Bathroom Items You Should Never Share – And the Dangers If You Do

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Imagine you are away from home but have forgotten to pack your towel, razor or toothbrush.

Should you use other people?

This is why it’s probably best not to make a habit of it.

Microorganisms can remain active for some time

causative of many diseases bacteriaViruses or fungi live on clothes, plastics and metal objects in your bathroom. These so-called pathogens germs Can remain viable on these surfaces for a long time. That is, they are capable of causing infection for days, months, or even years.

For example, fungus aspergillus Can remain viable on clothes and plastics for more than a month. Some bacteria can survive on these surfaces for years. And many viruses can survive for hours to months on certain materials such as ceramics, metals, textiles and plastics.

Many viruses can survive for hours to months on certain materials such as ceramics, metals, fabrics, and plastics. ,getty,

But what danger is there from special items like used towels, razors and toothbrushes?

Scientists have not run randomized controlled trials (the gold standard study design) to determine the risk. This would happen when a group in a study is randomly selected to shave their legs with someone’s used razor, and the infection rates of known pathogens are higher than those of a randomized control group that did not do so.

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But there are other studies that give us some clues.

Can I share towels? If you play footy, probably not

Less strong studies suggest that used towels increase the risk of skin infections.

There was a report from the United States of an outbreak of antibiotic-resistant staphylococcus aureus (or Staff, for short) a group of high-school football players. Players who shared towels were eight times more likely to contract the infection.

Staph can cause the skin condition impetigo. But in rare cases, it can lead to life-threatening septic shock and organ failure.

In this case, the risk of transmitting staph was probably increased due to potential cuts and scratches from playing contact sports.

Another study, also from the US, followed 150 households for 12 months. One child in each household was infected with staph.

The warm, moist conditions of the average bathroom encourage microbial growth. ,getty,

The risk of staph transmission increased significantly when household members shared towels.

You might think that germs are washed away in the shower. Although washing with soap and water reduces the number of germs on the skin, they do not completely eliminate them. And the warm, moist conditions of the average bathroom encourage microbial growth.

Even if you don’t develop an infection, becoming colonized by pathogens (even when there is no damage) can be problematic.

This is because you may be exposed to antibiotic-resistant species, increasing your risk of developing an antibiotic-resistant infection later on. Their treatment is more time consuming and expensive.

How about a toothbrush? think about viruses

Microorganisms can survive on hard objects, such as toothbrushes. And toothbrushing can cause bleeding gums. Therefore sharing them is discouraged as it can spread blood-borne viruses hepatitis 100,

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Not everyone who is at risk for hepatitis C infection has been tested. And people can be infectious even without symptoms.

Anything that comes in contact with saliva (such as your toothbrush) can also transmit pathogens. This includes herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1), which causes the common cold, and Epstein-Barr virus, which causes glandular fever.

About the author

Thea van de Mortel, Professor Emerita, Nursing, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Griffith University.

This article is republished from Conversation Under Creative Commons license. read the original article,

A person who has no symptoms of HSV-1 infection can still shed virus and cause infection.

One review found that toothbrushes were contaminated with potentially pathogenic species of bacteria, such as staph. e coli And pseudomonasHSV-1 was also found in sufficient numbers to cause infection. This virus can survive on plastic items for two to six days.

Surely a razor is ok? Not if you hate moles

Microbes can survive even on hard objects like razors. And it’s hard to avoid scratches when using a razor. So there is a risk of spreading blood-borne viruses if you share.

Razors, towels and other personal hygiene items can also spread the human papillomavirus that causes warts. So it’s no surprise that dermatologists recommend that everyone have their own.

Who is at risk?

If you have a cut or scrape, it provides an entry gate for germs, putting you at increased risk of infection. Remember those footy players who used to share towels.

Due to low immunity, the risk of infection also increases. We see this in:

infants, whose immune systems are still developing
Elderly people, whose immune function declines in later life
People who are taking immune-suppressing medications, such as cancer medications, oral corticosteroids, and medications taken after an organ transplant
People with type 2 diabetes, because increased blood sugar levels damage the function of immune cells and related molecules.

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However, the overall risk of getting the infection on any one occasion is low. And if you’re sharing a towel, razor or toothbrush with a partner, you’ll be in regular close contact and share germs anyway.

But it’s still a good idea to avoid the habit of sharing other people’s used bathroom items.