What is a normal bathroom habit? Which bathroom habit is dangerous for you? These are questions that keep lingering in the minds of many people as we all want to maintain the best bathroom habits for better bathroom health.
A bathroom is an important place in your house: you start your day in the bathroom, you wash all the dirt away there, it brings you relief but there are different activities we do that are not proper. In this article, we will be revealing and discussing some of these 8 bathroom habits you should stop.
1. Using your phone in the bathroom
In society today we use our phones or smart devices for everything, from online shopping to checking work emails. So it’s not shocking that we almost do not have a minute in our day that is free from technology, not even when we go to the bathroom, this bathroom habit is one that we have eaten deep into human actions and is not even seen as a conscious action.
It’s so easy to make use of a free few minutes on the loo to browse through Facebook, seems harmless enough, doesn’t it? But consider how many germs are crawling around your bathroom, particularly the sink. Bacteria, such as fungi and yeast can be habitant on toilet seats, window ledges, and even the floor. So when you are in the process of washing your hands, you’re laying your phone down into a mass of those germs. When you pick your phone up, those bacteria transfer back onto your hand and before you know it, you’re touching your face or using the same hand to eat a bowl of the meal. To prevent those germs out of your system, keep your phone out of the bathroom.
It is `also common among most people to use their phones in the toilet for a very long time, as it is said that your mobile phone is a very interesting device and as such has the ability to keep people engrossed for a long period. Most people believe that it’s fun to use your phone on the toilet, especially when having your quiet time on the toilet but a long sitting on the toilet seat can make you inhale a large number of unwanted air into your lungs which could cause diseases to your body.
2. Hanging your wet towel in the bathroom
It’s vital that once used, your wet towel should be hung to dry. However, how you go about this could have a damaging health impact on how germ-infested your neat towel becomes and this could make you vulnerable to diseases and toilet illnesses. Hanging a wet towel on a hook allows bacteria to habit to your towel surface and the perfect conditions for bacteria to grow, and reproduce in the trapped moisture between the creases and folds of your newly used towel. To avoid this bathroom habit you should always spread your wet towel outside in the sunlight for the heat to do its work of killing bacteria.
3. Peeing while taking a shower
Peeing in the shower might feel like a very proper and even environmentally-friendly bathroom habit to do while taking a bath. However, this activity has the possibility of making your brain associate running water with the urge to pee. And anytime you hear water, this association of water with pee might make you want to pee. The brain has a memory unit of the body that can store actions and daily routines which we undergo and in situations where these activities become habitual, the body continues to process them as normal. So when you pee while in the shower your body adjusts the use of water as related to peeing, this bathroom habit is more psychological than medical and can be corrected.
4. Using soap to wash your hands
Soap destroys all germs. When you wash your hands with soap, you probably think that you’re fighting germs. But actually, soap has a side effect, it just helps the germs come off your hands, germs stay alive and travel through your pipes with water. So if your purpose is to destroy germs better use a hand sanitizer. By the way, if all of your family members are washing their hands with one bar of soap, it’s not as healthy as it might seem. If your soap always stays wet, it becomes a great breeding ground for lots of harmful bacteria. So using liquid soap is a healthier option and a better bathroom habit.
5. Sharing Toothbrush
Sharing one toothbrush is a romantic fault, this is one bathroom habit that most people in a relationship practice as a way of showing their trust and love for each other. This is insane and should not be practiced. The human mouth contains saliva which houses numerous germs and bacteria which when mixed with blood through brush can be the easiest way to transmit infection and diseases even STDs.
So if you are part of the regular “lover birds” who find it worth sharing toothbrushes, you risk getting an infection. Don’t allow anyone to use your toothbrush, even if it’s your dearest significant other, the gums of the owner of the brush might be unhealthy, for example, which means that all bacteria and viruses will remain on the brush. When you share one toothbrush, all this toxic stuff travels from one mouth to another. So make sure to replace the toothbrush at least every three months and disinfected it every two weeks.
6. Using air fresheners
Today whether you want your toilet to smell like a sea breeze lavender field or a cherry blossom, you’ll see plenty of choices on the shelves of supermarkets to satisfy your tastes. But over the past decade, scientists have been studying the effects of household chemicals on people’s health and found that not all typical air fresheners aren’t safe for your health, it is not a proper bathroom habit to use fragrances or air fresheners in the toilet.
A small content of toxic ingredients from these products may cause a negative impact even if it’s not immediately obvious. That’s why you need to ventilate your bathroom if your spray fragrance is there. To clear your lungs after using an air freshener, you may want to take a brief walk outdoors or open a window and let the fresh area. Experts recommend using natural ways to freshen up your home like brewing aromatic herbs or purchasing a special diffuser that can efficiently remove the bad odor from the bathroom.
7. Leaving the toilet seat lid open
Leaving the toilet lid open is not a big deal apart from it being unethical not to close the lid when you’ve done your business, It can also be pretty harmful. You don’t see it. But when you flush the toilet with a lid open, small droplets of water spray out of the bowl covering everything in the three feet diameter. And that water isn’t exactly clean, you know, the dirty droplets end up on you standing there too. So when you flush you also get an unwanted shower. The proper way to do it is to put down the seat, close the lid and only then push the button to flush.
8. Use still water to wash your hands
It is usually a common practice for most people to use still water to wash their hands. The practice is not a good bathroom habit. Keeping hands clean is one of the most crucial processes we can take to avoid getting sick and spreading diseases and germs to others. Many illnesses and conditions are contracted because of not washing hands with soap and running water. According to a study, it is recommended to clean hands in a specific way to avoid getting sick and spreading germs to others and this includes using running water rather than still water. So when you want to wash your hands, remember to keep the water running as you wash to properly wash away germs and dirt.
Conclusion
Eating a healthy diet, exercising and regular sleep is very paramount to your body’s health. But it is also necessary for us to remember and put into consideration our bathroom habits, it is as important as dieting because whatever you do in the bathroom has a way of affecting your body’s well-being. especially when it becomes a bathroom habit. Always practice a healthy lifestyle even in the bathroom, and take note of your body. Remember your health is your wealth!!!
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