Living with someone either for the first time, or you’re a veteran with flat sharing, sharing a bathroom can be an interesting experience. It depends on the type of flatmates you are sharing with, but for many people living together, it can get a bit messy – both in terms of boundaries and items scattered all over the place. You both use the same toilet paper, wash both your faces in the same sink, brush your teeth, make-up, gel, getting ready for parties – you nearly use your bathroom for everything.
You may be the best of friends, but there are some things you should just never share when it comes to the bathroom. Sharing lipgloss can lead to spreading cold sores. Bars of soap can be a war of germs. Putting the toilet toothbrush away into the cabinet. Leaving makeup on the counter. A toilet bowl itself can hold over 500 million bacteria cells. However, we do have to share these things! You can’t keep everything sterilized all the time, just incorporating some simple hygienic tricks can ensure both yourself and your flatmate can live with a clean bathroom.
1. Beware of the toothbrushes
We know we don’t have to point out to you not to share toothbrushes, but as mentioned above, you may have been wondering why we need to be careful where we store them. It’s stated that it’s not good to put a toothbrush back into the cabinet. Why? If your toothbrush isn’t cleaned properly and is still wet between washes, then you’ve increased your chances of getting sick by bacteria infection.
Tip: The American Dental Association has recommended using a single vertical toothbrush holder for your toothbrush (not your flatmates). Doing this will ensure your toothbrush is always clean and no bad business in heading into your mouth when cleansing.
2. Sharing shower gear is more gross than you think
It sounds ridiculous, but sharing something as simple as a bar of soap can be the breeding ground for bacteria. In a study dating back 10 years ago, an experiment to show the spread of bacteria in a single bar of soap showed hundreds of microorganisms which can lead to infection and ultimately illness.
Tip: Use a liquid soap dispenser. That way, you don’t need to have two separate soap bars and can use one liquid soap jar for everything.
Also, sharing a towel can lead to getting pink eye. You most likely have your own towel, but if not, here’s a reason to consider (even when you are at the beach).
3. Be careful with sharing makeup
You’re about to head to town with your girlfriends, and your girlfriends love the eyeshadow and lipstick you are wearing (or always wearing). But guess what, sharing makeup can be an easy way to spread disease like conjunctivitis. Products like eyeshadow can also lead to Pinkeye, which may prevent you on your social life (or you could put more makeup on? Sorry, bad suggestion).
Tip: As much as you and your girlfriends are besties, it’s suggested to not share your makeup and put it into an airtight tupperware container and stored away in the cabinet. Make sure it’s not on bathroom window in direct sunlight, this can affect the makeup.
4. Rigorous cleaning every so often
Stating the obvious, you need to clean your bathroom regularly. Sure, life can get really busy (trust me, I feel your pain), but if there’s anything that needs to be a priority on your ‘to-do list- of things needed to be done around the apartment, cleaning your bathroom should be close to the top.
Tip: Aside from the obvious items to clean like the toilet bowl, wiping the sink of leftover toothpaste and hair and cleaning the cabinets from dust, there are some other things needed to be cleansed. The shower curtain can build up in soap scum and fungi, so take it outside and hose it down. Bleaching the shower/bath will also kill most of the germs.
(Head image: ljhooker.com.au)
