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! If you learned something new or useful today,
then give this video a like and share it with a friend. But – hey! – don’t be feeling flush! We have over 2,000 cool videos for you to
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