When did you last clean your bathroom? If it was over a week ago, you could be putting you and your family’s health at risk.
When not scrubbed and wiped regularly, areas such as your sinks, shower trays and even the taps can provide the perfect breeding ground for dangerous bacteria.
Research carried out by Mira Showers in conjunction with Marco Mendoza Villa, a PhD researcher from Bristol University’s School of Biological Sciences, found traces of harmful E. Coli and salmonella in a family bathroom which was left for over a week without cleaning.
Potentially hazardous germs congregated in areas of the bathroom we might least expect, potentially exposing people to various health problems including stomach cramps, nausea, diarrhoea and vomiting.
And with a 2018 study by Mintel revealing 32 per cent of Brits clean their bathrooms less than once a week, that’s bad news – especially with the recent spread of coronavirus.
As part of the research, Marco tested out different cleaning solutions to assess how effective they were at removing the bacteria.
After initial swabs were taken, areas of each surface were cleaned using two different cleaning solutions from a range of six, before two swabs were taken again and analysed in a laboratory.
Here FEMAIL reveals the most germ-infested areas of the bathroom – and the best products to tackle them.
Potentially hazardous germs congregated in areas of the bathroom we might least expect, potentially exposing people to various health problems including stomach cramps, nausea, diarrhoea and vomiting. Pictured: stock image
The most bacteria-infested areas of the bathroom
1. Shower tray (72 per cent infected)
2. Basin (71 per cent infected)
3. Tap (43 per cent infected)
4. Shower head (32 per cent infected)
5. Toilet seat (29 per cent infected)
6. Bathroom floor (23 per cent infected)
7. Shower enclosure (16 per cent infected)
8. Bathroom door handle (less than 1 per cent infected)
Before being cleaned, all bathroom surfaces had at least two different types of bacteria present, with one having an alarming eight.
In total, there were 11 different types of bacteria detected, from the relatively harmless Micrococcus and Enterobacter aerogenes to the potentially more harmful Salmonella and E. coli.
Of all the surfaces, the door handle was the least infected before cleaning, with just 0.9 per cent of its surface showing bacteria, while the most infected was the shower tray, with a troubling 72 per cent of its surface covered in pathogens.
Other areas in dire need of a good scrub were the bathroom basin (71 per cent infected), shower head (32 per cent) and the taps (43 per cent).
Perhaps most surprising was the relative cleanliness of the toilet seat, with just 29 per cent of its surface infected with bacteria.
The best cleaning products for tackling bacteria in your shower enclosure
SHOWER ENCLOSURE
Bacteria detected: Micrococcus, Staphylococcus, E. coli, Streptococcus, Campylobacter.
Cleaning contenders: Multi-surface spray versus shower cleaner.
Given the number of soaps, gels and hair products used in the shower, you’d expect it to be fairly clean before a cleaning product gets anywhere near it – and at just 16 per cent bacteria coverage, you’re not far wrong.
The interesting part comes when you compare the cleaning power of a shower cleaner, supposedly formulated for the shower area, and a multi-surface spray.
While the multi-surface spray reduced the infected area by an impressive 99.6 per cent, the shower cleaner could only manage 28 per cent.
Winner: Multi-surface spray
Bacteria within the shower enclosure pictured before (left) and after (right) cleaning with multi-surface spray
The best product for cleaning the shower head
Bacteria detected: E. coli, Staphylococcus, Streptococcus, Enterococcus, Campylobacter, Streptobacillus.
Cleaning contenders: Cream cleaner versus shower cleaner.
The shower head was the fourth dirtiest surface in the bathroom, with 32 per cent covered in bacteria, but cream cleaner managed to reduce the infected area by a satisfying 99 per cent.
However, the shower cleaner didn’t perform as well, only removing 50 per cent of the bacteria.
The shower head is also a notorious haven for limescale, which can be reduced using an array of bathroom cleaners. But according to Marcus, the best solution for removing limescale is good old-fashioned vinegar.
Winner: Cream cleaner
The bacteria contained in the shower head before (left) and after (right) cleaning with cream cleaner
The best product for cleaning the shower tray
Bacteria detected: E. coli, Streptococcus, Staphylococcus, Enterobacter aerogenes, Enterococcus, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Streptobacillus, Campylobacter.
Cleaning contenders: Bleach versus cream cleaner.
With an infected area of 72 per cent, made up of eight different types of bacteria, the shower tray was the filthiest surface in the test bathroom and needed some serious cleaning power to get properly clean.
That power came in the form of bleach, which removed an impressive 89 per cent of the pathogens.
However, cream cleaner only succeeded in making the shower tray more infected, by 2.5 per cent.
‘This leads me to think that cream cleaner didn’t work on that surface and it just ended up distributing the bacteria more,’ Marco said.
Winner: Bleach
Bacteria contained within the shower tray pictured before (left) and after (right) cleaning with bleach
The best cleaning product for the bathroom floor
Bacteria detected: E. coli, Enterococcus, Salmonella, Staphylococcus, Streptococcus.
Cleaning contenders: Bleach versus bathroom wipes.
The bathroom floor was relatively clean, with just 23 per cent of its area infected with five different types of bacteria.
However, one of those was salmonella, a dangerous bacteria that can cause diarrhoea, fever, abdominal cramps and vomiting if ingested.
Your best bet for getting rid of salmonella and other bacteria on the bathroom floor is bleach, which in this case reduced the infected area by 99.4 per cent. In contrast, bathroom wipes only reduced the infected area by seven per cent.
Winner: Bleach
The bathroom floor pictured before (left) and after (right) using wipes to clean it. They weren’t very effective, only reducing the infected area by seven per cent
The best cleaning product for the bathroom door handle
Bacteria detected: Micrococcus, Staphylococcus, E. coli, Streptococcus.
Cleaning contender: Bathroom wipes.
One of the least infected areas in the bathroom, the door handle was tested with wipes, which achieved a 94 per cent reduction in bacteria.
As the initial percentage of infected area was so low (0.9 per cent) there was only one cleaning product tested.
Winner: Wipes
The bathroom door handle pictured before (left) and after (right) using wipes to clean it
The best cleaning product for cleaning the bathroom basin
Bacteria detected: E. coli, Streptococcus, Staphylococcus.
Cleaning contenders: Anti-bacterial spray versus bathroom wipes.
The sink was the second most infected area in the entire bathroom. With 71 per cent of its surface covered in bacteria, it was in desperate need of a good clean.
Your best bet to get rid of all those unpleasant pathogens is anti-bacterial spray, which reduced the infected area by a whopping 94 per cent.
That figure couldn’t be beaten by bathroom wipes, which only managed a paltry 50 per cent.
Winner: Anti-bacterial spray
The bathroom’s basin pictured before (left) and after (right) cleaning with anti-bacterial spray
The best cleaning product for cleaning bathroom sink taps
Bacteria detected: E. coli, Streptococcus.
Cleaning contenders: Bathroom wipes versus multi-surface spray.
While bathroom wipes weren’t great on the basin or floor, they were more successful in removing bacteria from the taps, reducing the 43 per cent infected area by half.
This was over 30 per cent better than multi-surface spray, which only managed to reduce the infected area by 19 per cent.
Winner: Bathroom wipes
The bathroom sink taps pictured before (left) and after (right) cleaning with wipes
The best cleaning products to tackle your toilet seat
Bacteria detected: Micrococcus, Staphylococcus, Streptococcus.
Cleaning contenders: Bleach versus anti-bacterial spray
The humble toilet seat offered some unexpected results when it came to cleanliness and hygiene.
Not only did it have a relatively low area of infection (29 per cent), it was also the only surface in the bathroom that didn’t show the presence of E. coli.
Both bleach and anti-bacterial spray performed well, but, with scores of 99.5 per cent and 93 per cent respectively, it was bleach that came out on top.
Winner: Bleach
The bathroom toilet seat pictured before (left) and after (right) cleaning with bleach
Reflecting on the results, Marco said: ‘After analysing all the products, it’s no surprise that bleach revealed the best results as it continuously showed drastic decreases in the infected area by bacteria or fungi.
‘In some cases neither bacteria nor fungi displayed any growth. A promising substitute for bleach is the anti-bacterial spray since, in some cases, it compares to the effectiveness of bleach.’
Roland Boal, lead designer at Mira Showers, added: ‘It can be easy to forget to clean the bathroom regularly, but if this is something you fall victim to, there are bathroom products on the market that can help.’
