When you drop a food on the ground, you have 5 seconds to pick it up before the germs come on it. After you do this, you blow or wipe off the food and eat it. This doesn't apply to sticky foods and dirty floors.
by Kweentoos June 13, 2023
by zoey July 11, 2004
by she who eats food off the floo March 12, 2011
The window of opportunity for picking up food you dropped on the ground, dusting it off and eating it.
by Kim July 11, 2004
When one accidently drops food, not held in a container or wrapper, on the ground. The rule states that if you pick it up within 5 seconds, it won't be contaminated. There is also a '10 second rule' variation. Unfortunately, both rules are urban legends -- The speed with which you can pick the food article back up has no bearing on whether it may receive germs.
Person A: "Crap, dropped a cookie."
Person B: "5 second rule!!"
Person A scrambles to pick up food article
Person B: "5 second rule!!"
Person A scrambles to pick up food article
by Ryan Thompson July 10, 2004
The '5 second rule' applies when food comes into contact with an object that is tainted. If it is removed from the tainted object in 5 seconds or less, then the food is considered safe for human consumption and eaten as if nothing happened. If it stays on the tainted object for more than 5 seconds then it is considered unfit for human consumption and is discarded.
by Timothy Paul July 10, 2004
A unspoken rule where if any sort of food falls to the ground, if you pick it back up in 5 seconds or less it is still okay to eat.
by Nathan Charette July 10, 2004