Despite how regularly you clean your bathroom, it will always be the dirtiest place in your home. Simply put, it’s where you use the toilet and take a shower so it’s a breeding ground for bacteria. But you might be surprised to learn that the dirtiest item in your bathroom isn’t your toilet – it’s actually a common shower essential that you probably use every day.
Recent studies have found that loofahs that are staples in most bathrooms are hiding a huge amount of bacteria. Unlike your toilet or sink, loofahs tend to stay wet and sit in warm and humid conditions after you’ve used them which makes them a hotbed for bacteria and microbes.
To find out more, I spoke to Martin Smith, founder of Showers to You to find out just how unhygienic loofahs are and how to keep them clean.
Why is my loofah so dirty?
Research has shown that once a loofah gets wet, skin debris and bacteria sits inside it and can become contaminated over time. Let’s face it, many people think that as a loofah is something that washes them, it doesn’t need to be cleaned itself which is very wrong – this is also why some people don’t change or wash their towel as often as they should.
If you leave your loofah wet and warm, it can harbour bacteria like E. coli, Staphylococcus, Pseudomonas and Streptococcus. These types of bacteria thrive in damp shower conditions and can cause you discomfort, including skin irritation and infections.
3 tips for keeping your loofah clean
The first tip Smith recommends is to limit the use of your loofah to once or twice a week rather than daily. The reason for this is it gives “your skin a chance to recover and reduces the opportunities for bacteria to thrive.”
After you’ve used your loofah, it’s important to rinse it thoroughly and hang it somewhere to air dry. Rinsing your loofah will remove soap residue and dead skin, and air drying it outside of your bathroom will limit the amount of bacterial and fungal growth it attracts.
Smith also suggests disinfecting your loofah from time to time. Doing this kills off bacteria that’s still clinging to it which makes it more hygienic to use on your skin. Smith says you can do this by soaking your loofah in a vinegar solution, but you can also pop it in your washing machine. It’s encouraged that you put your loofah in its own laundry bag to get the best results and to air dry it rather than putting it in the tumble dryer.
Smith states these loofah cleaning tips are “the only way to keep bacteria under control”. He goes on to say that “you can switch to something safer like silicone scrubbers, exfoliating gloves, washcloths or quick-dry body brushes.” These give the same exfoliating benefits as a loofah but with less of a hygiene risk.
For more bathroom cleaning tips, check out why your bath mat is dirtier than you might think.
