Over 10.000,000 bacteria live on a single tooth brush. These cause tooth decay, flu, colds and fever blisters. They can survive for many days., herpes simplex I Influenza (the flu) virus, yeasts, streptococci, staphylococci, and the bacteria that cause cavities, gum disease, , and diarrhea illness can survive and thrive in very high numbers.
This would indicate the bathroom (usually the place the toothbrush lives) consists of more than a clean bath and sink. The tiles, ceiling, floor, radiator, bath, sink, toilet and all other items should be kept clean.
The ceiling doesn’t seem to get any attention in the average home at any given time but, it should have the accessional wipe and de webbing. The tiles are a must. When we shower or bathe we splash the water about. This may contain soap and dirt particles from our bodies and hair. There might only be clean water by the end of our personal cleaning session. However we leave it, there is still an opportunity for bacteria to grow. We may think it’s clean but, what the eye cannot see will hurt us.
Find a good cleaner that best fits the job. Clean properly once or twice a week. Use colour coded cloths in the bathroom so as not to cross contaminate the areas. The tile grout is the most likely place to harbor germs. This is because they have the tiny little crevices to get into and breading can and will take place. To get it really clean, use an old toothbrush to scrub the grout but be careful not to scratch the tiles. Clean away with warm water and dry off. The bath and sink will also need a good clean. But first, they have that vital little bit the joins them to the wall, the sealant.
This will have mildew and mold building up over time if it isn’t cleaned. Again there are many good products out there for this job but if a couple of applications don’t do it then it may be time to remove the old and replace it. Now the bath and sink can be wiped or scrubbed if necessary with a cleaner to remove dirt, lime scale and stains. Wipe down after every use so the tiles are left dry and mostly dirt free. The toilet holds the most germs. This is purely to with what goes into it. We have live harmful bacteria in our excrement, over 120 viruses that include hepatitis A and E-coli.
A good cleaner should be put down the toilet every day. The water should first be pushed away as much as possible with the toilet brush and then scrubbed with the cleaner. This should then be left to sit for a few minutes. Return to this job by flushing the cleaner away with the lid down. Don’t forget to wipe the outside of the toilet all over with a disinfectant cleaner including the seat and lid. Cleaners that reach under the rim are the best. There are many items that you can place in your toilet to keep it clean beneath the rim almost constantly. If you have something like this then you will only have to do a full clean weekly or if it looks particularly abused ever.
While all this is going on you must also wipe the shower head, pipe, taps, plug, over flow, shower curtains and all items on show. Bathroom cupboards should get a wipe too. They can hold germ and molds parties inside where it’s dark and damp.
Leave the shower curtain pulled open to dry off every time it’s used to stop mold and other bacteria from making its home there.
A final thought is back to toothbrushes. They touch each other, they catch the small vapor particles that rise from the toilet every time it’s flushed and we put them straight into our moths. Then we rub them into our gums and teeth. Not nice. UV light has shown to destroy 99.9% of germs on a tooth brush. You can now buy these toothbrush sanitizers to keep the family from digesting toile contents. Perhaps we should have 1 big UV light in our bathrooms to help us out.
Not all bacteria is bad for you. The problem with all this cleaning is that while we kill all the bad bacteria, we also kill the good bacteria. Something to think about when you decide how, and when to clean.