Keeping the bathroom clean is an uphill struggle. The mould, the limescale, the soap scum; need I say more? We spend hours scrubbing this space every week; not satisfied until the sink and the shower screen are sparkling.
But what if I were to tell you certain habits are making things dirtier? You might not realise it, but our everyday routine can contribute to bacteria hotspots, all of which are hidden around the bathroom. So your bathroom might not be as clean as you think it is. Here are the bad habits you need to break:
1. Rinsing hair down the plughole
First of all, don’t rinse rogue hairs down the plughole. No matter how convenient it seems (out of sight, out of mind, right?), it’s only going to cause problems down the line. If hairs are rinsed down the drain, they can tangle and combine with soap scum to create a blockage – something that ends up creating a foul smell in your bathroom.
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You’ll need to remove the blockage with a drain snake or dissolve it using a chemical de-blocker. For a more natural solution, you can also tip 125g of bicarb down the drain followed by 125ml of white vinegar, then wait 5 minutes and flush through with hot water; although keep in mind this will only dislodge small blockages.
In the future, protect your drains by tying your hair up and using a shower cap when it doesn’t need washing. You can also invest in a Drain Protector to catch any rogue hairs, which you can then dispose of.
2. Trimming wet nails
Nothing’s worse than the sound of nails being clipped in the bathroom. I hate to think of the trimmings pinging off in every direction, just waiting to be walked on later that night.
The good news is you can better control the mess you leave behind. Some sites recommend trimming your nails while still damp. The nails are softer and easier to shape and cut through with a pair of nail clippers. However, it’s easier to tear your nails using this method, so it’s actually better to cut them while dry – it gives you more of a clean cut.
If the mess worries you, you can apply tape around the outside of the clippers to create an enclosure around the end to catch the nails. Or to make things even easier, there are also nail clippers available that catch the nails as you cut, so you just empty them out once you’re finished!
3. Leaving the shower curtain bunched
You need to open the shower curtain to get out of the shower – granted, but it’s a bad habit to leave it that way. Bunched up like this, the moisture can’t ventilate, so you’re encouraging mould growth, as well as limescale. The result? A shower curtain covered in mould the next time you pull it along the rail.
There’s an easy fix; pull the curtain across and un-bunch it once you’re out of the shower. If you can, open a window in the room, too, to help ventilate the moisture. If your curtain is already showing mould, you can still restore it. Either soak it in a weak solution of bleach (followed by rinsing thoroughly), or soak in a solution of soda crystals.
4. Flushing with the lid up
Do not flush the toilet with the lid up. You might not see it, but you’re releasing a toilet plume into the atmosphere, filled with bacteria, viruses and traces of faeces. And if your toothbrush is close by – it’s not nice thought!
Even if your toilet is filled with bleach or cleaning chemicals as part of your weekly clean, you don’t want traces of that flushed around your bathroom, either. So, keep the lid down as you flush, and leave it down to remind others in the household to do the same.
5. Sharing towels
You’re clean when you use a towel, so what’s the problem with sharing one? Turns out, plenty. Sharing towels over-saturates them; that’s because they’re not being given sufficient time to dry between uses. In such conditions, mould is given more of a chance to grow, turning the towels ‘musty’ , which then transfers to your body with use. So drying yourself with a musty towel after washing is pretty redundant!
If that weren’t enough, there’s also the fact that sharing towels can spread viruses and infections between the users, including verrucas and Norovirus. Better to play it safe and each use your own towel instead – who would swap a fluffy towel for a damp towel anyway?
6. Forgetting to wash the bathmat
We use the bathmat daily, relying on it to absorb all the moisture from our feet, and yet it often fails to make it to the weekly wash. Why is that? Sometimes it’s just a thick and awkward shape, which will take up the majority of the drum. Other times, it just seems like a permanent fixture to the floor and as the dirt’s not obvious, it’s not a pressing problem.
But this is another habit you need to break. With each use, the bathmat absorbs water and can develop mould, just like your towels. As such, it can contribute to unwanted smells in the bathroom. Wash your bathmat weekly, using the highest temperature as recommended by the care label. And make sure you’re removing it from the floor and giving it time to dry between uses.
7. Swigging mouthwash straight from the bottle
We discourage drinking straight from the milk bottle, so why should the mouthwash be any different? Your mouth will leave traces of saliva around the rim of the bottle, which will encourage bacterial growth and lead to unwanted smells.
There’s also the backwash to think about. With every swig, your spit is being washed back into the bottle, unbeknownst to the next user… You might think the lid is the answer, but this, too, can end up being shared between multiple household members, encouraging the spread of potential germs and viruses – not to mention the backwash can still end up back in the bottle unless it’s thoroughly rinsed.
Instead, stick to using a dedicated glass, which is washed between uses. Do not use the toothbrush holder! There’s more bacteria hidden in the bottom of here than people realise, so this needs to be washed regularly, too.
Bathroom cleaning kit
