A new study about America's personal hygiene habits gives Atlanta residents pretty good marks for cleanliness, but reveals some surprising and gross things about Americans in general.

Atlanta was ranked 6th overall out of 25 major U.S. cities based on how often residents shower or bathe, brush their teeth, change their bed sheets, put on a fresh shirt and underwear, clean their homes, and wash their hands after using the toilet.

The good news:

• Atlanta residents are 2nd best in the nation at washing their hands after using the toilet. 66.7% "never" skip handwashing after going to the bathroom. Only Charlotte, NC scored higher. (Of course for the other third of you - yuck!)
• Atlanta residents are 5th best at changing their underwear. 89.7% of city residents put on a fresh pair every morning.
• Atlanta is the 3rd healthiest city in the country in terms of cold and flu season, behind Nashville and New Orleans. 61.5% of Atlanta residents say they get sick once a year - or less.

Middle of the pack:

• Atlanta was the 11th most germophobic city of the 25 metropolises studied. People in Miami and San Francisco were most concerned about coming into contact with germs in public places. People in Denver and Chicago were least concerned.
• In terms of "presenteeism" - People in St. Louis and Washington, DC are most likely to stay home when they're sick to avoid spreading germs to their colleagues. Atlanta came in 10th. Among Atlanta residents, 14.7% said they "never" go to work sick. 16.5% said they "often" go to work sick. The remaining 68.8% said they "sometimes" go to work sick. People in Denver and Las vegas were most likely to drag themselves into the office.

Surprising things about the rest of the country that might make you say "Ewww":

• The stereotype of the "foul-mouthed" New Yorker is more accurate than we realized - 13.7% of Big Apple residents only brush their teeth every 2 to 3 days.
• Be careful shaking hands in the nation's capital - 25.7% of Washington, DC residents skip washing their hands "often" or "all the time" after using the toilet.
• You can add not showering to Sin City's vices - 8.9% of Las Vegas residents only shower or bathe every 4 to 5 days.
• There's a dirty little secret in Hollywood bedrooms that has nothing to do with romantic affairs - 16.9% of L.A. residents go 2 months or longer without washing or changing their bedsheets.

The study, called "Health & Hygiene Confessions: America's Filthiest Cities Revealed," was conducted by Quality Logo Products and was based on in-depth surveys of 2,732 Americans. Data analyst Cindy Glover said the idea for this study came up during cold and flu season.

The company, which makes hand sanitizer products among other things, was curious about how people feel about encountering germs in public places. "We started with the idea of germophobia, and it grew from there," she said.

To read more on the original study click the link below: