22 bathroom mistakes you never knew you made

These seemingly harmless bathroom habits may impact your personal health and hygiene from washing your face incorrectly to sitting on the toilet too long.

Faecal matter and urine can fly as far as 1.8 metres away from the toilet bowl during each flush, according to Charles Gerba, a microbiologist. Close the lid before you flush to keep those gross particles in your toilet and out of the air.

Here are 10 more ways you’re using the toilet all wrong. 

Many “flushable” wipes aren’t as toilet-friendly as they claim to be. In fact, tests conducted by Consumer Reports showed that some personal cleansing wipes still couldn’t break down in the water after ten minutes compared to regular toilet paper which disintegrated within seconds. These “flushable” wipes have been well known for clogging sewer systems in major cities. Other toiletries that should never be flushed down the toilet include: sanitary napkins, tampons, condoms, band-aids and dental floss.

A recipe for tangled knots includes shampooing a pile of wet hair on top of your head, especially in people who have long hair. The best way to shampoo is to lather your hair in its natural position, whether that’s straight down your back for long hair or flat on your head for close-cropped hair, to give you softer, smoother locks.

Earwax may be gross, but it’s your eardrum’s best natural defence against dust and dirt. Chewing and talking help your jaw move the wax from your inner ear outward. But the moment you shove a cotton bud in your ear canal, you undo all of your body’s hard work! Cotton buds push the wax back into your ear where it can get stuck. Limit your swabbing to just the external crevices of your ear and leave your ear canals alone.

Some people like to use their toilet time to catch up on a good book or scroll through their phone. But there is a common health risk associated with sitting on the ceramic throne for too long: haemorrhoids. The seated position places a lot of pressure on the veins in your lower rectum which can swell or bulge and cause haemorrhoids. The most common symptom of haemorrhoids is rectal bleeding but you may experience itchiness or discomfort around the rectal area. Fortunately, haemorrhoids typically clear up within a week. Just remember that the toilet isn’t the time or place for “me” time.

Along with your mobile phone – especially if you take it to the toilet with you – here are 11 germ-spreading items you’re probably carrying around right now. 

Moist things like your washcloth are the perfect paradise for bacteria to latch onto. The only surefire way to keep bacteria at bay is to grab a new washcloth before you wash your face each time. If a new washcloth seems a bit excessive for your daily routine, use your hands to scrub your face. And make sure you switch your towel out every couple of days too. Damp towels also harbour lots of bacteria.

This is why dermatologists never use a loofah – and you shouldn’t either. 

One study said that pathogenic organisms may be hiding out on bar soap during and after use, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). But research shows that the bacteria from a soap bar are unlikely to transfer onto your hands. Just to be safe, you should always rinse your bar soap under running water to wash away the germs before lathering up and store the soap in a dry place to keep the bacteria away since they love moist environments.

Don’t miss these 23 subtle ways your home may be making you sick. 

Heating your bath, sink and tiles just five degrees above the normal air temperature “doubles the effectiveness” of alkaline cleansers, Jenny Botero, resident manager of Crystal Gateway Marriott told hgtv.com. For the best results, fill your bath or sink with the hottest water you can run from the tap. Let the piping hot water sit for a few minutes before you start scrubbing and cleaning surfaces.

Learn more about the best ways to clean the most popular room in the house. 

Toothbrushes should be stored about 1.2 metres or more from the toilet because, as noted above, faecal matter and urine can propel from the toilet bowl when you flush with the lid open. The sink is another area that’s off-limits, since soap and dirty water can splash onto your toothbrush. It’s recommended you store toothbrushes separately in an upright position in a dry area to prevent the risk of harbouring bacteria and cross-contamination with other toothbrushes.

There’s no need to scorch your hands with hot water to kill germs anymore when studies show that lukewarm and cold water work just as effectively. Researchers from Vanderbilt University in the US found that cold water did just as well as hot water at reducing levels of bacteria when people scrubbed, rinsed and dried their hands properly. The study authors also noted that you’d need to wash your hands in boiling water at a whopping 100 degrees Celsius in order to notice any significantly greater reduction in pathogens. Plus, hot water dries your skin out more than cold and lukewarm water does.

Make sure you wash your hands immediately after touching these 10 things.

Another risk factor for haemorrhoids is pushing too hard when you’re constipated. The harder you push, the more pressure you’re placing on the veins in your rectum, which may also lead to anal fissures, tiny tears in the lining of your anus. Try squatting for a few seconds instead of straining. Squatting naturally aligns your intestinal tract to help move things along with less effort. Or if that doesn’t work, pop a laxative to soften your stool.

Learn more about controlling constipation.

Twenty seconds is all it takes to give your hands a proper scrubbing with soap and water, according to the CDC. But at least 95 percent of people don’t wash their hands long enough to effectively kill germs based on a university study. The average hand-washing time was less than half of the CDC’s recommendation – only six seconds. Need a clever way to keep track of time? Sing the “Happy Birthday” song twice to give you the perfect amount of time to properly clean your hands.

Learn why you need to worry about hand sanitiser. 

Researchers from the University of Manchester found about 10 million germs like E.coli on the average toothbrush. That’s icky bacteria no one wants to put in their mouth! It’s important to rinse your toothbrush well after each use and occasionally soak it in a cup of vinegar for about 30 minutes to get rid of any leftover bacteria. And make sure you replace your toothbrush every three months.

Follow these additional tips to say goodbye to bad breath for good. 

The number one rule of wiping: Less is more. One or two wipes are usually all you need to clean yourself up after using the toilet. But wiping too much can irritate your anus and cause small abrasions that trigger inflammation and itch. If more than one wipe won’t suffice, switch to wet toilet paper or an unscented baby wipe to decrease the irritation and friction from wiping.

Head here to solve that great toilet paper debate… should the roll go over or under?

Aggressively scrubbing your skin with a washcloth or a loofah can remove the skin’s natural protective barrier. Instead, gently glide a cotton baby washcloth over the skin with as little rubbing as possible. Even using your hand to wash your body is good enough. Just be sure to switch out your loofah or washcloth regularly to avoid bacteria build-up.

Here are 9 things you need to know about eczema – especially if you have it. 

It may be disgusting to think about but urine and faecal matter does build up and leaves behind a grimy residue behind your toilet that is hard to scrub clean. Roll up some paper towels and dip them in an antibacterial cleaner. While you face the front of the toilet, “floss” the back of it. Let the cleaning solution sit for a few minutes then “floss” again with a dry paper towel. And voilà, you’re done!

Most people apply conditioner throughout the body of their hair and skip their scalp. It’s important to condition your hair from root to tip because conditioner helps hydrate your scalp to prevent it from itching and flaking.

You can really dry out your skin if you use a bar soap without any kind of moisturising agent. When buying, look for soap with stearic acid listed under the ingredients or the word “moisturising” on the label.

Toilet germs and moisture breed and multiply every time you put a toilet brush back into its holder right after each use. Let the brush dry completely after you’ve finished cleaning the toilet bowl so you’re not scrubbing the same bacteria back into your toilet the next time you use it.

Steal these 20 secrets from people who never get sick. 

The best way to clean your smile is to hold your toothbrush at a 45-degree angle upward for your top row of teeth and downward for the bottom set. This angle is optimal for cleaning under the gum line where plaque often hides. As you brush, gently guide the toothbrush in small circles. This technique is not necessary for electronic toothbrushes since they’re designed to go straight on your teeth.

Before you step out of the shower, make sure you’ve completely rinsed off all the soap and shampoo. Lingering products on the skin can lead to irritation and clogged pores, which can cause acne. If your skin is “bacne” (pimples on your back) prone, tilt your head to the side as you rinse your hair to allow the shampoo and conditioner to run into the drain instead of down your back.

Aggressively rubbing your body from head to toe with a towel removes some of the lipids, proteins and fatty acids that protect your skin from irritation. The best tactic for drying off is to pat your body dry to maintain that barrier.

Sign up here to get Reader’s Digest’s favourite stories straight to your inbox!

Source: RD.com