By , Lily Puckett for Teen Vogue
Published June 02, 2016
Your bathroom is a sanctuary of cleanliness— in theory, at least. But as the place we generally start and end our days, it’s bound to get less than pristine. Sure, we’re all doing our best to keep it clean, and regular spritzes of bleach or white vinegar help, but without regular deep cleans, your bathroom might be getting, well, kind of disgusting.
Fear not. We’ve rounded up the most likely forgotten spots in your bathroom, and we’re ready to tackle them. A world without the possibility of a bubble bath is a world no one wants to live in, so take some time to make sure you’re keeping everything up to snuff.
1.) The shower curtain
It’s there to keep water from getting out, but all that trapped-in moisture can lead to mildew and mold. Spray it down with bleach or white vinegar every day to keep it from getting disgusting, and make sure to give it an actual wash in a washing machine every few weeks (or when you notice it getting gross).
Related: 14 Fun Facts About Boobs You Probably Didn't Know
2.) The walls
Taking a long, hot shower as a way of sauna-ing it up at home is one of life’s greatest luxuries (as long as you’re not doing it too often because, hello, water waste), but all that moisture trapped in the bathroom is also a great way for mold to grow on the walls. Make sure you keep an eye out for mold and clean it as soon as you see it.
3.) Your shower mat
Like your shower curtain, the reason for the shower mat’s entire existence is to soak up water. A damp mat makes for a great bacteria and mold-breeding ground, so make sure to throw it in the laundry once a week if you can— you can do a separate rinse if you don’t want it in with the rest of your clothes. For a plastic or non-washable mat, you can still use laundry detergent, but you’ll just need to wash it by hand.
Related: Get Amazing Abs Without a Single Crunch
4.) Your hand towel
Here's another item in your bathroom that consistently gets damp (are you sensing a theme here?). Wash your towels after every few uses to keep them clean and bacteria-free— even the decoration-only ones.
5.) Your toilet handle
You’re definitely cleaning your toilet (or at least we hope). But are you remembering to clean the flusher? Probably not. For totally obvious reasons, it’s bound to be kind of disgusting, so wipe it down with cleaner regularly.
Related: Former First Lady Nancy Reagan Watched Thousands of LGBTQ People Die of AIDS
6.) Your hairbrush
Think about it— you may not wash your hair every day, but you probably do brush your hair every day! Hairbrushes can collect dust, dirt, and dead skin cells— not to mention residue from hair products— which can be a recipe for growth of bacteria and yeast. So deep-clean your hairbrush at least once a month, and do a mild cleaning once a week.
7.) Everything under the sink
If you’re anything like most of us, you probably have a cabinet under your bathroom sink, and you probably really need to spend some time figuring out what’s down there. Sponges you use to clean, Q-tips, forgotten samples from the drugstore— it all accumulates and gets damp from all the moisture in the bathroom, leaving a cluttered mess (and breeding ground for mold).
Related: More Than Half of What You Eat Isn’t Even Real Food, Study Finds
8.) Your toothbrush
Chances are high you're not changing out your toothbrush often enough— you should really be replacing it every three to four months.
https://www.foxnews.com/health/8-surprisingly-disgusting-things-in-your-bathroom