Bathroom Germs You Really Can Catch

the
"mold and mildew" of bathroom cleanser fame. "They don't cause
infection, but they can exacerbate asthma and allergies," says Tierno.

But before you evacuate your bathroom and call Hazmat, here's the good news:
if you clean regularly and practice basic hygiene, there's very little risk
from the bathroom germs you'll find there. "Only about 1%-2% of all germs
are pathogenic -- meaning they can make us sick," says Tierno. "There's
a possibility you can catch something, but if you practice good personal,
household, and food hygiene, you're at pretty low risk."

Bathroom Germs: Keeping the Bathroom Clean

If you follow a few simple rules for cleaning your bathroom, and cleaning
yourself when you use the bathroom, you can usually avoid transmitting
most of these organisms. Let's start with cleaning rules.

• Clean regularly. This means cleaning all bathroom floors and solid surfaces
  with a disinfectant cleanser on a weekly basis, and "deep cleaning" --
  a more thorough scrubbing -- about once a month. If you or a family member or
  household visitor has had the flu or diarrhea, you might want to step up the
  cleaning. 


• Use the right cleanser when tackling bathroom germs. Experts agree that the
  best household disinfectant is a 10% bleach solution (that means mixing one
  part bleach with nine parts water). Avoid buying already-watery "bleach
  blends." 


• Pay special attention to the toilet bowl. "That's where all the
  excretions go," says Tierno. "A biofilm grows after just a few hours
  with any germ, even normal flora, which can allow household pathogens to
  survive even with chlorine tablets in the water. So scrub that bowl with soap,
  disinfectant, and a brush once a week." Let the bleach sit on the bowl and
  seat surface for a good 10 minutes before rinsing with soapy water, adds
  Duberg. 


• Keep shower walls and floors free of mold and mildew. "Shower curtains
  should have a liner on the inside that's changed every three to six months,
  depending on how well you're cleaning," says Tierno. 


• For spot cleaning bathroom germs, keep either a spray bottle of 10% bleach
  solution, or packaged cleaning wipes like Lysol or Clorox, within arm's reach
  in every bathroom. 


• Don't reuse sponges, which can harbor bacteria themselves and leave
  surfaces more germy than when you started. "Instead, buy cheap disposable
  sponges or use old towels or clothes as rags," says
  Duberg. 

• Wash your hands thoroughly after using the toilet and before brushing your
  teeth.


• Close the toilet lid when you flush. "Flushing aerosolizes all the
  organisms found in feces, and there are 3.2 million microbes per square inch of
  toilet bowl," says Duberg. That means that when you flush with the lid up,
  it's like pressing the nozzle on a spray canister full of infectious
  organisms.


• Discard toothbrushes after you've been sick.


• Use disposable bathroom cups instead of glasses.

By Gina Shaw
Reviewed by Brunilda Nazario
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