Most of us claim to know the importance of hygiene and cleanliness, but what we’re leaving dirty would surprise you…
Exfoliating Gloves
Exfoliating gloves are used in the shower, meaning after a body scrub-down they are often left warm and wet; unfortunately, these conditions are the perfect breeding ground for bacteria. Not only do you need to ensure your dead skin cells are thoroughly removed from your gloves, you need to watch out for bacteria too!
Be sure to rinse the glove with soapy water after each use and then hang up to dry.
Make-up Brushes
Almost all of us carry the staphylococcus bacteria on our skin – meaning it’s more than likely to be on our make-up brushes, sponges and applicators too!
This bacteria can cause spots, rashes, infection or skin irritation.
And the worst case scenario? There has been a reported case of paralysis from MRSA when the bacteria entered a young woman’s bloodstream from an open cut/skin sore on her face.
Experts and dermatologists recommend you wash your makeup brushes with warm soapy water ideally after each use (or at least once a week).
Bras
We’ve all got that one favourite bra that we like to wear over and over – however what we don’t realise is sweat and oils produced by our skin throughout the day can harbour bacteria which goes straight onto our bra.
Said bacteria can cause irritation, rashes and infection – to combat this, experts recommend you wash your bra after every third use. (It goes without saying that sports bras need to be worn on a strictly wash and wear basis!)
Steering Wheels
We touch these every single day, but when was the last time we washed ours?! And it gets worse…according to a recent study conducted by Queen Mary University, our steering wheels are nine times dirtier than public toilet seats – Yuk.
Seeing as many of us eat, drink, floss or apply make-up whilst behind the wheel, it makes all the more sense to keep a pack of anti-bacterial wipes handy on your dashboard to give your steering wheel a daily wipe-down – you could even stretch to the gearbox, radio buttons and dashboard too!
Toothbrushes
You may think these get washed every time you brush your teeth – but a recent survey carried out by the American Society of Microbiology revealed that the majority of toothbrushes (especially in communal bathrooms) are contaminated with faecal matter, E-coli bacteria and Staph. This gets particularly bad the closer the toothbrush is to the toilet, so experts recommend you store them as far away as possible from the loo!
Gym Water Bottles
A lot of us are guilty of getting home from the gym and simply giving our water bottles a quick rinse and refill before hitting the shower. And what’s wrong with that?
Well, according to experts, gym bottles harbour twice as much bacteria as a public toilet; and since you’re going to be putting these near to your mouth, a thorough clean with soap and water after each use is well-worth the extra 5 minutes effort!
Dustbins
Last but by no means least, we have a question for you – when was the last time you washed your bin? Whether it’s an outdoor bin or an indoor one, both of these probably see the majority of filth and dirt out of everything on this list.
Indoor bins should be wiped down with soapy water each time the bin bag is changed. For outdoor black bins, you can either opt to do the cleaning yourself of use one of the many bin cleaning services popping up all over London – the cost ranged from £2-£5 per clean.
