# 001 Of Germs > 0.01% of Germs is a 2010 rage-comic meme personifying the infinitesimal bacteria surviving cleaning products that claim to kill 99.99% of germs. **0.01% of Germs** is an internet meme based on the common cleaning product claim that it "kills 99.99% of germs," imagining the tiny fraction of surviving bacteria as a defiant, unkillable character. The joke first appeared in rage comic form on Cheezburger in November 2010 and saw a major revival in 2018 through object labeling templates on Reddit[3]. ## Origin The joke stems from real product packaging. Disinfectant brands like Lysol and Clean Smart Disinfectant Spray print "kills 99.99% of bacteria" on their labels, a legal hedge that became comedic fuel online[3]. The earliest known meme using this concept was a Forever Alone rage comic posted to Cheezburger on November 3rd, 2010[1]. The image depicted the remaining 0.01% of germs as a lonely, isolated figure, playing on the Forever Alone template's theme of being the only one left. - **Platform:** Cheezburger (earliest known image), Reddit (viral spread) - **Creator:** Unknown (community-created) - **Date:** 2010 ## Overview The meme personifies the microscopic remainder of bacteria that cleaning products like Lysol and other disinfectant sprays can't quite eliminate[3]. Most household sanitizers advertise that they kill 99% or 99.99% of germs, leaving a statistical sliver alive. In meme form, that surviving fraction gets treated as an invincible survivor, a lone warrior, or a smug holdout who simply cannot be stopped[2]. The humor comes from giving dramatic weight to something absurdly small, framing a rounding error as an epic last stand. ## How It Spread After its 2010 debut, the concept slowly spread through other early-2010s meme formats. During the Occupy Wall Street movement, someone repurposed the "We Are the 99 Percent" slogan to reference the 1% of surviving germs, flipping protest imagery into bathroom humor[3]. A Y U No Guy rage comic also referenced the unkillable bacteria during this period[3]. The meme's biggest wave came in 2018 when object labeling templates took over Reddit. A version using Naruto characters posted to r/blackpeopletwitter earned 6,800 upvotes[3]. On April 6th, 2018, a post to r/MemeEconomy combined Savage Patrick and Tired Spongebob to represent the dynamic between hand sanitizer and the germ that refuses to die[3]. The 2018 resurgence fit naturally into the object labeling trend, where users slapped text labels onto characters in reaction images to tell simple visual jokes. ## How to Use The format typically works in one of two ways: 1. **Object labeling:** Take any meme template with two opposing characters. Label the powerful one "hand sanitizer" or "99.99% germ killer" and the scrappy survivor "the 0.01% of germs." Templates with a large threat vs. a small defiant figure work best. 2. **Personification:** Depict the surviving germ as a cocky, unbothered character who just watched all its peers get wiped out. The tone is usually either triumphant ("I lived") or lonely ("I'm the only one left"). ## Fun Facts - The "99.99%" claim on cleaning products is a regulatory requirement. Companies can't legally claim 100% kill rates because lab conditions can never guarantee total sterilization[3]. - The meme bridged two distinct eras of internet humor: the rage comic period of 2010-2012 and the object labeling boom of 2018[3]. - Urban Dictionary defines the 0.01% germ as "that one germ no sanitizer can ever kill," treating it as a near-mythical entity[2]. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### What is the 0.01% of Germs meme? It's a joke about the tiny fraction of bacteria that survives after using a cleaning product that advertises killing 99.99% of germs. The surviving germ is depicted as an invincible or defiant character in meme templates[3]. ### Where did the 0.01% of Germs meme come from? The earliest known version was a Forever Alone rage comic posted to Cheezburger on November 3rd, 2010[1]. ### What does the 0.01% of Germs meme mean? It pokes fun at the fine print on disinfectant products by imagining the surviving bacteria as a dramatic, unkillable character. The humor is in treating a statistical footnote as an epic survival story[2]. ### How do you use the 0.01% of Germs meme? Pick a meme template with two opposing forces. Label the dominant one as hand sanitizer or disinfectant and the surviving one as the 0.01% of germs[3]. ### Is the 0.01% of Germs meme still popular? The meme peaked during the 2018 object labeling trend on Reddit. It still pops up in sanitizer and hygiene-related jokes, though less frequently than during its peak[3]. ### Why do cleaning products say 99.99% instead of 100%? Companies cannot legally claim to kill all bacteria because lab testing conditions make a 100% guarantee impossible. This hedge language became the entire basis for the meme[3]. ### When did the 0.01% of Germs meme go viral on Reddit? The meme's biggest moment on Reddit came in 2018, when a Naruto-themed object labeling version earned 6,800 upvotes on r/blackpeopletwitter[3]. ### What meme templates are used for the 0.01% of Germs? Popular templates include Forever Alone, Y U No Guy, Savage Patrick, Tired Spongebob, and Naruto character labels[3]. ## References 1. [Memebase - Funny Memes]() 2. [0.01% of Germs - Know Your Meme]() 3. [Patrick Grim]() 4. [0.01% of Germs - Urban Dictionary]() --- Source: https://meme.com/memes/001-of-germs Published by meme.com — The Internet Meme Library