Sinks, towels, showers, floors even your door handle have been shown to be home to hundreds of millions of bacteria and this is multiplied when bathrooms are not cleaned regularly. 2. Another cause is one that you need to be especially aware of, keeping your toothbrush too close to the toilet.
Most bathroom germs predictably start in the toilet, but they can easily spread to other parts of the room (like a toothbrush holder). “Over the course of a day, the first thing that shows up is fecal bacteria—microbes from your gut—transmitted to the toilet seat and things like that.
Studies have shown that of all the surface areas in the bathroom, the floor is by far the dirtiest. That's because when we flush the toilet germs spread everywhere, and land on—you guessed it—the floor.
This is in addition to the bacteria found on the other parts that you have come into contact with, such as the flush handle covered in as much as 83 bacteria per sq. in and the toilet seat surrounded by over 295 bacteria per sq. in.
The majority of the pathogens in wastewater come from the feces. Urine is mostly sterile but feces contain over 100 varieties of bacteria and viruses. Even though some of the bacteria are harmless, others can cause diseases like dysentery, cholera, typhoid, and Hepatitis A.
Pathogens are not transmitted via skin contact
Even if many public restrooms do not look inviting - sitting on toilet seats cannot transfer germs if the skin is intact. Admittedly, sanitary conditions are not inviting in many public restrooms.
"There's more fecal bacteria in your kitchen sink than there is in a toilet after you flush it," said microbiologist Charles Gerba, known as "Dr. Germ." But if you flush with the toilet lid up, you can be spreading fecal material more than six feet.
While it's true that viruses, bacteria, and parasites can live on sinks, toilets, and other surfaces, it's highly unlikely you will catch a sexually transmitted disease (STD) or sexually transmitted infection (STI) from a toilet seat.
SafeHome conducted a small-scale experiment wherein they took swab tests of the objects inside the bathroom and discovered that shower is dirtier than the toilet in terms of overall germ count. It blows away the toilet when it comes to germ count as it did not win by a narrow margin.
Sponges and rags, countertops and cutting boards are common kitchen surfaces where bacteria can thrive. Sponges and rags are the most overlooked environment for germ infestation. The cellulose sponge is ideal for bacterial growth. Here bacteria have a surface to cling to, a supply of nutrients and moisture.
Using household cleaners that contain soap or detergent will remove germs and dirt on surfaces and reduces risk of infection from surfaces in your home. Cleaning alone removes most harmful viruses or bacteria from surfaces.
Slowly add 1 teaspoon (5 ml) of bleach to 2 cups (500 ml) of water. To be used on surfaces contaminated with feces, vomit, urine or blood. Slowly add ½ cup (125 ml) of bleach to 4 ½ cups (1125 ml) of water. (e.g., environmental cleaning, body fluids, etc.).
Tips For Keeping Bathroom Bacteria At Bay
In order to wipe away germs, disinfect frequently touched surfaces daily and give the bathroom a thorough cleaning at least once a week. That should include scrubbing the tub and toilet bowl as well as handles and other surfaces.
The sink is a great place for E. coli to live and grow since it's wet and moist. Bacteria feed on the food that people put down the drain and what's left on dishes in the sink. That's probably why dogs drink out of the toilet — because there's less E.
Toilets have their own built-in traps, and so do floor drains. The trap on a floor drain is located below the surface of the floor; the photo below shows a floor drain as seen from the side.
Hazards in a bathroom
Lighting. Temperature of water. Slip, trips, falls. Infection control.
They found that keyboards can have high levels of bacteria on them and that shared keyboards tend to have more bacteria than those used by only one person. Even more disturbing, research by University of Arizona researchers also found that the average desktop has 400 times more bacteria than the average toilet seat.
Research shows that about 200,000 bacteria live in each square inch of carpet (nearly 700 times more than on your toilet seat), including E. coli, staphylococcus, and salmonella.
Sleeping on Germs
A newer mattress has only three million CFUs of bacteria, but by the time it is 7 years old, it has over 16 million. That's a lot of company to host every night.
Urologist: Sitting down to pee is your best bet
Still, he says, it could cause issues for your bladder down the road. “The act of squatting strongly engages and tenses the muscles of the groin and pelvic floor, which can potentially cause long-standing spasticity,” Dr. Kaufman says.
You should lean forward into a 35 degree angle instead of being up straight at 90 degrees. This is because when you need to go to the toilet, your puborectalis muscle relaxes and the rectum angle widens. The puborectalis muscle is a band that wraps around the lower rectum.
Why do we lift the toilet seat? Most men lift the seat because they relieve themselves while standing. This prevents unsanitary droplets from landing on the seat, leaving a clean seat for the next person to use the bathroom.