OZARK, Mo. -- When you're browsing the aisles of the supermarket, you should be thinking about what's on the shelves, not what you can't see on your shopping cart.  As troubling as it sounds, however, that could include swine flu, influenza or even hepatitis.

Studies have shown that shopping carts rank right up their with playgrounds and public transit as some of the dirtiest places you can put your hands.  A new company, started by two natives of the Ozarks, thinks it's found the way to zap away the dirt, germs and even disease that builds up there.

The concept seems simple enough:  a car wash for carts. Run them through it and a special Environmental Protection Agency-approved mist coats the cart with solution strong enough to kill off the dreaded swine flu.

"Because, every time someone uses it, they're coughing; that's how flu gets spread. It's on your hands," said Enviren President Justin Hensley, a Branson native.

Murfin's Market in Ozark is the first in the area to try it.

"We've had a couple of kids run through it," said supervisor Jerry Vinyard.

After customers figured out exactly what the big steel box does, they're supportive.

"My husband is ill right now, so I'm a little conscious of germs. I think it's great," said shopper Beverly Harris.

Enviren, which has one of its headquarters in Springfield, has also been tapped to use its potent spray at area campgrounds.  Most recently, it helped clean up the Kids Across America camp in Barry County to disinfect the grounds after an H1N1 outbreak.

"It kills all the germs, bacteria, anything that causes diseases," said Hensley.

With interest spiking due to fears of the swine flu, Enviren is now in meetings with other shopping stores and school districts.  If their interests are right, before long that big silver box will make Hensley's wallet greener and your shopping cart considerably cleaner.

Enviren charges a grocery store about $440 a month to rent the cleaning machine.  They are currently in talks with Price Cutter and school districts in Ozark and Springfield.

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