eddy said:
The balls are fuzzy, and likely to carry germs. They hit a court that people are tramping around in with their filthy shoes. You have to hold the ball in your hand to serve. Maybe I should wear sanitation gloves to play the game?
Click to expand...
There was a guy in our 4.5 league who used to wear a glove while playing tennis. Some guys on my team referred to him as Michael Jackson.

I also had a guy in a non USTA league play me during COVID where he insisted each of us using our own balls and only using our own for the match. My son (who was probably 8 at the time) came to watch and seemed confused on why he couldn't retrieve my opponent's balls. Then a player in the next court picked them up and he pretty much freaked out and scolded him.
 
Many people like to smell their fresh balls right after they remove the lid of their pressurized container.
 
When I was in grad school, I taught a lab in which the undergrad students swabbed various things, and we grew bacteria/mold in petri dishes for a week. The dirtiest items (in terms of diversity and amount): anything that was near your mouth, e.g., chapstick, phones, ... Second was dollar bills. Surprisingly, the bathroom door handles and escalator handles were relatively clean.

I wouldn't worry about tennis balls. Just don't put your money where your mouth is.
 
You've seen the slow motion video of a player hitting a tennis ball. Hundreds of tiny little yellow ball fibers explode into the air.... fibers which a booger picking opponent or ballkid was handling moments before...which you are now breathing. Things like this is why I play in a full hazmat suit.
 
jhick said:
There was a guy in our 4.5 league who used to wear a glove while playing tennis. Some guys on my team referred to him as Michael Jackson.

I also had a guy in a non USTA league play me during COVID where he insisted each of us using our own balls and only using our own for the match. My son (who was probably 8 at the time) came to watch and seemed confused on why he couldn't retrieve my opponent's balls. Then a player in the next court picked them up and he pretty much freaked out and scolded him.
Click to expand...
That was the rule at our club just after it reopened after Covid. They were followed for about a day.
 
Simply use one brand new ball per point played. After the match is done, throw your racket in the garbage, along with your shoes. If you can't afford that, then use a blow torch to kill off all of the germs and bacteria after every single point.

Problem solved.
 
I am always concerned about handling balls which women pull out from down under. I can't imagine how they can be sanitary.
 
Mr.Lob said:
You've seen the slow motion video of a player hitting a tennis ball. Hundreds of tiny little yellow ball fibers explode into the air.... fibers which a booger picking opponent or ballkid was handling moments before...which you are now breathing. Things like this is why I play in a full hazmat suit.
Click to expand...
Pics or it didn't happen.
 
Better_Call_Raul said:
35EF210200000578-0-image-a-22_1467624843641.jpg



Why is it so difficult to design women's tennis skirts with pockets?
Click to expand...
Unless the pockets are part of the built-in compression shorts, they don't look stylish. In other words, if you design a skirt which has pockets like men's shorts, the skirt will not have a flared profile but will hang down like men's shorts. @Azure can elaborate.
 
sureshs said:
Unless the pockets are part of the built-in compression shorts, they don't look stylish.
Click to expand...
:rolleyes:
"Style" my foot. There is no physical reason that a woman cannot run just fine with men's style shorts.
Everybody knows this. It is objectification. Skimpy outfits attract viewers.
Not that there's anything wrong with that. It's the only reason many watch the WTA.
 
Last edited:
sureshs said:
Unless the pockets are part of the built-in compression shorts, they don't look stylish. In other words, if you design a skirt which has pockets like men's shorts, the skirt will not have a flared profile but will hang down like men's shorts. @Azure can elaborate.
Click to expand...
Skirts with pockets will look weird on women. Considering you are gender fluid, you may very well know this as you have stated above.
 
sureshs said:
Unless the pockets are part of the built-in compression shorts, they don't look stylish. In other words, if you design a skirt which has pockets like men's shorts, the skirt will not have a flared profile but will hang down like men's shorts. @Azure can elaborate.
Click to expand...
The tennis balls and dampeners you keep picking up and stocking, how sanitary are they?
 
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