Tips to help stop bathroom germs

Color code hand and bath towels

It might seem like a stupid idea but each family member will know which towel is theirs. Each time you dry yourself off, are depositing germs on your towel. Just a skin flake can contain bacteria. They may not be sick but it can affect you. If you don’t want to color code, use a waterproof marker on the labels. Not only do you prevent someone from using your towel but you don’t make the same mistake.

Never share toothbrushes

Make sure everyone has their own toothbrush and the best way to identify them is by colour-coding. You can simply buy toothbrushes in different colours. Here’s why: every time you brush your teeth, you remove plaque and particles. Sometimes you press too hard and your gums bleed. Any bacteria you have in your mouth, is deposited onto your toothbrush. It becomes contaminated. Replace your toothbrush each time after you’ve been ill because you will get infected again. Remember that germs survive a long time. The best practice is to store toothbrushes roughly 1 inch from each other. This prevents germs from spreading from one toothbrush to another.

Flush your toilet with the lid down

Flushing your toilet with the lid up is like setting of a flare. The water vapor that erupts from the flushing bowl is polluted and it takes several hours for these particles to settle. Do not store your toothbrush openly near the toilet as it gets contaminated by the particles.
Clean high-touch surfaces

Clean high-touch surfaces

A high-touch surface is something you use your hands on. The bathroom has a lot of them. These include the taps, door handles, toilet lids, bath handles and your towel rack. Any high-touch surface carries a lot of germs. Use a disinfectant spray or anti-bacterial wipes. These will kill the bathroom germs living on your surfaces. Rhinoviruses that cause cold can actually survive for up to three hours. So when you are sick, make sure you disinfect your bathroom.

Use a paper cup dispenser

A plastic or ceramic cup can spread a lot of germs. The fact is that a few people in the household probably uses the same cup. Your best defense it to keep a paper cup dispenser in the bathroom. This allows everyone to have their own cup and dispose of it when they are done. It might be a bit expensive but you stop people from infecting each other when they are sick.

Choose functional tissues

There are loads of different types on the market today and the latest is virucidial tissues. These tissues actually kill germs as soon as you use it. Blowing your nose or coughing into it can help to stop the spread of germs. These viruvidial tissues may be expensive but it depends on the manufacturer and store.

Wash your hands after you do your business

This may be second nature but people forget, especially children. You should always wash your hands after coming into contact with any body fluids such as blood, nasal secretions and vomit. This applies when you are visiting the toilet, changing diapers and of course, after you clean any area of the bathroom.

Scrub the inside of the toilet bowl

The toilet bowl actually has a lot of germs. Make sure you clean it a couple times a week with products that contain bleach. The bleach actually kills the germs and also leaves your toilet clean and ready to be used.

Let the water run before you shower

Bathroom germs can grow in shower heads. It might not seem possible but as soon as you turn off the water, they become active and easily multiply. Let your shower run fully on hot water for about a minute or two. This will flush out the germs before you get in.

Scrub showers, bathtubs, and counter-tops

Bathroom germs grow in your showers, bathtubs and on your counter-tops as well These should always be cleaned to reduce the spread of viruses, fungi and bacteria. Do it at least twice a week with a disinfectant product that contains bleach. You can easily get more germs if you don’t clean your bathroom because they enter through the mouth, nose, eyes, and broken skin or just about anywhere they can. Your overall load of bacteria can increase and you may get ill with a cold, infections or viruses. This can be because you didn’t clean the bathtub, got in and touched your mouth or even get into the tub with a cut or an open wound. You’re always in danger of being infected, especially when you are already sick.

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Go forward for about 100 years and the toilet is as much a statement of style as it a practicality.

Toilets come in a wide arrangement of shapes, sizes and typed. This can be from the conventional close-coupled toilet to the more recent wall-mounted one. With so many options out there, it is easy to get lost in the choices and the industry jargon used to describe them. To help you make a choice, we have put together a small buyer’s guide on bathroom toilet types.

Bathroom Toilet Types:

Close-Coupled Toilets

A close-coupled toilet consists of two ceramic pieces. These are the pan and the cistern. The cistern is mounted directly on top of the pan. It typically has a lever handle but you can get those who have dual-flush button on the top.

Close-coupled toilets are the most common type of toilet in the country. They are available in a large number of styles and shape.

When they are compared to the other types, they are the cheapest overall option in terms of purchasing and installation.

Features and Benefits

1. Often cheap to buy.
2. The quickest and cheapest option in terms of installation.
3. Huge choice of shapes and styles.
4. The soil pipe can usually go out and to the left, right, down or back.

Back-to-Wall Toilets

Back to wall toilets are ideal for creating a modern and minimalistic look. They have the cistern concealed in the wall or a piece of furniture to provide a neat finish. Some concealed cisterns measure 10cm or less in depth, so the overall depth used can be less than a close-coupled toilet.

Access to the cistern is either through an access panel if it is fitted in furniture or a flush plate if it is fitted in a wall. The maintenance is no more difficult than a standard toilet.

Features and benefits

1. Offers a stylish, contemporary look without the space of a wall-hung toilet.
2. Creates an illusion of space in a bathroom with less clutter.
3. Cheaper and easier to install than a wall-mounted toilet as no support frame is needed.
4. Perfect for use with a run of furniture.

Wall-Mounted Toilets

Wall mounted, or wall hung toilets, have the cistern hidden away inside a wall or furniture unite. It is a chrome flush plate that provides access to the cistern.

The toilet is supported by a strong wall frame that houses the concealed cistern and supports the toilet. A wall-mounted toilet can usually be fitted to any wall, even a stud wall if it is reinforced and supported correctly.

The mounting frames can typically support around 200kg in weight when properly installed.

Features and Benefits

1. Creates the best illusion of space by leave the floor free.
2. It looks stylish.
3. Can usually support about 200kg of weight.
4. Saves a lot of space.

Closed-Back Toilets

These are sometimes referred to as fully-enclosed toilets. They are a type of close-coupled that goes fully back to the wall to create a neat and tidy look. Please note that you will not be able to install this type if your waste pipe exits to the left or right of the toilet.

Features and Benefits

1. Covers unsightly pipework.
2. Space saving.
3. Easy to keep clean.

Comfort Height Toilets

Comfort height toilets are 4 or 5cm taller than a regular toilet. They are designed to make it more comfortable for the user.

The extra height might not seem to make a huge difference but it helps out a lot. The elderly, infirm and those slightly taller can get up and down from the toilet much easier.

Features and Benefits

1. High seating position.
2. Less pressure on the knees and other lower body joints.
3. Easy access for both the elderly and the less able.
4. Sitting down and getting up is made easier by the extra height

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Bathroom toilet history timeline:

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