It’s your personal sanctuary, your private concert stage, the place where all your most
ingenious ideas and random thoughts pop into your head, and other things just pop out.
I’m talking about the bathroom, also known as the rest room, lavatory, and, for you engineers
out there, it’s the cubical digestive elimination venue.
Wait, you don’t sing in the bathroom?
You should try it; you’ll sound great!
Anyway, when it comes to what you’re doing in there, are you making some of these most
common sanitation mistakes?
1.
Are you paying attention to your toothbrush?
It’s getting lonely.
Well not really.
Your toothbrush is home to more than 10 million bacteria, including E. coli!
This nasty germ can cause diarrhea and vomiting.
That's why it's so important to rinse your toothbrush thoroughly after each use and buy
a new one every 3 months.
You can also soak it in an antiseptic once a week to disinfect it.
Forget about those toothbrush caps – they only make it that much easier for bacteria
to grow.
And please don’t keep it on the counter.
You’ll find out why later on, and, trust me, it ain’t pretty!
Just store your toothbrush in the medicine cabinet.
2.
When did you buy that loofah?
You can’t really get clean in the shower if you’re rubbing germs all over your body.
Yep, they dwell in your loofah too if you don’t change it enough.
It happens because dead skin cells get trapped in the sponge, and with all that steam from
the shower, microorganisms start to multiply.
You should throw away your loofah if it’s older than 3 weeks.
When you get a new one, don’t forget to dry it thoroughly after each use.
Also, if your new sponge doesn’t contain any plastic, you can throw it in the microwave
for 20 seconds every week for disinfection.
3.
Are you washing your hands correctly?
Your parents might’ve told you to scrub your hands in hot water because it eliminates
bacteria better, but that’s a misconception.
Higher temperatures are more effective at fighting germs, but only if the water is 212°F.
In other words, when it’s boiling!
Ow!
This means there’s no difference in washing up with hot or cold water if you scrub, rinse,
and dry them properly.
In both cases, you’ll remove pretty much the same number of bacteria.
The problem is, the average person doesn’t spend enough time washing their hands.
It should last at least 20 seconds.
So, next time you’re scrubbing up, sing the Happy Birthday song twice in your head.
And don’t forget to get under those nails!
4.
Do you go overboard with the exfoliation?
Exfoliating your body in the shower is a great way to remove dead skin cells and dirt.
But if you do it way too often, it can dry out your skin.
That, in turn, disrupts the skin’s natural pH balance, which will cause it to produce
even more oil to compensate for the dryness.
Then you get clogged pores and body acne, and, yeah, it’s a whole mess.
Those natural oils are important because they work as a protective barrier.
But if you strip them from over-exfoliation, your skin might become irritated and more
sensitive to the sun.
So, no need to use scrubs or aggressive washcloths more than once a week.
5.
Does your shower curtain fit the tub?
First of all, why does it matter so much?
The answer is simple – if your shower curtain is too long and wide for your tub, it’ll
keep bulging and folding in different places.
Those places become damp, humid, and confined after each shower.
And that’s a perfect environment for mold to grow.
Mold not only looks gross, it’s also harmful to your health.
If you can’t find the perfect size curtain for your shower, trim the one you have on
the sides and bottom.
Also, don’t forget to pull it closed after every shower to make sure it dries completely
between uses.
6.
Do you wash your face in the shower?
I know it saves you time, but hot water inevitably dries out your skin.
You already know by now what kind of situation that leads to.
But that doesn’t mean you need the other extreme!
Washing your face with freezing cold water can lead to broken blood vessels, causing
little thread veins to appear.
The best option here is to use lukewarm water and do it over the sink.
7.
Do you use a towel after a shower?
Well, yeah, everybody does, right?
Sure, but the secret here is how exactly you use your towel to dry off.
If you vigorously rub it all over your body, then it can irritate the skin and strip off
those oh-so important natural oils.
It’s better to gently pat your skin with a towel post-shower.
And if you’re going to use any moisturizer, put it on right away after you’ve stepped
out of the shower.
This will lock in added moisture while your pores are still open from hot water and steam.
8.
Do you flush the right way?
Yep, there’s a right way to do it, and it’s with the lid down.
If you flush the toilet while the lid is up, then (get ready for this) tiny particles from
um…whatever you just left in the toilet -- will spray up in the air over a 15-foot
radius.
So, that toothbrush you decided to leave on the counter anyway, your towels, toilet paper,
EVERYTHING gets covered in… you know, stuff.
It’s as if your toilet just sneezed all over everything.
Microbiologists call this phenomenon a “toilet plume” and say those particles can carry
infectious bacteria.
If a person flushes the toilet the wrong way, it’s potentially dangerous to not only their
health but also anyone they live with!
So, do yourself and everyone else a favor by closing the lid before you flush.
9.
Is your toilet brush clean enough?
Like flushing, here’s something most of us do without even thinking about it.
You grab the toilet brush, clean around the bowl, and immediately put it back in the holder.
That’d be a bad idea since that wet brush plus a small compact area only equals one
thing: germs and bacterial growth.
The toilet brush should soak in water mixed with bleach for a bit and then be dried fully.
The holder needs to be disinfected too.
Of course, doing it every time after you’ve done your business seems like a real hassle.
But try to do it at least twice a month.
And here’s a useful tip: when you’re done using it, place the handle of the brush under
the seat with the head hanging over the bowl.
That way, it can drip dry right into the water, but the seat will keep it from falling in!
That’s clever!
10.
Do you wear shower shoes?
No, I’m not talking about at the community pool or gym.
You should wear some shower shoes even in your own bathroom!
Many people wrongly believe that the dirtiest place in a bathroom is the toilet seat.
But in reality, the floor has much more bacteria, especially if you don’t follow that lid-closing
tip!
So in addition to scrubbing and disinfecting your floor frequently, don’t walk on it
barefoot.
11.
Where do you keep your towels?
Keeping them right there in the bathroom might seem like a great idea because it’s so convenient.
But the humid environment is what mold and mildew need to start growing, as you already
know.
And your fluffy towels (along with any other fabrics in the bathroom) aren’t immune!
Unless you wanna rub – sorry, pat! – fungus all over your body, you’ll want to store
your towels elsewhere.
I’d also recommend ditching the towel you keep hanging near the shower (remember, all
those folds equal mold!) and bring a clean one with you each time.
12.
You using a medicine cabinet for medicine?
This cabinet might be designed to hold all your medicine, supplements, band-aids, and
whatnot.
But don’t let that fool ya.
Medicine works well not only if you follow the doctor’s orders about its usage and
dosage, but also if you store it in the right conditions.
The heat and moisture in your bathroom can mess with its chemistry.
Some pills might even go bad long before the expiration date.
The best place to keep them is in your dresser drawer or a kitchen cabinet far away from
a sink, stove, and any other hot appliances.
There ya go, now you’ll have room in the medicine cabinet for your toothbrush!
13.
Are you making the most of your cleaning?
It’s safe to assume that most people want a clean bathroom.
But not many are aware of the little secret that can make a cleaning sesh even more effective.
All you have to do is heat up the bathroom!
Raising the air temperature by 10 degrees will be enough to make the alkaline cleansers
you use work their magic better and faster.
No need to blast the furnace or anything.
Simply fill the tub with the hottest water you can get, and wait for a few minutes.
The steam from the water will help you make your bathroom sparkling clean so that you
don’t have to think twice about putting your bare bottom on that toilet seat!
Pretty cheeky, huh?
Ok, be honest, which of these germy bathroom habits are you guilty of?
Let me know down below!
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