Common Bathroom Habits That May Be Wreaking Havoc On Your Health – What You Need To Know
A UK study revealed that over the course of one person's life they're likely to spend about 92 days of it on the toilet. So it's pretty safe to say we're spending a lot of our time in the bathroom. Naturally, you want to make sure that what you're doing in there isn't going to accumulate and result in negative consequences for your health. But as it turns out, it's very likely it might.
Here are some incredibly common bathroom habits that we've all probably done or are still doing that are actually pretty bad for us. Ditch these if you're looking to improve your overall health and not let your bathroom time damage your well-being. Keep reading to learn more.
Never Leave Your Toothbrush On The Counter
It's easy to use your toothbrush and then place it on the counter, but in many bathrooms, this makes it vulnerable to picking up fecal matter particles. Since most of us have toilets in the same area as our toothbrushes, what you want to aim to do is store your toothbrushes as far away from the toilet as possible.
Store your toothbrush in a cabinet or in a cup in the farthest corner of the bathroom from the toilet. That way it's less likely it'll pick up any nasty bacteria in the air.
You're Skipping Body Parts In The Shower
An ideal shower consists of you actually washing everything and getting it clean, right? But what really happens is that we do our best and end up missing the same body parts over and over again. This can cause unwanted bacteria, oil, and dead skin cells to build up which can lead to acne, smells, or an overall "icky" feeling.
So next time you're in the shower make sure you hit these commonly missed places like behind the ears, the middle and lower back, bottoms of your feet, your scalp, and fingernails.
Washing Your Hands In Hot Water Does More Harm Than Good
There's an old myth that washing your hands in hot water is the only real surefire way to kill off bacteria, and that's really not true. The only real temperature of water that can kill bacteria off is boiling, and if you tried to wash your hands in that you'd burn them.
Coldwater does just as good a job of getting bacteria off as hot water does, so just use that instead. Plus, hot water actually strips your skin of its natural oils and actually dries out your hands more, so cold water really is just better.
Don't Sit On The Toilet For Forever
After a long day, we all like to go home and use toilet time to relax and catch up on the world. Maybe it's some mindless scrolling through our phones or reading the newspaper, but it can actually be pretty bad for your nether regions.
The toilet position actually puts a lot of pressure on the rectal veins which can lead to bulges and hemorrhoids. So keep toilet time to a minimum if you want to look ahead and save your behind.
Flushing The Toilet While The Lid Is Up
Even though you may want to watch and see what happens when you flush... it's actually better if you really didn't. When you flush the toilet with the lid up it creates something called "toilet plume" which is the airborne fecal matter mixed with water that shoots up into the air after a flush. It can shoot feces up to 15 feet in the air which is a fact I'm sorry you have to know now.
Avoid the whole disgusting thing that is toilet plume and just close the lid when you flush. It'll keep your air cleaner and you won't be stuck inhaling a bunch of nasty stuff.
Wet Wipes Aren't "Flushable"
Even though wet wipes feel a lot gentler on the behind than toilet paper, you're actually doing your bathroom a disservice if you keep using them. Even though many wet wipes are marketed as "flushable" the reality is that they're not. Wet wipes don't dissolve in water like toilet paper so they build up in sewer pipes.
The blockages created by wet wipes cost cities a ton of taxpayer money to repair and clean. Even though that doesn't directly affect your health, when your taxes take an unavoidable jump because of your wet wipe usage your blood pressure will too.
Rinse Your Soap Bar To Stop Bacteria Buildup
Bar soap is a common and greener alternative to using liquid hand soap, but what you may not know is that there are a ton of bacteria living on the surface of your bar of soap. While most of these won't give you an infection or irritate your skin unless you have a weak immune system, it's still not a great thing to have living on something that's supposed to make your hands cleaner.
The best thing you can do is rinse your bar of soap after each use to prevent bacteria from sticking to it and make sure there's not a ton of extra water sitting in the soap dish.
Cotton Swabs Are No Good For Your Ears
You've probably heard this advice before, but it's so important that it's worth sharing again. Cotton swabs actually press the earwax deeper into your ear and compacts it which makes it harder to remove eventually. The worst-case scenario of using them is that you accidentally slip and it goes through your eardrum which can cause hearing loss.
To remove earwax without accidentally doing yourself some serious damage, drip a few drops of warm water or baby oil into your ear to loosen the wax.
You're Using Bacteria-Ridden Washcloths To Clean Your Face
With any towel, washcloth, or brush you're using to clean your face from makeup or oils, there's always going to be bacteria on it thriving and multiplying in that moist environment. Even though that techy spin brush claims to give your skin a deep clean, it's always going to end up depositing acne-causing bacteria onto your skin.
Instead of using extra tools, just rely on your hands to wash your face. A soft lathering motion with clean hands will remove all the oil and grime you want it to without putting extra bacteria onto its surface.
Wash And Replace Your Toothbrush
After you've washed the bacteria off your teeth and tongue a lot of it goes down the drain with your toothpaste, but some of it stays behind on your moist toothbrush to grow. That's why it's essential to wash your toothbrush every once in a while, especially during cold and flu season.
You can soak your toothbrush in antibacterial mouthwash to kill off any bacteria. After that, make sure you replace your toothbrush every three months to make sure you're not holding onto any lingering bacteria.
Your Hair Is Tangled Because Of Your Shampooing Methods
When we were younger we were so excited for bath-time because that meant we could spike our hair up into mohawks with soap. But when you start growing out your hair you'll quickly realize that the shampooing methods that you're using might be doing more harm to your hair than good.
Piling your hair on top of your head and then shampooing it is a good way to create tangles and knots in your hair. Instead, let it fall naturally to stop those annoying tangles from messing with your hair texture and strength.
You're Pushing... Too Hard
Toilet time is supposed to be relaxing and not a race. That's why you should never go for gold and push as hard as you can because the only thing you'll win is health problems. Hemorrhoids and hernias can be caused by you pushing way too hard, and we all know that pain isn't worth the extra minute or two you're saving.
If you're constipated, a better method of feeling relief is to buy one of those stools that help you get a better posture for bathroom activities. That and a better diet will help you go more regularly.
You're Not Washing Your Hands Long Enough To Get Them Clean
It may seem like a lot, but the CDC recommends that you wash your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds to get rid of the dirt and bacteria living on them. To put that number in perspective, most people only wash their hands for six seconds.
That's not nearly enough time for you to work up a good lather and get to all the areas of your hands that have bacteria on them. A good way to keep track of time is to sing happy birthday in your head.
You Really Don't Need To Scrub That Hard In The Shower
When we're stressed, anxious, or angry after a long day, we have a tendency to take it out on our bodies. This can lead to us scrubbing way too hard in the shower with our loofah or washcloth. While this removes dirt, it also takes with it a layer of natural oils that your skin produces.
This can leave your skin way too dry which can cause wrinkles, excessive oil production, and acne. So just remember to make gentle lathering circles on your body because you're not a car at a carwash.
You're Skimping On The Scalp Conditioning
A lot of hair experts say that you should be concentrating your conditioning efforts at the ends of your hair where it needs it the most. However, your scalp also needs to be hydrated too. If you forgo scalp conditioning altogether you could be left with a dry, flaky scalp and thinning hair.
Instead of only conditioning your ends, a good idea is to condition the ends with about a marble's worth of conditioner and your scalp about a dime's worth. That way you're not wasting product and your scalp is getting the moisture it needs.
You're Brushing In A Horizontal Line
What most people misunderstand about brushing their teeth is that plaque removal isn't really about the force that you brush them with, but it's about the places you brush them. That being said, one of the most common brushing placement mistakes is brushing aggressively side to side.
This motion can cause your gums to recede and expose more of the tooth's root. This can lead to food getting trapped there and causing cavities, oversensitivity, and can eventually lead to you needing a gum graft which can be painful.
You're Brushing Your Hair While It's Wet
This is a major no-no, especially if you have thin or damaged hair. When we get out of the shower it can be tempting to deal with the tangles immediately and roughly by brushing them out. However, your hair is extremely weak when it's wet so running a brush through the tangles can cause breakages in your hair both at the root and in the body of your hair.
What you should do instead if you want to keep your hair you know, on your head, is run your fingers through the tangles or use a wide-tooth comb to get rid of tangles.
You're Keeping That Razor For Too Long
Not only does not replacing your razor for a long time mean that it gets duller, but your shave also gets less close every time. Doctors recommend that you should be changing your blade after a few uses, aka when it starts to dull, nick, or rust.
A rusty blade is caused by moisture in the air and promotes bacteria growth on the blade. What's more, shaving with a bacteria-filled blade can leave razor bumps behind which are itchy, uncomfortable, and potential entry points for infection-causing bacteria.
