If you spend hours cleaning your bathroom several times a week, you’re wasting a whole lot of time according to one molecular virology expert.
Put the bleach down, as researcher Emma Harding has shared that using soapy water to clean your bathroom just once a week is more than enough.
The pro told 9Honey Living: “Soapy water is very effective at killing a wide range of microbes, so your regular cleaning can be done with that.”
If stuff does start getting grottier than soapy water can handle, Harding advises using disinfectant once a month.
In terms of what needs cleaning the most, the expert says that “high-touch surfaces” such as taps and showers should be the priority.
However, there is one non-negotiable – when it comes to cleaning your bathroom, the toilet is an essential.
Harding adds that if anyone in your household is unwell it is crucial to give your entire toilet and bathroom a thorough scrub when they’ve recovered to stop anyone else catching the bug.
Want to keep bugs at bay? It’s all about how you flush the loo after you’ve done your business, according to the expert.
“The bathroom is one of the dirtiest places in the house, especially if it has the toilet in the same room,” Harding explains.
“As a general rule, always flush with the lid down to prevent particles from escaping the toilet bowl and settling elsewhere.”
When you flush the toilet with the lid open, a delightful plume of germs fly out of your loo and settle on the surfaces in your bathroom.
That plume includes nasty poo and wee particles that can carry everything from E. coli to Covid-19 – so it’s really important you shut that lid before you flush.