Phone: 419.874.3519

New game sweeping the nation...Clean it or Toss it, Waterhouse-style

Posted by Amy Siders on December 05, 2022 0 Comments

Let’s play a game…Clean it or toss it!

Let’s face it.

Bathrooms can be pretty germy places.

You can banish germs and bacteria by refreshing these everyday bathroom items ASAP!

But what can you clean and sanitize and what should you just toss and start fresh?

Let Waterhouse help!

We know you clean your showers, bathtubs, toilets, sinks, countertops, and mirrors, but there’s probably a few areas and a few items in your bathrooms that could use a little attention.

Hairbrushes and Combs – Clean ‘em or Toss ‘em?

Clean ‘em!

There’s a reason that barbers and hairstylists have that sanitizer container on their workstations. Hairbrushes harbor a lot more than just hair. They also hold onto dust, dirt, oils, hair products, and even dust mites—not the kinds of buildup you want on your clean hair every day. Pull out excess hair from your brushes daily and shampoo your hairbrush at least once a month.

To clean your hairbrush, add a few drops of shampoo to warm water and swirl the mixture until suds form. Submerge the head of your hairbrush into the water. Use a clean toothbrush to scrub near the base of the bristles. Rinse with fresh water, and leave your hairbrush out to dry, bristle-side down, on a clean towel overnight. You can use the same method for cleaning combs.

Bathmats – Clean ‘em or Toss ‘em?

Clean ‘em!

Bathmats have serious mildew potential thanks to their humid environments, so be sure to wash them regularly. Check your bathmat’s care label first. Some bathmats, especially those with rubber backing or plastic bathmats, may require a gentle cycle or handwashing. If machine-washable, toss your bathmat in the laundry with some bath towels and follow the manufacturer's instructions for washing.

Loofahs – Clean ‘em or Toss ‘em?

Toss ‘em!

Whether made of natural or synthetic materials, loofahs are a breeding ground for bacteria, mold, and yeast, and a host to all the dead skin cells you've scrubbed off in prior washes. Replace your natural sponges once every three to four weeks. That goes for those cute little bath poufs too. Make sure to replace them every 1-2 months.

To keep these bath tools as clean and bacteria-free as possible, dry them between uses, don't use them right after you shave, and clean them weekly by soaking them in a diluted bleach solution for 5 minutes before rinsing thoroughly.

Toilet Brushes – Clean ‘em or Toss ‘em?

Clean ‘em AND toss ‘em – you can clean them AND you can toss and replace them. When there are so many lovely options for such an “unlovable” household item, why not replace and refresh once in a while?

Toilet brushes have one of the dirtiest jobs of all, and they often go uncleaned. Remove bacteria, grime, and fecal matter by soaking your toilet brush in a bucket filled with hot water and a few capfuls of bleach. After an hour, remove and rinse with hot water. Once it's dry, you can return it to its holder, but we recommend you clean that, too. Putting a clean toilet brush into a grimy holder will defeat your hard work.

Toilet Handle – Clean ‘em or Toss ‘em?

Clean ‘em, of course!

Most of us clean the toilet bowl regularly, but the actual flusher (fun fact – this is actually called a “trip lever”)—which everyone touches before they stop at the sink—often gets skipped in the process. To prevent the spread of germs, give your toilet handle a good wipe-down every time you clean the bowl. If you're cleaning your toilet with a sanitizing cleaner, you can use the same solution for the handle. Alternatively, you can use a disinfecting wipe to easily clean toilet handles and seats.

Makeup Brushes – Clean ‘em or Toss ‘em?

Clean ‘em!

That occasional blemish might have less to do with stress or hormones and more to do with dirty makeup brushes. About every two weeks, or when your brush bristles are no longer soft and your coverage starts to look cakey or streaky, wash your brushes with unscented bar soap, baby soap, or a dedicated brush cleanser. Once dry, store your makeup brushes away from splashes in a cabinet or drawer to keep them clean as long as possible.

Bathroom Exhaust Fan – Clean ‘em or Toss ‘em?

Clean ‘em!

Surfaces are an obvious choice for daily or weekly bathroom cleaning, but what about your ceiling? Bathroom exhaust fans remove moisture from the air, making them a prime target for mold and mildew growth as well as dust buildup. To spot-clean, an all-purpose cleaner sprayed onto a microfiber cloth can help remove visible grime on the fan's cover. For a deeper clean—once or twice yearly, depending on use—you'll need to remove the cover to vacuum the exhaust fan blades and vent.

Soap Dispenser – Clean ‘em or Toss ‘em?

Clean ‘em if you got ‘em!

You use it every day to keep your hands clean, but when's the last time you gave your soap dispenser a good scrub? Waterhouse knows that you may have stopped buying disposable hand soap dispensers to life a greener life and you may be decanting your bulk hand soap into a pump dispenser. If this is you, you should include the container in your weekly cleaning routine. First, remove the lid. If there is still soap in the container, temporarily pour contents into another container. Mix warm water and a few drops of dish soap to wash a glass or plastic soap dispenser. For built-up residue, use a clean toothbrush to scrub away residue. If your soap dispenser is glass, you can also place the empty container in the top rack of your dishwasher to sanitize. Hand-wash the pump with warm, soapy water, using a toothpick to remove clogs if necessary. For quick wipe-downs of your soap dispenser between deep cleans, simply grab a disinfecting wipe.

Expired Medication

This one is a no-brainer. If it’s expired, you’re going to have to toss it. But you can’t just “toss it.”

The ibuprofen that's been sitting in the back of your medicine cabinet for five years needs to go. It typically has a shelf life of 24 to 36 months. After that, it starts losing potency, so there's no reason for you to hold onto it. Check the expiration dates on all your medications yearly and get rid of them if you see they have gone bad. Click the link below to find out what you can toss, how to do it, and where you can take the rest of the expired medications.

https://www.fda.gov/consumers/consumer-updates/where-and-how-dispose-unused-medicines

Razor Blades – Clean ‘em or Toss ‘em?

Toss ‘em!

If you're using your disposable razor until obvious signs of rust and wear, it's time to throw it out. To keep a new razor clean, be sure you rinse it thoroughly after use to get rid of any hair or shaving cream that might be lingering between the blades. Wipe it down with a cotton ball covered in isopropyl alcohol, and make sure it's stored somewhere dry between shaves.

So, it might not be the most entertaining family game. We’d rather play Clue or Monopoly or even Twister than clean our bathrooms, but Waterhouse wants to keep you and your family as safe as we do our own families. Just a few simple extra steps can go a LONG way in keeping you and yours healthy, safe, and happy going into the New Year.