You'll Never Believe What the Dirtiest Surface in Your Bathroom Is
You’re gonna want to start scrubbing Cinderella-style when you find out what it is. (Photo: Shutterstock)
Germs love to hang out and party in your bathroom, that much you already know. You also know that flushing with the lid down and changing your toothbrush on the regular are as important as your post-pee hand scrubbing ritual. But what’s the bathroom surface you need to focus your attention (and spray cleaner) on most?
That would be the floor, says Joan L. Slonczewski, Ph.D., microbiologist and professor of biology at Kenyon College in Ohio. The amount of bacteria found on bathroom floor varies depending on level of traffic, cleaning habits, and how your throne is…er, handled. “Right after the floor’s cleaned, there might be less than a thousand bacteria per square centimeter, but an hour later there might be a million if the toilet has sprayed,” says Slonczewski. Oh. Em. Gee.
Related: Are You Covering Yourself in Germs Every Time You Flush the Toilet?
Not only is the floor the largest bathroom surface, but it tends to be the most overlooked. Between the dirt we carry in from outside, our hair-shedding skills, damp bathmats, and beauty product residue, it’s no wonder it’s such a popular hangout for germs.
Some of the more common bacteria found on bathroom floors include staphylococcus, which is found on our skin, and coliforms, which are found in our intestines, says Joe Rubino, director of microbiology at RB, the makers of Lysol. Also found: E. coli, one of the more evil poop-related bacteria, which can cause cramping and diarrhea.
Related: Why You Really, Really Need to Swap Out Your Toothbrush More Often
A 2014 study published in the journal Applied and Environmental Microbiology found that roughly 68 to 98 percent of bacteria cultures in bathrooms were either skin-related or tracked in from outside—at the most, 15 percent was fecal bacteria. While they found viruses linked to bacteria in “unexpectedly low” concentrations, that’s no reason to put cleaning that floor of yours on the back-burner. Bacteria most likely to cause disease can be spread from someone who recently went number two, says Slonczewski, and you can pick up these germs on your hands or from the toilet flushing, which aerosolizes up to several feet away. Seriously, why chance it?
Related: Why Y'all REALLY Need to Wash Your Sheets More Often
So what’s a girl gotta do to get a clean floor? Since bacteria loves moisture, your best bet is to prevent dampness from accumulating, says Debra Johnson, a Merry Maids home cleaning expert. Put your dirty clothes in a hamper instead of on the floor, place wet towels on a rack to dry, and dry yourself off in the shower to keep your bathmat and floor moisture-free.
Wash your floor a minimum of once a week by giving it a thorough wipe-down with a trusty bathroom cleaner—or even better, use a steamer. “The steamer leaves no product residue, and the temperature sanitizes the floor better than traditional mopping,” says Johnson. She also recommends scrubbing the grout at least once a year. It’s labor-intensive but well worth it.
By Krissy Brady
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