It may come as a surprise to the houseproud and 'clean freaks' among us but the kitchen sponge is one of the dirtiest places in the home - 200,000 times dirtier than a toilet seat. 

And it is not just harmless bacteria lurking on your cleaning cloths and utensils. 

Experts have linked germs found on sponges, cloths and chopping boards with a bacteria which can cause paralysis.

A new study has found there are around 10million bacteria per square inch of a kitchen sponge and a million per square inch on a dish cloth.

And you would be better off chopping your vegetables on a toilet seat than on a chopping board when it comes to germs, scientists have claimed. 

Dr Charles Gerba, professor of microbiology at the University of Arizona, leads studies on how diseases are transferred through the environment. 

His work involves swabbing household items and measuring the type and growth of bacteria. 

He told the BBC the toilet seat is one of the cleanest things you'll run across in terms of micro-organisms.