The bathroom is a word with meanings that vary depending on where you are. The Merriam-Webster dictionary describes it as a room containing a bathtub or shower and usually a sink and toilet. For now, we take it to mean the place we go to take a bath, whether there is a toilet or not.
It is the one place we go in tired and come out refreshed. We leave the dirt and grime behind and come out all ready to start again. It can therefore be a clean place or one with so much dirt build up we no longer feel ‘clean’ after using it.
Ever walked in to a bathroom and you thought twice on whether to take a bath or not? This need not be the case. Although we go to the bathroom individually, it is the one place we must respect the other users coming after us. Bathroom etiquette is critical to ensure we all have a pleasant bathroom experience and to prevent potentially fatal accidents that can occur there.
Cleanliness
The scum from our bath is evident on the walls and floors. Cleanliness needs vary for the various bathroom types. Cement and tiled floors develop a slippery layer if they are not scrubbed regularly. These floors are best kept a little rugged at construction. If they are too smooth, the risk of slipping and falling is higher but a non-slip mat can help to reduce the slip. Scum and mold accumulate in the crevices between the tiles. Cold and dark rooms are worse off because the floor does not dry. The slippery layer is a result of the soap that may not completely wash away, the oils from our body and makeup.
The floor and mat should be scrubbed with a soft brush and soap on a daily basis or more often if the traffic in to the bathroom is high. The mat is then left out to dry to minimize the risk of fungi growing on it. Where the floor is already slippery, scrubbing it with a scouring pad and warm water mixed with bleach and soap will remove the dirt. Splashing some white vinegar will minimize the odors. Once a week, pour hot water with bleach down the drain to remove the buildup of grime and keep it patent. The walls too need to be cleaned regularly with soap and a scouring pad.
Fungi thrive on wet floors and bathrooms are one place the fungus loves. It can result in painful and smelly athletes’ foot infection so keeping the place dry will keep our toes disease free.
While cleaning the bathroom, we forget to clean the accessories in the room. The sink, the soap holder and rack need to be cleaned daily too. Not to forget the window sill!
Wood and earth are not a good choice for a bathroom floor since they dry slowly and will eventually grow mold and fungi. Wood will rot over time and can be a hideout for other insects.
Bathrooms can be wet, slippery and an accident waiting to happen especially if the floor is left wet. A bathmat is an essential part of every bathroom. Placed outside a bathtub or a shower cubicle, it serves to absorb water from a shower or a bath. A bathroom rug on the other hand is what we step on to absorb the water from our bodies as we towel dry. It can also be sued at the sink in case of spills. In most cases, the two are used interchangeably. A bathroom mat or rug is best made from cotton because of its absorbent properties. A thick one is good because it can absorb more water but needs to be allowed out to dry otherwise it will soon be moldy and smelly! We can cut up old towels for this purpose but there is also an array of lovely bathmats in various colors and designs that can be found at fair prices. To pull off that elegant look, we can match the color of the bath mat with the color of the towels, curtains or toilet seat covers.
Towels
Available in various sizes, they are handy to dry off the water from our skin once we are done with our bath. Why are there so many sizes and what are they used for? A detailed outline of the various towel sizes, thickness and their purpose is available in a separate blog.
A towel is a personal item of clothing and is not to be shared. This is because they are in close contact with the skin and can be a source of infection. For ease of management, each family member can hang their towel in their room. There are pretty hooks that go over doors with several hanging points that can hold several towels at a go. Alternatively, let them hang outside to dry. Just how long do our towels last between washes? That depends on how often we shower, the kind and size of towel and whether we allow it to airdry between uses. If a towel is likely to stay crumped up such that it feels damp between uses, two uses at most should be enough before giving it up for washing, otherwise same day washes would be best. This is because damp towels are a potential breeding ground for all manner of organisms that could cause skin infestations and/or infections. For towels that we can leave out to dry in the sun, 3-4 uses will do before washing. Washing the towel requires warm water, some bleach (depending on the color) and detergent. Then let it dry outside completely where possible or hang it up for at least two hours if you dried it by machine.
Toothbrush and toothpaste
These too constitute a common part of most bathrooms. Whereas the toothpaste may be shared, it is important to practice mindfulness as we use it. Whether we squeeze the tube from the bottom up or the middle (this is a matter of personal preference and not quite worth the fight!), we need to keep it clean. Where you place the cap as you use the toothpaste could make it dirty. Nobody wants to open their tube of toothpaste and water seems to pour from it; ew! Make it a habit to open the tube, squeeze out what you need and close it again to avoid contaminating it. How we store our toothbrushes after use is as important. They should be left upright in an open place to allow them to dry. Use a holder and preferably one with separators to prevent them from rubbing against each other. Electric toothbrushes too need to be left in an open place and upright to allow them to dry. Recently we have toothbrush holders with UV light for sanitizing the brush heads and a toothpaste dispenser. Talk of solving the fights over toothpaste before they begin!
The sink
The bathroom sink holds a lot: both good and bad. It holds the evidence of our activities in the bathroom and can quickly build up dirt, grime and make up. It should be thoroughly cleaned at least once a day. After we use it, let us pick up after ourselves. Those hairs do not make a pretty sight if left lying around, and could potentially cause blockage if allowed to build up. Graciously pick some tissue and collect them, discarding them in to the bin. Same goes for our makeup: streaks of mascara and the array of eye liners in their diverse colors form an unpleasant rainbow in the sink and could potentially results in stains ruining it in the process. Take a wet wipe and clean them down then run some water to ensure the sink remains clean. When ae brush our teeth, we begin with a mouth rinse. Evidence of our last meal is not something everyone wants to see so rinse that down as well. Clean up the remnants of toothpaste after brushing your teeth so that it does not dry up and cake on the sink’s surface. In a separate blog, we will be talking about how to remove build-up from our sinks if things have been left on for too long.
The Mirror
Not to be ignored, a clean mirror completes the bathroom experience as it enables us have a look at how good we turned out after all our prep work. It also allows us have those tete-a-tete moments (does anyone else talk to themselves at the mirror?) but obscurity and stains make the experience not as lovely. When we brush our teeth, we sometimes lift our heads to see how that is coming along (for goodness sake you have seen yourself brush from childhood, isn’t it ever enough?) but that causes toothpaste to spatter and stain the mirror. It will not hurt to take some tissue and wipe it down so that the next user can see their teeth too.
The bathroom bin
We will often need to use tissue, paper towels and wet wipes while in the bathroom. All these cannot be flushed down in the toilet. Every bathroom needs a bin and one that is emptied often, preferably daily. It will also encourage users to keep the place clean as they will not leave trash lying around on the sink or counter top. But the bathroom bin needs a cleaning every once in a while, especially if it is not lined.
The toilet
Some toilets come with WC and lid covers but these are additional accessories that add to the aesthetics. They too need to be cleaned and changed often; especially the floor mat at the base of the toilet as it may get spills of urine. Of note is that dressing up your toilet seat may not be a wise idea as the dressing may hold lots of germs between one person and the next. During peeing, gentlemen should remember to keep the toilet seat up to avoid spills and in case of any, they wipe them down. The seat and seat cover are best left closed after use and as the toilet flushes to reduce the potentially bacterial-filled mist released as the toilet flushes.
Our behavior around the bathroom makes it a pleasant and memorable experience for the next user and for us in case we need to use it again. Let us make it count: a little courtesy sure goes a long way!
