The bathroom is the place we use for keeping ourselves clean, while paradoxically, it is one of the dirtiest places in the home, despite our best cleaning efforts! Between heat and humidity, it can be a real nest for bacteria. And if your toilet is also in the bathroom, we’ll spare you the details straight away about what you could find there! Here are 8 things that you are sure to keep in the bathroom for the sake of ease, but which you should quickly try and find another home for!
1) Your toothbrush
You usually keep it in a special glass or jar, and all you have to do is nip into the bathroom and it’s there for you. Simple, quick and effective. But there are risks, especially if there are other people sharing the bathroom with you. Researchers in Connecticut (US) showed that in shared bathrooms, 60% of toothbrushes were covered in faecal matter, and the container used made no difference to this alarming statistic.
The fact that the bathroom is a humid environment which prevents the brush from fully drying out between uses makes it an ideal environment for the development of bacteria.
Why not keep your toothbrush in your bedroom, with a plastic cover?
2) Medication
The heat and the humidity can affect the efficacy of your medications. Always keep them out of reach of children, but also in a clean and dry area. The kitchen is best avoided, as this is also a humid environment. Remember that it is better to keep the packaging, so that your medication is always carefully labelled.
3) Razor blades
Even before you use them, razors can get rusty. Unless they are in a sealed packet, don’t keep your razors and blades in the bathroom. The same goes for scissors or any other metal objects that could rust easily.
4) Makeup
The heat and the humidity will damage your products (powder, foundation, creams, lipsticks, etc.), which means they won’t last as long. Not to mention the bacteria that can end up on your makeup. Store it in a dry area and remember that in any case, bathrooms often have poor lighting which prevents you from doing your makeup well (a carrot orange hue and stripy blusher guaranteed!) As for your nail varnish, it may benefit from being stored in the fridge.
5) Perfume
Perfume hates three things: heat, humidity and light. If you want your perfume to keep smelling great, keep it in a dry, cool area protected from sunlight.
6) Condoms
Yet another product that is made less effective by humidity! Exactly what you don’t want when it comes to contraception. If you are looking for a discreet place to store them, hide them in a drawer on your bedside table.
7) Jewelry
Your jewelry is no different from razors, which get affected by the humidity in the air. Silver goes dull, and poor quality costume jewelry will change colour -in short, a catastrophe! The ideal is to store them in a jewelry box with a suede inner covering (which protects your precious jewels from dust and other particles) and which is fairly airtight.
8) Brushes and combs
You may be surprised to learn that in between the bristles of your hair brush or comb is an area of choice for bacteria to form -even when you keep them in a box or a drawer.
To find out how best to clean your toothbrush and other bathroom utensils, click here.
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