Germs in your bathroom

Germs on Faucet Handles 

Bathroom faucet handles are germ-catchers. According to a survey by the Hygiene Council, faucet handles carried more than 6,000 bacteria per square inch.

Fix it:  "Regularly clean your faucet handles with a disinfectant cleaner spray at least once per week," suggests Charles Gerba, PhD, professor of soil, water and environmental science at the University of Arizona, who has researched microbes extensively. 

Germs in Toilet Bowl

Would it surprise you to learn that the toilet is the winner for the most germs? Probably not. The Hygiene Council survey finds the toilet bowl (but not the seat) with 3.2 million bacteria per square inch. But would you believe they found that a kitchen cutting board has 200 times more fecal bacteria than a toilet seat?

Fix it: Toilet bowl germs develop a biofilm, which is a slimy layer that when bacteria attach to a surface such as the bowl. Clean  that film with your chlorine bleach and water solution.

Germs in Your Bathtub:

Around the drain of the bathtub is nearly 120,000 bacteria per square inch, according to calculations made in the Hygiene Council Survey.

Fix it: Give your bathtub a cleaning with a store bought bath cleaner or a chlorine-water cleaning solution made up at home.

Germs in Your Shower Curtain

The germs in the soap scum that collects on your shower curtain is  Sphingomonas and Methylobacterium bacteria,says Norman Pace, PhD, professor of molecular, cellular and developmental biology, University of Colorado.

They found an abundance of Sphingomonas and Methylobacterium bacteria on shower curtains that were older than 6 months old, these germs pose a problem for people who are immune-compromised, such as those who are HIV positive, or who have other diseases that make them prone to infections.

Fix it: Regular cleaning or replacement of the curtains is advised.