Six Tips for Better Bathroom Hygiene
Want to keep your bathroom clean—but don’t want to spend a lot of time doing it? It sounds like an impossible task. Bathrooms are high traffic, enclosed areas with lots of exposure to moisture—and an ideal breeding ground for mildew and microbes. But you can keep on top of your bathroom’s cleanliness just by performing a few simple tasks every day that take only seconds. Here are a few things you can do to keep a hygienic bathroom—without spending the whole day on a cleaning spree.
Keep the windows closed. Many people open bathroom windows when they’re in the shower to disperse the steam. It may reduce the moisture in the room, but it also lets in dirt and dust that can stick to your walls, countertops and mirrors—making your bathroom more grimy. To combat mildew more effectively, leave the windows closed and turn the internal exhaust fan on. Keep it on for about twenty minutes after you’re done with your shower. This will keep your mildew down without adding to the grime.
Spray down your shower. There are plenty of commercial after-shower cleaning products available, or you could just mix together four parts water with one part white vinegar and put it in a spray bottle. Put the bottle in an easily accessible place in your bathroom and enforce a new house rule: everyone who uses the shower must spray the shower walls and curtains after washing up. This will dramatically cut down on mildew and grime in the shower, and will reduce the time you have to spend on a deep-down cleaning.
Disperse odours with charcoal. There are charcoal-based air fresheners available in stores, or you can simply put a piece of charcoal in a small container of potpourri. Charcoal absorbs humidity in the air, making ti more difficult for mildew and germs to get a foothold in your bathroom. It also absorbs unpleasant odours—making it ideal for keeping your bathroom smelling fresh.
Use liquid instead of bar soap. Bar soap produces unsightly scum—not just on you, but on the bath and shower when it’s used. It also sticks to surfaces and can get gummy and unsightly. To keep a neat and clean bathroom, stick with liquid soap instead. It doesn’t stick to surfaces or cause unwanted soap scum, and it will lessen the need to clean the soap tray on a regular basis.
Spray sink and fixtures regularly. Shiny chrome fixtures accumulate water spots and fingerprints. In addition, there’s nothing worse than dried toothpaste all over your sink. Keep these messes from taking over your bathroom by spraying your countertops, fixtures and sink with an all-purpose cleaner once a day. This will keep your fixtures shiny and spot-free, keep the messes from clogging up your sinks and help your countertops stay hygienic enough to keep your toothbrush on.
Get a good toothbrush container. Today’s toothbrushes are often too thick for most commercial toothbrush holders. This can lead you to leave your toothbrush on the counter or in the cabinet—where it might not be the most hygienic storage place. Get an attractive and clean cup or container that will keep your toothbrushes standing upright without risk of the bristles coming in contact with surfaces that might breed germs.
Bleach your toilet. You can keep grimy rings from forming around your toilet bowl by pouring a little chlorine bleach into the bowl. Let it sit for a few minutes, then flush. The bleach will help disperse rings and stains from regular use and hard water. This method works as well as or better than most commercial toilet bowl cleaners, at less cost.
It’s not as hard as you’d think to keep your bathroom sparkling clean. Just perform a few simple tasks every day to keep germs in line. With these tips, you can cut down on mildew, scum, germs—and the time you spend cleaning your bathroom once a month.
TIP: Once a month, pour one cup of baking soda, followed by one cup of white vinegar down the drain. Wait an hour and flush with warm water. The combination fizzles away most of the buildup. Works for shower, tub and kitchen sink drains as well.
May 7th, 2009 at 7:10 pm
The first toothbrush to resemble the modern toothbrush is believed to have been invented in China in the late 1400s, which used the stiff hairs from a hog’s neck, attached to a bamboo stick. Something so old and people still doen’t brush their teeth properly.